Speaking of inappropriate things to do with New Mexican foods...

The St. Bernard kindly treated a group of us to lunch at Champy's fried chicken yesterday. The chicken was good, but people in the South should leave well enough alone when they try adding other cultures into their menu.

The fried jalapeno basket on the menu was not poppers; it was canned jalapeno slices which had been breaded then deep fried. There was barely a hint of spiciness in them. The buttermilk fried pickle spears (definitely a Southern thing) tasted like nothing more than hot pickles, and who wants hot pickles? (Answer: Southerners) The St. Bernard also ordered the smoked sausage, cheese, and pickle plate. The sausage was good, but the pickles (unbreaded this time) were warm again, and the orange cheese (maybe cheddar) had paprika sprinkled on it. (Ooh, how exotic!)

No one at the table had ever tried the Mississippi Delta homemade hot tamales with slaw and crackers, probably with good reason. Mississippi tamales? With cole slaw and crackers? I was too afraid to order them.