One of my favorite
catechism words, concupiscence, might best describe my passion
for soul food. Concupiscence of the body, I was taught, is
"the blind tendency of your feelings and animal appetites to seek
satisfaction, regardless of intelligence and reason."
Having lived for nearly
eight years on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and within short driving
distance of New Orleans, we became intimately, even passionately,
familiar with soul food. It was among our very favorites of any
cuisine. To quell our yearnings for soul food (the more authentic the
better), we often frequented "less
than savory" neighborhoods which even Mother Teresa herself might
have avoided. Such "boldly go where no white man has gone
before" excursions resulted in our introduction to, among other
things, the pit barbecuing of goats, an experience which reminded me
somewhat of the matanzas with which I grew up in New Mexico.
It's such experiences
that render my opinion on soul food somewhat credible, and it's because
of such experiences that I can lamentably adjudge Aunt Babe's as serving
the worst soul food we've ever had. It hurts me to make such an
assertion because Albuquerque diners have not always opened their minds
to soul food. In 2004, for example, the wonderful soul food
pioneer Mahogany
Cafe both launched and closed.
In concept (but
certainly not in execution), Aunt Babe's reminded us of the soul food
restaurants with which we are so familiar. An austere ambience and
a fairly limited menu (five entrees, each with a choice of two sides) made
for a promising introduction. Alas, that promise was quickly
dashed.
Aunt Babe's fried
chicken had the appearance of chicken (a very small bird, maybe even
Chicken Little) that had been fried then refried. Unlike the
golden textured and juicy chicken we were used to, this chicken was
dark, tough and desiccated with very little actual edible meat. A
pound of barbecued ribs swimming in a greasy sauce was little better.
The ribs were meaty and tender, but the sauce was just too diluted with
grease to be appetizing. What a shame our entrees weren't better
because the sides, creamed peas and corn on the cob, were pretty
good--not memorable good, but satisfying. The corn bread which
came with our meals was a bit on the sweet side. It's a pity the
barbecue sauce wasn't worth sopping up.
I hope Aunt Babe has a
lot of nephews and nieces who appreciate her cooking, because it's
cooking only a family could love.
