Interesting story related to me by someone I encountered on my ride this morning. She grew up in a rural, black area of Georgia on a farm that was mostly self-sufficient in regards to food. She described herself as being adept at slaughtering and preparing both farm animals and also the squirrels and rabbits which she hunted for food. Her lifestyle was completely segregated, and when she moved to St. Petersburg to live with an aunt and uncle when she was entering the 10th grade, she found herself in complete cultural shock. She described wandering into a local park (Williams for you locals), and found herself overjoyed when she discovered a very large squirrel population. She ran home and asked her aunt if she had a gun that she could use, and when her aunt inquired as to her reason for needing a gun, she explained that she wanted to shoot some squirrels. Her aunt explained to her that they didn’t eat squirrels in St. Petersburg. She related to me that when she looked at the squirrels, she envisioned them covered in gravy and surrounded by biscuits. She went on to become the first person in her family to attend college, graduating from FSU and enjoying a career as a local teacher, a job from which she is now retired. I think I could write a book just on the subject of fascinating people I have met while riding my bicycle!
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:59:02 +0000
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