Atlanta Georgia.  Where there’s a church on every corner and all the food is fried.  What’s not to love?  There’s just something about the deep south that calls to me and for several days this week I get to experience some of that true southern atmosphere. There are some in other parts of the country who perhaps consider the south to be a little backward in some respects, a place very steeped in and proud of their heritage and traditions.  And yes, while there are some obvious issues in the south (as there can be in any part of the country) that I won’t be addressing in this blog, there is also the charm, the slower pace, the quaintness,  and the hospitality that makes me slow down and relax in this great southern city.

I serve on a national board with some of the most wonderful people in the country who arrived in Atlanta yesterday from all over for two days of meetings and a research conference which follows.  One of the members is from Atlanta and she set up a trip to a lovely vineyard north of the city in a fabulous limo.  We wanted to be safe, after all.  Anyway, on the way, one of my southern friends referred to being warm in the limo as “sweatin’ like a whore in church”.  THIS is one of the reasons I love the south.  The analogies and colloquialisms are fantastic and so creative.  Phrases like “the butter done slid off his biscuit” need no explanation and I heard a new word at the winery that I had to write down.  The gentleman doing the tasting for us was obviously very proud of the work of the winery and the awards the winery had garnered.  He said he didn’t mean to sound  “bragadocious” but that these wines were just that good.  He didn’t smile, like, hey, I made up a new word or anything and it didn’t sound like it was off the cuff.  So it must be a real word, or at least, he believed it was.

After sitting on our behinds in a meeting for hours today, full of passionate, intellectual discussions and decision making, we were taken to dinner at a restaurant named Mary Mac’s Tearoom.  As we were taken back to the large room towards the back of the restaurant, I could feel myself getting excited at the prospect of the meal to come.  And sure enough, the buffet did not disappoint. Fried everything, except for the mac and cheese which was baked and the mashed potatoes which needed NO gravy and the coleslaw  The only way to do it.  Fried vegetables (okra),  fried meats, fried fruit (tomato) and fried bread (hush puppies).  I’m not going to even talk about the broccoli because I think it was an attempt to make it look healthy.  Cinnamon rolls, peach cobbler and peanut butter pie.  Is your mouth watering yet?  And pitchers of sweet tea, the wine of the south.  It doesn’t get better than that.

The absolute best part of the meal was when I just sat back and watched everyone.  If you could have seen the deep conversations from some and heard the raucous laughter from others, everyone engaged in some kind of interaction.  The two deans of colleges of music leaning in closely in that deep conversation.  The organization’s staff laughing with the board members over something silly.  Several members discussing issues that had come up in the meeting today.  People from other parts of the country trying the sweet tea and immediately diluting it with more water.  I’m serious. Kind, passionate, loving people enjoying great comfort food and conversation.  No cell phones – well, they were out, but not many in use and all kinds of face to face conversations.  The way relationships between friends and colleagues should be.  Wouldn’t it be amazing if all other groups/organizations/Congress could do the same?  But that’s another subject for another time.

The last two days have reminded me again that I’m a lucky girl.  I get to travel, work with and learn from tremendous colleagues, eat great food, and play a part in making things better for music educators and their students across the country.  I don’t want to be bragadocious here, but it doesn’t get any better than that.