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An excess of old-school country music and an obsession with The Coal Miner’s Daughter can do wonders for a girl’s vocabulary. Yes Sir Yes Ma’am, wonders ya’ll. A mysterious drawl has crept up on me and words that most college educated people shun….well…they are flowing from my mouth. Raised in Northern Virginia, most people I know nowadays would argue to the death that I actually meant to say “West Virginia.”
I tried with all my might to resist being possessed by “country.” But no matter how hard I fought, it just reeled in my soul and grabbed hold of me. But yesterday was a scary scary day.
Scene: Espresso Bar. A line is building to the door. My co-worker tries to a hand a full chai to a grabby customer. It happens in slow motion….scalding liquid splattering everywhere.
Customer: “Oh My!”
Me: ” Ahhh Shucks! Did ya get gottin’?”
What in the devil was that?! That’s it. I’ve got to start listening to punk rock or something that will wake my brain up. I look around to see if anyone has realized that I have violated many rules to our holy language. The customer winks at me…and I think to myself, “you’re lookin’ at country.”
But Loretta Lynn seems like a sassy classy gal. I bet she loves fine pastries and chocolate covered strawberries. So just because I’m slipping into a prairie coma doesn’t mean I’ve lost my wits. So, cheers to country and cheers to perfect rustic fruit tarts. For if you can pull off a fruit tart, then you are a worldly, educated, cultured soul…and you have permission to speak however you chose. Amen.
If I haven’t mentioned it before, Smitten Kitchen is one of the greatest food blogs to have ever been created. Not only are the stories and photos crisp and refreshing…but the recipes are all reliable and scrumptious. So, without further blabber head on over there to find the recipe for the Unshrinkable Tart Shell and Pastry Cream!
All Photos were taken by my wandering cowboy, Evan Lentz.