October 8, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Gumbo.

In Nova Scotia I eat a lot of seafood. And I love it. I eat mussels and scallops. And I eat lots of haddock, pan friend in butter with no batter and just salt and pepper. Delicious and simple. I eat Atlantic salmon too and fried clams. The fish is always fresh, right from the fisherman the same morning. Eating seafood in Nova Scotia is a special pleasure. But you can not order gumbo. Today at lunch with Lisa at Sal & Phils I ordered a cup of gumbo and half of a PoBoy oyster sandwich. They were both wonderful but I had forgotten how good gumbo really is. The gumbo was rich in flavor but not hot and it was full of good seafood. It was so good that I wished I had ordered a whole big bowl. One of the side benefits of living in Mississippi is that the New Orleans flavors spill over to us. So the food is generally good with a bit of New Orleans found in most dishes. My lunch today was right from New Orleans and was a welcome home to Mississippi for me. The gumbo was delicious. I had forgotten how much I missed it. Next time at Sal & Phils I will order a big bowl of gumbo. And I will eat it all.