I attended Redneck Trivia at Momma’s, “the diner & dive off 55,” last night and had a BLAST!!! So much fun!
There were six rounds of 5 questions + a bonus, each question worth one point apiece. Each round had a theme; themes included “the NFL,” “the Civil War,” “Tennessee whiskey,” and “famous Memphis rednecks.” A couple of Memphis redneck question examples:
- Which professional wrestling manager is known as “The Mouth of the South”? A: Jimmy Hart
- George Barnes was an American gangster better known as whom? A: Machine Gun Kelly
I was invited to join an existing team by my former student Zach, whose team would be missing several members this week, including a certain someone who thinks New Hampshire is the CAPITAL CITY of West Virginia. Yet the teammates who did show up were all familiar faces: In addition to Zach, they included Jack and Leslie from Bardog, Kelly from Blind Bear, and Butt Slut #1. I was the only team member who’d never bartended professionally, making me a liability in the “Tennessee Whiskey” round.
There were opportunities to earn bonus points.
At halftime (following round 3 out of 6), teams could get on stage and sing group country music karaoke to earn an extra point. I refused to get on stage with my team, because hell no.
After the 6th round teams could arm wrestle for 2 extra points, but only if both teams agreed to participate. Last night our opponents didn’t need the points and wisely refused. So our two girls arm-wrestled each other.
Overall, a very fun experience and my first trip to Momma’s in more than 3 years. I would gladly go back and expressed that to my teammates, and also to the trivia host.
Oh yeah, here’s a pic of that new popcorn machine at Momma’s:
Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers remain unranked in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. Memphis received 108 points in this week’s voting, a mere 12 points behind number-25 Oklahoma. The team’s gotta go out and show that their awful performance vs. Villanova was a fluke.
But, one piece of good news in the Top 25… new American Conference foe FAU climbed 6 spots to 13th this week. If they stay on that trajectory, that’ll give the Tigers opportunities for quality wins on February 25 and March 9. Go Owls… as long as you’re not playing Memphis.
The Tigers also have an opportunity for a quality road win vs. 14 Texas A&M on Sunday, December 10.
Today is National French Toast Day.
It’s also Turkey Leftover Day.
And of course, it’s Giving Tuesday, a good day to drop a few dollars on your favorite nonprofit. I recommend Hospitality Hub as an organization that does a lot of good work in Downtown Memphis and is worthy of your support.
There are people passing very sophisticated counterfeit bills in Downtown Memphis. Be unusually wary of anyone making a purchase of only a few dollars and paying for it with a 50 or 100. I’ve heard these fakes even have watermarks and “the stripe” and you have to use a special pen to check them.
Contemporary art gallery Sheet Cake Gallery will have its grand opening Friday, December 1 from 6 to 8 PM at 405 Monroe.
St. Jude has a Business Analyst I or II position open.
It’s Fire Pit Friday at Tom Lee Park this Friday, December 1, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Free s’mores at the First Horizon River Lounge. Hot chocolate available from vendors. More Fire Pit Fridays on the 8th, 15th, and 22nd.
Also this Friday, you can get your picture with Santa for free on Beale Street from 5 to 7 PM.
The Metal Museum will have a Holiday Artists’ Market this Saturday.
Gia Welch and JD Westmoreland play The Central BBQ Sessions at Downtown Central BBQ this Saturday.
Blind Bear specials for this week:
- Turkey & dumplings – Turkey breast and leg meat, celery, onion, thyme, house-made dumplings – cup 6/bowl 10
- Slow roasted pot roast – Baby red potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, celery; served with sauteed green beans and a dinner roll – 18
- Sweet potato pie – Sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger with a golden, flaky crust and whipped cream
Turkey & dumplings. Flavor was perfect and there were plenty of big hunks of meat.
BONUS BLIND BEAR PRO TIP: The Bear is currently fire-saling Ole Smoky peppermint moonshine, which I believe is around 100 proof, for $3. So next time you’re tempted to order a shot of Rumple Minze, realize you could get something similar (and better) for less than half the price.
This Saturday is the Bear’s Repeal Day Celebration in observance of the 90th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. Dress in your best gangster or flapper attire – or don’t, it’s all good. Food & drink specials. DJ Tree at 10.
Back to the trivia night I attended last night at Momma’s. I can’t believe I am about to admit this but…
I am so proud of Butt Slut #1.
From 2005 to about 2013, I served as captain/secretary of a large trivia team at the Saucer. Just getting everyone to listen to the question is a lot. Then you have to round up potential answers and how sure each member is of their proposed answer. You also have to ensure that the more outspoken people don’t drown out other, quieter, team members who might have the actual correct answer.
Butt Slut #1 handled all that near-perfectly last night. It’s not an easy thing to do. We lost 32-30 but it would have been more like 32-17 without her guiding the team.
All right. We’re coming up on 1:00 Tuesday morning as I type this. Gonna go ahead and hit Publish. If more news comes out in the morning, I’ll do a second Tuesday post.