Les Thomas wrote his way across the South. His travel writing--for Texas newspapers, Southern Living magazine and beyond--has spanned over 45 years. He's a giant of a man with an innate curiosity.
"I've always liked to ask questions," he says. "That's been part of my life, I guess. I've probably asked way too many beyond patience, but I don't know how you find out things unless you ask."
This episode is the first in the Authentic South podcast series called Southern Storytellers.
In our food-obsessed culture, we likely never think about what's on the menu at an eating disorder clinic. Chefs Roscoe Hall (above, left) and Wil Drake bring their inventive cuisine and gregarious personalities to Magnolia Creek, a treatment center in rural Alabama.
The episode features the song "Pour Traverser" by the Birmingham-based band War Jacket.
Below: Roscoe's left arm tattoo is an homage to his grandfather John "Big Daddy" Bishop, the founder of Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa. Wil's left arm tattoo is a meat mincer, an homage to his grandfather, who was a farmer in Georgia.
Barbara Nottingham has been running the Happy Hollow Gift Shop in Medicine Park, Oklahoma, for almost 40 years. Its live rattlesnakes and an abundance of tchotchkes draw most of the visitors who have come to the area to tour the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Barbara believes her divine purpose is to be a people person. This episode features "Dancing Song," a track off Duquette Johnston's upcoming album Rabbit Runs a Destiny.
