Page 25 - John Currence News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Communist stuff are you up to, currence? what's going on? this is the state of mississippi. >> just a feel-good type of guy. >> me, too. i've been here only a week and my sentences are starting to change already, because there's not just a physical rhythm to the speech, but the way i'm organizing my thoughts is starting to change. some of the oxford writers from last night managed to make it out of bed, heads pounding, no doubt, filled with a shame and self-loathing, surely familiar for writers. but like such greats of the past as malcolm lowery, f. scott fitzgerald, and charles bukowski, they...

Is there a distinctive barbecue style in the state of mississippi? >> no. not that we can really discern at all. and it's part of the reason that we wanted to do this. we got our hands on this place and sort of been puzzled for years of what mississippi barbecue is all about. the more i dug into it, the less and less i could find. so what we wanted to do is sort of take a look at barbecue that surrounds us and see if we could sort of frankenstein barbecue. >> there isn't really any fixed idea of mississippi barbecue, and other than this place, lamar lounge, john currence's not-for-profit bar-r...

>> john currence is a celebrated chef who left new orleans to come to mississippi and open first one, then many more restaurants and businesses in the town of oxford. >> i've stayed busy. >> and this is doe's eat place in greenville. >> this is the great florence signa. >> so good to meet you. >> florence is in charge of the salad bowl and has been -- this is doe's senior sister-in-law. when did y'all open up, 1930? >> '41. >> '41, close enough. >> like a lot of folks around here, dominic "big doe" signa got his start selling hot tamales to go. in the beginning, the place catered to the black ...

>> no. not that we can really discern at all. and it's part of the reason that we wanted to do this. we got our hands on this place and sort of been puzzled for years of what mississippi barbecue is all about. the more i dug into it, the less and less i could find. so what we wanted to do is sort of take a look at barbecue that surrounds us and see if we could sort of frankenstein barbecue. >> there isn't really any fixed idea of mississippi barbecue, and other than this place, lamar lounge, john currence's not-for-profit bar-restaurant, there's no other pit-smoked whole hog barbecue in the en...

On. >> he was a middle of the road democrat. that's what he said. he said you have to bring black education up with white education, and since the state of mississippi will not invest in black education, it's up to its citizens to do so. he said that segregation wasn't about being right or wrong. he said any sane, sober southerner knows that it's wrong. it's about wanting to change or not. but people don't want to give up power. fear is still alive and well in mississippi. i think racism is one of those great things in the world that you'll never solve and that's why faulkner wrote about it. >...