I am a creature of habit. My daily lunch pail consists of whatever leftovers in my refrigerator at home are closest to spoiling without being bad. I follow the dietary version of the “The Price is Right” rules: “closest without going over.” I also do not have an emotional relationship with food. I eat what … Continue reading Five Atlanta Friday lunch finds
Six games remain in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup, and New South Essays is prepared to announce the winner… Waffle House. FreddyLA7's original post on X June 8 that launched a viral Waffle House frenzy. Note that it has received 7.4 million views so far. That’s right. The bastion of Southern culture … Continue reading Winner of the 2026 World Cup
I am a man of principle. One of my core principles is that when I am in Texas, I must consume brisket and Tex-Mex. Oh, and if it works out, I will try to hang out with my moogerhead brothers. This week I managed to accomplish all three during a work trip that had me … Continue reading When in Texas
Maybe it’s just me, but I cannot avoid “clean” these days. Everyone is wanting to go “clean” these days. I’m not always the most “with it” middle aged dude, according to my teenager, so I’m not sure what “clean” means. Do you? No matter how you define "clean" in the New South, I'm into it. … Continue reading Living clean or clean living
In our modern age we rely on precision in our measurements. Even when we don’t need it, our devices give it to us. Google maps tell us how far away Grandma’s house is, down to the tenth of a mile. Our scale gives us our weight to the hundredth of a pound. Our workout app … Continue reading A heap of Thanksgiving measurement
I am old enough to remember a time when exactly two foods could be delivered to your home with a phone call: pizza and Chinese. If you lived in a small town, had relatives nearby or belonged to a caring church, you might also have food delivered to you if a loved one passed, you … Continue reading Having your hopes ‘doordashed’
In the New South, we have so many choices on where to eat out, my Darling Beloved and I resort to the process of elimination, filtering by geography to narrow our voluminous choices. It goes something like this: Me: What do you want to go for dinner tonight? DB: I don’t care. You pick a … Continue reading Get thee to a ‘meat and three’
There are two kinds of personality tests: scientifically valid and silly. This is the latter. Among the myriad serious assessments of your “type” or “preferences” are Enneagram, DISC Profile, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Big Five Personality Test (aka OCEAN), and Clifton Strengths Finder. I’ve taken them all at various points in my illustrious career and … Continue reading Mexican restaurant personality quiz
Life presents us a dizzying array of choices on a daily basis. Invigorating to some and debilitating to others, probing our innermost desires to come up with a decision can be stressful. Or, it can be great fun. In recent weeks two forms of the same parlor game have been circling in the orbit of … Continue reading Games of choice
A coffee bean’s life ends violently. The ripened coffee cherry is plucked from a tree. Its remains are processed either with a fermented liquid or in the sun. The outer layers of peel and parchment are stripped away, baring its inner bean. That bean is roasted (over roasted if it's sold by Starbucks) and ultimately … Continue reading Special delivery
