At 51 years old, I finally had the great fortune of visiting our Nation's capital thanks to Lars. I had such big dreams of bringing my 5th graders here! We always had chats in class about what our trip would be like. What we would do first? They'd respond excitedly ..... "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ms. Saccoman!!!" 'Totally!!' I'd say! Thank you for joining me at Tableforsue!! This one is for all of my kids who dreamed of D.C. I thought of us there together like a living prayer that may be powerful enough for you to have felt the hope and justice.
Just a slight touch of this memorial felt like paying my respects to an old friend. (After all, I taught 5th grade for nearly 30 years. Dr. King made appearances in our instruction. :) oxo
One of the many moments I just stood in silence & smiled...
First up for D.C. food - Lars and I went to Succotash for the most delicious Southern brunch one morning. There is an option on the menu to have the 'Southern Courses for Two' option and we usually do these because it is a great way to try more than one specialty on any menu.
First course, a delicious buttermilk ranch salad with deviled eggs and brunch drinkies.
Next course was their chicken and waffles, shrimp & grits and collard greens. Perfect portions for two (although my date would disagree) and everything hit the comfort food spot. Mmmm.
I freakin' love parmesan crisps when they're hand made!
Lastly, some homemade sweet rolls. Very satisfying meal. 4 kisses to Succotash!
You know that feeling of being really surprised at an order? Lars and I stayed at some big convention center Marriott in D.C. and there were a billion people. One evening, I was famished after walking all day and Lars was busy with work, so I sat at the bar with a glass of wine and ordered their Yucca Fries. They had me at "fresno peppers!" Holy shit these were delectable with the thinly shaved peppers and that delicious cotija cheese! The yucca fries were the best I have ever had. Pillowy inside and so crispy outside. I gotta try to make these one of these days.
Well, one evening his girls drove in from Maryland and we had a delicious "Old School" dinner at The Prime Rib! Lexie Dad Sarah - love these girls!! Their dad ain't so bad either. : )
Holy shit on a stick - this place was mouth watering delish! Impeccable service!! 72$ for a piece of prime rib though? WTF! I opted for the $52 dollar sea bass since nobody needs that much meat. Lordy. My fish was scrumptious. Lars polished off his prime rib without a problem and the girls shared a piece. I know I tried some and it was out of this universe! I was pretty tipsy though! Sheesh!
4 kisses to Prime Rib!
700 kisses to the late Julia Child - they had her Cambridge kitchen set up at the Smithsonian and I don't know how to articulate the feels that I had..... oxoxo love you Julia!!
Every detail was an absolute dream kitchen!
One feature of menopause is that nostalgia brings me to tears - I love!!!! That's Mr. Rogers' sweater!!! His shoes were there too. I died!
While Lars was busy with his conference, I had from 9am - 6pm solo. I love that! Well, this was the destination I had been most looking forward to. The last decade or longer of my 30 year teaching career I built a Social Studies unit called, "From Slavery to Today - a Timeline Study." I have to get on a little soap box here for a second because I am a passionate educator. When I started my career, I sponged off of my veteran colleagues. They were my mentors. I cannot possibly tell you how profoundly impactful so many of these educators were on my journey as a teacher. (I say that because I think the bridge & beauty between learning from new & old needs a rebirth - but then so does the education system overall!) Over many years, I edited, polished, and repeatedly researched and devoured every possible source I could revolving around African American history. So many of my students were African American, after all! And I had taught in southwest Africa and fell deeply in love with Namibia's people. Basically, over my lifetime, I have been soulfully drawn to African and African American culture. I am blessed to have had so many African & African American brothers and sisters in my life. Now check out how my visit begins....
I arrive at the African American History & Culture museum and there was a very hefty line outside. I got to the entrance quickly and did not realize I needed to get a ticket online. As I was being directed to a kiosk to order my admission and get back in line, this Army Veteran touched my arm and said, "..come with me baby!" She was about 60 years old. African American woman. She had a veteran's pass and held my hand as we walked through admission together. She invited me in on her guest pass. I gave her a big hug and said thank you for your service. It set the tone for what I already knew was going to be the best museum experience of my life.
And it was!! It really was!!
I could physically feel my breath be taken away throughout each exhibit. This fellow museum guest was solo too and always only a few steps away from me throughout the day. He was here for a long time and I believe he must have been praying. I love this photo so much. As he moved on, he inspired my pause for prayer too. I imagined standing there with my 5th graders as we paid our deepest homage to our hero, Rosa Parks!
The Civil Rights Movement section of the museum would have blown the minds of my kiddos because it was like all of our sources of study were blown up into the most magnificent timeline. The Greensboro lunch counter protests, the Little Rock 9, Mamie & Emmett Till, Rosa Parks and many more. I strongly recommend going to D.C. for this experience! I am ready to go back already!
I always started the Social Studies unit with my students after the winter break. That way, we would complete it at the end of Black History Month. We always began our 2 month study with The Middle Passage. This was the image I used countless times as we examined 'the conditions of a slave ship' & my students would create 5 sense poems at the end of this section which depicted all of their learning. "I hear mothers screaming for their children. The dirty, wooden ship walls look rusted from the blood stains. The stench is thick and foul. I close my eyes and imagine the smell of our village garden." After many years, I read a lot of powerful poetry written by 11 year olds. I snapped a shot at the beginning of this exhibit. The rest, please go when you can! And if any of my 5th graders over the years are reading this blog, I would LOVE to hear from you anyways, but if you have gone to or are going to this museum, PLEASE report in because I would love to chat about it with you!!
(message me right on here or on social media)
So I ended my visit with the entertainment/film/theater/music section. What a GREAT way to precede one's exit with a high!! I mean, I am all in when it comes to the heavy-hearted feels of history, however, I am equally all in with the inspiring, high feels and BOY OH BOY it was thrilling to see things like Mohammed Ali's gloves and stories upon stories of some of our most beloved pioneers who beat every odd and broke countless, senseless barriers! It was awesome!!!
I am grateful for my upbringing, my parents, because it is innate inside of me to have a deep love for any and all people. Except assholes. I was taught to fight back against assholes. My grandma and I shared a deep passion for film and theater. I grew up in the 70s and 80s when television was at its best. You really have to go to D.C. because this is a food blog after all. Photos just aren't the same anyways.
Amen!
The GREAT Richard Pryor!
And can I get another, Amen!
Chills with this history juice!!
ABC....it's as easy as 123.....
Lars and I ended our stay in D.C. with a visit to their Holocaust Museum - it was a somber, yet necessary morning of silence & prayer.
I heard the voices whispering loudly, 'stop the inhumanity.'
Are we going to keep repeating history?
I will always speak out.... how about you?
I dreamed of D.C. .....
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