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photo by Steve VanGunda
E&T’s Bar-B-Que Heaven stuffed potato.
Many eaters don’t count calories
Published Sunday, July 27, 2008
NATCHEZ —The Southern tradition of rich, not always fancy, and decadent food has undoubtedly contributed the state’s obesity epidemic — but some just don’t care.
For evidence of that look no further than the stuffed potato at E&T’s Bar-B-Que Heaven.
First of all don’t think of this as a normal potato, it looks more like a small football than an average potato.
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One of E&T’s cooks, Lataija Hurts, said it’s one of the restaurants most popular items.
Hurts lathers the potato in butter, then adds chicken and ham, then smothers it in sour cream and three kinds of cheese before a spin in the microwave.
When it comes out it looks like the incarnation of arterial sclerosis and it’s borderline debaucherous — and it comes with buttered toast.
Hurts said on an average day the restaurant sells about 10 to 15 of the potatoes but 25 to 30 is not uncommon.
Hurts said most people she encounters in the restaurant are more worried about taste than health.
“They like what’s not good for them,” she said.
Across town at Soul Heaven, a soul food restaurant, owner Alisha Wilson said she has never had a customer ask her a question about the amount of fat or calories in her food.
Wilson’s bestseller — fried pork chops with brown gravy.
“Most people want to come in and sit down to eat,” she said. “They’re not worried about the other stuff.”
Both Wilson and E&T’s owner Ellen Earls said simply being from the south is a contributing factor to eating habits.
“It might not be good for them,” Wilson said of southern diners. “But it’s the food they were raised on and they love it.”
Wilson said she can remember her family slaughtering a hog and making roasts, chitterlings and cracklings.
“That’s just how we ate,” she said.
And while both women said most patrons are more apt to dine for taste than health, neither are oblivious to the risks associated with their craft.
Earls and Wilson have both made reforms in their cooking and eating habits.
Wilson has made the switch from ham and salt pork to smoked turkey in dishes like greens and beans.
And Earls said she offers grilled options, instead of fried, for her patrons.
Earls said while much of her clientele does not ask many health related questions about the food, some do and she wants to accommodate them.
“We want to have healthy options for them,” she said.
Less than an hour after E&T’s opened on Friday afternoon customers had already began putting in lunch orders for hamburgers and fried shrimp.
And while the eating habits of Mississippians won’t change overnight Hurts also acknowledge the hereditary nature of dining habits.
“I think it’s in the taste buds,” she said. “It’s just their Southern heritage.”
Comments
Posted by natchezknight (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 12:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Those stuffed potatoes are the most amazing things in this world! They are delicious! I dont care how many calories are in them!
Posted by NtzMom55 (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 12:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ooooo! That stuffed potato looks great!!!
Posted by Gimmeabreak (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good Morning all, first of all let me say that I agree that not only Mississippi, but our whole nation is too fat. However, I am a Registered Dietitian and have studied nutrition, psychology of nutrition, weight loss, effects of obesity, etc. The sources in the article do give some good information but some of it I dont agree with.
First of all, the BMI is not a good way to determine how obese someone is because it does not take into account muscle mass. For instance if you have a 6'0" 225 lb football player and 6'0" 225lb couch potato-they are going to have the same BMI because they are the same weight and height which is what BMI is based on. The football player would be told that he was overweight or obese. I also dont agree with Dr. Timm's recommendation of not snacking. Studies have shown that snacking is beneficial to weight loss because it helps keep your blood sugar at a normal level and prevents spikes and drops which leads to hunger and often overeating. Choosing the correct snacks is key-nuts, berries, yogurt, fruit, some of the produce out in granpa's garden. Of course snacking on chips, sodas and cookies will make you gain weight. To lose or maintain weight-it is recommended to eat 3 moderate sized meals a day and 2-3 small snacks. I realize not everyone has time to do this but it is all about planning. This type of eating several small meals a day is crucial for diabetics-to keep their blood sugars in the normal range-and as we know-Mississippi is full of people with diabetes. Another thing is exercise- and it is true that is often unbearably hot but you can do other things such as swimming, workout videos indoors, go to a gym (if you can afford it). Walk early in the morning or late in the evening. BRING BACK PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS!!! I cant believe this was ever cut from the cirriculum. We had PE and recess and I dont remember there being many overweight children when I was a child.
If you want to count calories-it truly helps to keep a food diary, write down what you ate, how much you ate, what time you ate and how did you feel when you ate. It can help you determine if your an emotional eater or just bored, or just hungry. It can also identify when is your "weak" time of the day, for instance you have to have something sweet at 2:00 pm everyday-carry a piece of fruit with you for when you know the craving is gonna hit.
Posted by Gluttony (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 2:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How Many Calories does a whole Bison have?
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Posted by buttercup26 (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
hahaha i don't count notta!! if it taste good then that's all i'm worrying about!! I 'M LOVIN MY THICKNESS!! ;)
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 2:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gimmeabreak thanks for the 411. I am torn between going on a diet because I'm a chuppy(chubby puppy) or buying a size 56 pair of overalls and eating to fit them.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 2:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
buy the overalls hardcorps you will be happier lol
Posted by texasranger (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
knew a gal oncet that was 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighed a 100 pounds soaking wet. She was undoubtley the sorriest and most eat up with all about me that i ever meet.
Sometimes you can be a railtail and still the the BIGGEST
A___ in the county.
Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 4:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow, that potato looks delicious, but I've never had one...so I wouldn't know for sure. I have had a Heaven on Wheels burger plate, from E Ts, that IS delicious. I couldn't say which would have the most calories...the stuffed potato or the burger plate with home fries.
So, why are we picking on ETs and Soul Food Heaven when there are so many other restaurants in town serving up the same calorie laden foods?
Perhaps, Adam or the Democrat, could open a good restaurant and only serve nutritious healthy foods, since we've all become too busy to cook at home???
And while we are worrying about other peoples' unhealthy eating habits, we should also worry about people leaving their infants and children strapped in carseats inside hot cars while they shop at the local stores. I know it was at least 100 degrees outside today when I witnessed just that! The infant was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is what drew everyones' attention, and the toddler was asleep; both were sweating profusely! One lady came up and was about to take the children out of the car and into the store, when the mother came out. Someone took the tag number and said they were gonna report the incident while declaring that the mother must not read or listen to the news or she would know how dangerous it was to leave children in hot cars.
Could you do a write up in the paper to remind folks how dangerous it is to leave children in parked hot cars while shopping? Please tell people how a car gets hotter than a tater on the inside, way hotter than it is on the outside of the car, and how a child abductor could easily grab the kids out of an unlocked car.
Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 4:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I forgot to add that Dr. Timm looked nice, having lost all that weight, the last time I saw him...so, I'm betting that he stopped eating the taters.
Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 7:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
One morning I was listening to the radio...95 country, and the girl on there, with Roscoe, was saying that if you need to eat fast food, just substitute the side salad, or apple dippers, with your burger, instead of having the fries (leave off the carmel sauce if you get the apple dippers). She said that both the salad and the apples eaten prior to the burger would add water to your diet and this would aid in the digestion of the burger. Order water or milk instead of soda. The only problem I've found doing that here is that the Burger King is always out of side salads, and it confuses them if you want to substitute something for the fries, except for the onion rings, on a value meal.
Posted by texasranger (anonymous) on July 27, 2008 at 8:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
peeps at Burger King stay confused. All the fast food places get something wrong on about every other order. You need to go inside and doublecheck your ticket if you want your order right. Sometimes their so busy and sometmes it,s because their just yappin and not absorbing what you say, some care and some just don,t give a rip.
Posted by southern_bell (anonymous) on July 28, 2008 at 12:25 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by overthehill60 (anonymous) on July 28, 2008 at 12:34 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by starla (anonymous) on July 28, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Soul Food Heaven is in what was City Cafe? What happened with that place? Did the owner sell out or something?
Posted by mjackson2 (anonymous) on July 29, 2008 at 10:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Bryant not only is your article biased but you did not take the time to even look at E & T's menu and find that their are almost 4 different salads to choose from and each
potato is made to order. So not every order is high in calories. Why didn't you visit the Historical Antebelum homes who serve hot buttered biscuits every day and greens and smothered pork chops along with apple pies and everthing else that we as American should be cutting back on. Why don't you take the time to give them som bad publicity since that's all you seem to give minority owned Businesses in Natchez.
Next time you should make sure that you address more than two businesses to give accurate facts. Also you should have included that exercise is the best thing that we as Americans can do. Please do better research next time. Have a blessed Day!
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