May's guest luncher

Hi guys and please let me present my "Guest Luncher for the Month of May"  my very own sister Lisa. (there are four of us girls but who knows when I'll get the others to participate...)

Here's us once upon a long time ago...(sister Lisa is the smaller one in the photo).

Sister Lisa now blogs here ,and  she has been a faithful fan and has also been the vector through which I met many of my most interesting readers. So, thank you Lisa for your support and encouragement, and also for introducing me to your crowd. (but  please oh please, you are a talented writer, pleaser write some more!)

And since I just love following recipes all that follows is in Lisa's own words and with her own photos (I picased a little to get them up to "food blog" standards but that was my only intervention aside from this introduction) take it away Lisa:

Welcome to Norfolk, Virginia and thank you to my sister Emily for allowing me to share my lunch with you. But first I will tell you a little bit about where I live.  It is the second largest container port on the United States east coast and the largest coal terminal in the world.  Goods pass through Norfolk from and to all corners of the world on container ships and coal ships and chemical ships.  In addition, the worlds largest navy base is here and Norfolk is headquarters to the NATO North Atlantic Command.

All this may sound like we are very cosmopolitan city.  But instead are a small southern town in many ways.   We do not always pronounce our words correctly and most in my business (international transportation) call the French port of Le Havre “La Harv” and call the English river Thames the “Thaymes”.  But this is easily overlooked because the people are so very friendly and welcoming and are always willing to share their love for the city with others.

Emily asked me to write about lunching in Norfolk so I went for a Saturday lunch at a famous Norfolk restaurant called Doumars.

 

You may learn about them here:  http://www.doumars.com/

I sat at the counter and ordered my meal.  The first important thing to order is a glass of “sweet tea".

Everyone in Southeastern Virginia and North Carolina drinks cold sweetened tea in the summer time.  It is one of our most important traditions.   

Then I ordered a barbecue sandwich that is nothing like any barbecue you’ve probably ever seen.

It is chopped pork that has been marinated in a vinegar sauce and is served on a hamburger bun with coleslaw on the top.  That’s the white stuff.  I may not look tasty but it is the best: Eastern North Carolina style Barbecue.  You can learn more about it here: http://www.hkentcraig.com/BBQexp.html

This is my whole meal, with French fries.  I was hungry as soon as they put the sandwich in front of me and had to take a bite before I took a picture:

This scrumptious meal cost me $5.50 and since it was so inexpensive I decided to enjoy a small hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top.

The food at Doumar’s is not expensive at all, just very good.  They make their own barbecue and grind their own beef for hamburgers.  Mr. and Mrs. Doumar are in their late 70’s and they still work hard, cleaning counters and taking orders and visiting with diners.  They keep us nourished with down-home food at a price almost anyone can afford

And in a last word about how friendly people are here.  If you sit at a counter people who do not know each other strike up conversations.  The couple sitting next to me asked why I was taking pictures of my food and I told them my sister in Paris had a lunch blog and wanted show how people around the world ate lunch.  We had a wonderful conversation and in the end, they paid for my lunch just to be kind, and asked nothing in return.  This is what we call Southern Hospitality and one reason I like living here.

Lisa, I thank you, and as soon as I can I'm gonna come running back to the States and live down south, where, apparently the living is good...

mille mercis et comme toujours...happy lunching!

Comments

[panasianbiz]

I stumbled upon this site as I was doing some online research. I have always been curious about "sweet tea." Is that just the way Southerners refer to sweetened iced tea, or is there something else that sets it apart from iced tea served in other parts of the country?

[bcinfrance]

I miss your blog! I hope you'll be back soon. BC

[Lisa S]

Where is lunch???? I am missing your posts so much and the thrill of vicariously lunching on wonderful foods.

But check this out too. An on-line magazine reprinted my story!

http://www.ez5.sageofcon.com/ss/ls404.htm

For real e-zine that is selective & has an ISSN registration number.

[bcinfrance]

I agree, the prices are amazing! I don't think anything is that cheap in the Pacific Northwest, for example.

[m.g. tarquini]

Looks like a good meal.

Equally good to see Lisa up and about.

[Kirk]

This was such a nice and sweet post. I did find vinegar based BBQ different at first, but after a few tries I enjoyed it. Though it wasn't in NC, it was at a little shop in Georgia - pretty good vinegar and mustard base BBQ...

[Dana]

I can't believe those prices!

And you were both cute, Emily - very adorable.

[Ken Broadhurst]

Emily and Lisa, I grew up in eastern N.C. and can vouch for the N.C. barbecue. I make it here in the Loire Valley using sauce that I buy at Wilber's BBQ restaurant in Goldsboro NC. The sauce is the best, and with the good French pork so is the BBQ. France and N.C. are very similar when it comes to good food. I will be gracious and include Norfolk and southern Virginia in that category...
Ken

[Emily]

Hi dink, I hope that Lisa will come by sometimes soon, anyway I've amended the post to say that Lisa is the smaller cuter one on the right and I'm the other one on the left, so there you go...

[dink]

I'm back with a P.S.

I want to know which of the adorable sisters in the photo is which?

[dink]

Wonderful lunch post Lisa. I love the south. ha, Sweet tea (you can say THAT again)! I can't get over the prices--amazingly cheap. There's a hamburger on the menu for $1.50.
It's so cool that your counter neighbors paid your lunch tab. LOVELY and fun to read about it all.
thanks.