Memphis, TN: Home of Elvis, BBQ, and JOYPARK!!!

This weekend I headed to Memphis to visit the former roomie, along with Ms. CJByun. Good times were had by all. I flew in on Saturday morning, and we proceeded to start our day with a Southern breakfast-- I had sausage, eggs, home fries, Byun had cheese grits. Yum. After checking our La Casa de Park, we headed to downtown Memphis. Had a YUMMY orange cream slushie at Sonic (that place is genius), walked around Beale Street, drank some sweet tea, and then had us some real Memphis BBQ dry ribs. They were tasty. Ended our day hanging out at this blues club, where we saw this pretty good jam band perform. Sunday was church, and then Graceland! I think the main reason we went was the look at the cheesy souvenirs and take goofy pictures. Drank some more sweet tea, then ate some more bbq, this time wet ribs at Corky's. You sensing a theme here? We also ended up getting Sonic one more time, and Chick Fil A as well. It was a yummy, greasy, fatty, delicious time. By the end of the weekend I could feel myself getting chubbier, and as Christine said, really wanted to eat a salad and diet water.

Monday morning we got up early and went to the National Civil Rights Museum. The Museum is at the L0raine H0tel, where MLK was assasinated. They basically took out all the rooms, and made it a walk through museum. It was a great museum, with really interesting pictures, artifacts, documents, information. I always imagine what it would have been like to have grown up during that time period, and what I would have done. I admire the courage of the freedom riders, of all the teenagers who were beaten and arrested, of people like Fannie Lou Hamer. And I try to put myself in the shoes of the white people in the South whose worlds were being turned around and reacted in the way they thought was right. History hasn't been good to them, and rightly so, but I hope they eventually realized how wrong they were. I also wonder about those white people whose faces were eternally captured spewing hatred, evil and violence. Like the picture of a young black girl trying to walk into Central High School in Arkansas, and the white girl behind her yelling with such an expression of hatred on her face. I wonder how she felt later on when that picture became such an iconic image of school integration and the civil rights movement, and she was the example of the anger and opposition of whites in the south? I wonder how her kids felt? Anyways, it was an excellent museum, and I think it made me remember and appreciate the purpose of MLK Day.

Overall, my experience in Memphis was delicious. It was especially nice to hang out with my girls, listen to the same songs on the radio over and over again, and see Ms. Park before she goes on her Phillipine adventure. My first experience in the South was a delightful one.

But of course, it wouldn't have been complete without a little bit of people being dumb.
So here you are, the offensive moment of the weekend:
Christine flew back to DC with me for work stuff, so we sat next to each other. We were sitting in the emergency exit row, so if there was an emergency, we would be the ones who would have to open the emergency door.
Conversation during takeoff:
Stewardess: You realize you're in an exit row, if you have a problem with this please let us know blah blah blah.
Us: Yup, we're okay.
Stewardess: Do you speak English?
Us: Yes.

Conversation during landing:
Different stewardess: You realize you're in an exit row blah blah blah.
Me: Yes
Stewardess: Do you speak English?
Me: YES.
Stewardess: Do you speak a second language?
Me: Uh, I guess Korean.
Stewardess: Could you ask the people in front of you (an asian couple who apparantely didn't speak English) to make sure they do not get up during the last half hour of the flight?
Me: Uh, okay.

Turns out they were Chinese. Too bad we all don't just speak Asian to each other.

Anyways, thanks for having us over Joy! I have a new appreciation for the South.