When I was a little kid and school was out for the summer, my grandmother and I would sometimes spend our afternoons making Betty Crocker Snackin’ Cakes. They were cakes you could mix, bake, and serve all in the same pan. They disappeared from store shelves around 1980. My favorite of all the Snackin’ Cake varieties was banana walnut.
Yesterday morning I woke up to a text from Jeannette, the owner of the Blind Bear. It was about our friend Nappin’ Ass Nate, who left us the first week of December. Yesterday would have been Nate’s 44th birthday. Nate’s parents, knowing the Bear was his favorite place, had sent a cake there. His closest friends would gather there at 3 and have a piece of cake (and a few shots, of course) in his memory.
So I walked down there right at 3, getting my favorite seat right at mid-bar. I saw a big green box labeled FROST sitting on the back bar, and I thought, oh yum, Nate’s parents did well. Nate’s friends – the ones who weren’t working at 3 PM on a Monday – started to gather. By 3:45 we had a full bar.
We did a round of Rumple Minze in Nate’s memory. For the record, Rumple is one of my least favorite alcoholic beverages to shoot, in a category with tequila, Ole Smoky Blue Flame moonshine, and Malort. But it was Nate’s favorite, so I held my nose and joined in.
Jeannette and her mom Sheryl then cut the cake. “Paul, do you want a piece?” Sheryl asked. Which, of course, I did.
Perjorie T. Roll doesn’t come out with me much anymore, but remembering the way she used to look up to her Uncle Nate, I just couldn’t leave her at home.
I grabbed a fork and took a bite, having no idea what flavor this brown-and-yellow cake was.
Memories of banana walnut Snackin’ Cakes with my grandmother immediately came flooding back!
I mean, it’s not exactly the same thing. Snackin’ Cakes didn’t have layers. Or frosting. But the cake itself – the flavor was ON POINT! I’m convinced whoever conceived of this cake made banana walnut Snackin’ Cakes in the 1970s.
From Frost’s main menu page:
Banana Cake
Almost a pound of bananas in each cake, with chopped walnuts and our smooth cream-cheese frosting. No other banana cake compares.
A whole banana cake is listed at $42 on the menu page. That seems like a bargain for a cake of this quality.
I’ve been getting a lot of compliments on my hair lately – people have told me it looks extra silky and shiny. That’s because I switched shampoos last week. Here’s what I’m now using:
It’s on the top shelf of the shampoo aisle (I think) at Downtown Walgreens, and it’s one of the more inexpensive shampoos they carry ($5.49). I don’t use conditioner, but I do comb my hair out while still wet within 10 minutes of getting out of the shower.
Let’s get on to the news…
Today is National Escargot Day. Get ’em at Bishop, the French restaurant in Central Station Hotel, where they come as a petite plate with watercress, sourdough, and lemon parsley.
A judge will rule on whether Tennessee’s incredibly stupid anti-drag law is constitutional by June 2, before Pride Month festivities kick off.
From the DM’s Inked column: Plans for University Lofts are moving forward in The Edge at 440 Monroe, on the land where the Holliday Flowers building once stood. The new apartment complex will contain 105 units.
MPD Director C.J. Davis said in a community meeting yesterday that there are no longer plans to use the Greenlaw Community Center as a holding area for juvenile curfew violators. Public feedback from Greenlaw residents led to that decision. Kids will be taken to police precincts if their parents can’t immediately pick them up.
Ja Morant posted “Bye” on Instagram recently, worrying his fans.
A man has been arrested for stealing multiple Infiniti sedans in Downtown Memphis. Check out this quote from the WREG news story: “From the beginning of the year to May 10, 5,390 cars were reported stolen in Memphis. That compares to 2,294 vehicle thefts over the same period in 2022.”
Residents in the Hope Heights Tower at Madison and Danny Thomas have been without elevator service for a week. Disabled residents in wheelchairs are stranded in their apartments and would be unable to get out in case of a fire.
Catherine and Mary’s is hiring a server.
Allworld Project Management seeks a trainee for GIS/mapping work. They’re looking for a sophomore or higher in college with at least a 2.5 GPA. This is a part-time position for summer 2023. $18-$20/hour.
That’s it for today’s post. Back tomorrow, probably.