Happy Moments: A Trip Down to Bankhead

So alas...

There was another trip down to the 'hood.

And yes, I live in the 'hood, but this trip was down to the hoodest of the ATL 'hoods, a trip down to Bankhead.

And "Bankhead" is the old name of that street and neighborhood. Streets over thataways these days are named after famous ATL civil rights leaders (I suppose. I have never heard of many of these folks. Maybe I should break out a black history book).

So...

Sam, aka Mzinspiredmind aka "Cinammon Sugar" came down for a some work related test, and she stayed with me. Mind you, I suck at hosting anybody. I am glad she was able to deal with me.

Upon us returning from the test down in the country somewhere (and me also grabbing up new kitten Sister Callie Joe in the process), she decided she wanted to go to Bankhead Seafood.



I looked at the time. And it was around 2 in the afternoon.

Here's the thing with Bankhead seafood: they are only opened Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  And they close when they run out of fish.

The place is not very far from my home. I would say a little over 5 miles or so. But I told her to call them to see if they'd run out of fish yet. After all, it was a Friday.

Of course the line was busy. I suppose they were frying fish, and nobody had time to be answering phones.

So we drove on over there. It was good for a Friday, because there was no line out the door.

And Sam started with a bunch of questions. I can't even remember them all. I was just looking at her all crazy.

"Do they change the menu daily?"

*blink*blink*

"Man, no. The fish is $5."

Now, I haven't frequented this place much. But I suppose the menu changes when they run out of stuff.

She and I were both fiddling around with our smartphones, texting and what not.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to have these smartphones out."

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I just noticed no one else was in the line with their phones out. But we continued texting.

There was one lone booth against the wall.

"Since you asking a ton of questions like this is a bougeios restaurant, do you want to sit down and eat here."

She shook her head no.

We waited less than 30 minutes before it was our turn at the counter. During that time, I'd gone out to check on my car a couple of times since I parked on the side of the building in front of some type of stereo shop. I did not want to get towed. And I also perused various makeshift signs on the wall. Much of it was from "Mama", who I suppose was the owner. And a lot of it was about not coming up in there starting some mess, or to let "Mama" know if the cashier is asking for tips on the orders. All of that was quite entertaining.

So we finally get up to the counter, and Sam orders her fish and this:

I haven't seen a Faygo in a very long time. I MIGHT see some at some of the low end groceries stores in the hood, but you know that I am a Whole Foods type of girl.

And Whole Foods doesn't carry the Faygo line of drinks. No... they do not.

I wanted to take more pictures, but I had to be sly about it. I didn't want any trouble with this "Mama" person.

Interestingly enough, they hadn't completely run out of everything. As you can see in the picture, there were plenty of pieces of pie left on that back counter.

Pie was $1.50 a slice. I didn't want any pie. I didn't want any fish either. They usually have collard greens, but I didn't see that on the menu. (Maybe they DO change it daily). I have never been able to catch the collard greens, as they are out whenever I come up in there.

I do order some hush puppies, which are 5 for a $1. And the hushpuppies are the size of tennis balls at times. So that's a lot of cornbread.

"I don't like hush puppies," Sam said.

"Do you like cornbread?"

"Yes," she said.

I peered at her curiously. "You like cornbread, but you don't like hush puppies."

"No I don't like them."

"Cornbread and hush puppies are the same thing, honey," I said.

"No it's something about them."

*crickets*

Uh okay. I took her word for it.

Sam got her fish.

 That is a good looking plate of fish. There are at least 10 pieces there, or at least enough to feed a family. Not bad for $5.   I've seen people walk out with 3 containers. I always thought "They must be having a party or something!"

I got my hush puppies. Sam didn't like the hush puppy included with her fish, so she gave it to me. GLORY.

We stopped by the drug store so that I could get some food for Callie Jo.  And then we headed on back to my place.

Callie Jo was so small that she wouldn't eat when I tried to give her a dish of cat food. So I had to scoop it up and let her lick it off my finger. She got the hang of it soon.

We sat there while Sam ate her fish. She had been saying that she was going to eat all of it.

"You sure you gonna eat all that fish?"

"Yes I am."

"Well me and Callie gonna sit here and watch you eat it all."

She, of course didn't eat it all in one sitting. But I think she worked her way through it over the next couple days. If I even go to Bankhead seafood, it is after a financial freedom fighter meeting, which we sometimes hold at the library a few blocks away. I will get a plate and make a stop by grandma or either my sister's house, since they like it so much. I may pinch off a piece or don't have any at all. But I better hit some folks houses with it.

I don't know why don't sell ONE piece of fish. They could charge $1 for a piece of fish. Heck, the fish and wing joint near my house charge $3 for one piece of fish.  Why does it have to be so much that you can't even close the top of the container?

I don't think Sam minded that at all though!

And it was a happy moment, us sitting in my living room watching Judge Judy, and her eating her fish while I fed Callie Jo some friskies salmon delight off the tip of my index finger.

Oh what a happy moment and day it was.