The Shrimp Boat: Best food to cure homesickness
Sarah Giarratana
Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Columns
There I sat, hair-soaking wet, windshield wipers on high, driving three miles back in the pouring rain after plugging in the wrong address on my Global Positioning Device. After just getting over the flu, I could have cared less about where I was going or what food I was supposed to be eating.
Destination: The Shrimp Boat, a tiny restaurant on the south side of Milledgeville revered by locals and mentioned in hushed whispers by upperclassman.
After passing Georgia Military College, I drove along South Elbert Street past a small shopping center and video store. Even the small shopping center ate at the homesickness I had been feeling all day, I missed the rumbling streets of Kennesaw and the stacks of shopping centers around every corner, only five minutes away from my Mother and her own cooking.
My friend Stephanie sat next to me and lamented too. We missed home, we wanted our mothers and we were about two miles away from having a good whining fit about stress, school and money issues.
Pulling up to The Shrimp Boat, the odds were looking good for tasty food though. Despite the aged appearance of the building and pouring rain, cars still filled the parking lot and we filed in to find a space in the back. Walking into the restaurant, smiles greeted us; for the first time visiting anywhere in Milledgeville, we were the only college students in the house.
Go where the locals go and eat what they eat, Anthony Bourdain said in his show 'No Reservations.' As an avid fan, I hoped by walking into the restaurant, I was channeling his spirit.
We were met with giant smiles and promptly ordered the shrimp dinner and chicken sandwich. Mildred Clance, a manager and 12-year-veteran met us and explained that they try to cook customers' food to order, so that it tastes fresh.
"My favorite thing on the menu is chicken," Clance said. "It's so good and if it's not the way you like, you take it back and we'll make it right."
Stephanie and I sat down at a table, next to a rowdy crowd of 17 or so crowded around a big table. Our waitress Morgan stuck her head out the window and yelled, "Y'all girls gonna be eating here?"
Destination: The Shrimp Boat, a tiny restaurant on the south side of Milledgeville revered by locals and mentioned in hushed whispers by upperclassman.
After passing Georgia Military College, I drove along South Elbert Street past a small shopping center and video store. Even the small shopping center ate at the homesickness I had been feeling all day, I missed the rumbling streets of Kennesaw and the stacks of shopping centers around every corner, only five minutes away from my Mother and her own cooking.
My friend Stephanie sat next to me and lamented too. We missed home, we wanted our mothers and we were about two miles away from having a good whining fit about stress, school and money issues.
Pulling up to The Shrimp Boat, the odds were looking good for tasty food though. Despite the aged appearance of the building and pouring rain, cars still filled the parking lot and we filed in to find a space in the back. Walking into the restaurant, smiles greeted us; for the first time visiting anywhere in Milledgeville, we were the only college students in the house.
Go where the locals go and eat what they eat, Anthony Bourdain said in his show 'No Reservations.' As an avid fan, I hoped by walking into the restaurant, I was channeling his spirit.
We were met with giant smiles and promptly ordered the shrimp dinner and chicken sandwich. Mildred Clance, a manager and 12-year-veteran met us and explained that they try to cook customers' food to order, so that it tastes fresh.
"My favorite thing on the menu is chicken," Clance said. "It's so good and if it's not the way you like, you take it back and we'll make it right."
Stephanie and I sat down at a table, next to a rowdy crowd of 17 or so crowded around a big table. Our waitress Morgan stuck her head out the window and yelled, "Y'all girls gonna be eating here?"
Be the first to comment on this story