Episode 56: Mississippi Hand Grabbin’

It’s a strange world we live in… and Mississippi is a strange place within that world.  A beautiful state to drive across, where tamales are popular/traditional, and where sticking your hand in a giant catfish’s mouth is a reasonable way to catch it.  That’s what we did on our way through this gloriously named state.  We showed up at another strangers house where lots of guns, taxidermy and confederate flags welcomed us to a bounty of southern hospitality and catfish.

  • jenniferlindahl

    LOVED IT!! My favorite one yet!

  • Steve Young-Burns

    This is more disturbing than the squirrel shooting, and probably the funniest episode yet. Can’t wait to see next week’s installment of the Redneck Gourmet.

  • http://foodconnections.blogspot.com/ Debra

    Wow, I don’t think I’ll ever get Mississippi!

  • Gael N

    That guy is a badass.

    You didn’t really have much content on this video. Normally you have some sort of mini interview and ask about what their doing but in this one you only showed the noodling. Was time a constraint?

    • Anonymous

      I like to mix things up. It worked better as a scene

      • Gael Nguyen

        I just realized you didn’t cook anything in this video. What did you end up doing with the catfish?

        • Anonymous

          They fried it and I Didnt have time to do another version. Will put up a
          grilled recipe tomorrow!

  • Ryanw63

    Loved it,I want to see more

  • Jen

    This is adventurous, but is it sustainable? It seems like something one would see on The Food Network, and a stereotypical portrait of a southern epidemic of “guns, beer and confederate flags”.

    • Anonymous

      Well catfish is a plentiful fish. Maybe a bit food network. Just
      sharing our weekly adventures.

  • Rowen

    From UK

    “it ain’t a man out here can skin a catfish like I can…”

    Daniel, if you didn’t capture it on camera it would be hard to imagine or believe! I’ve just watched this and the frogging back to back and I absolutely love it. Together with the frank analysis in the “Shame Shame” blog it’s a lesson to all of us about letting go of our stereotypes as well as our preconceptions, misgivings and reservations. Everyone does things differently (…particularly in MS, perhaps?). And we should try to gain knowledge, understanding and some respect for that.

    Really refreshing TV for me. Thank you.

  • Patrick Doyle

    Crazy Stuff!! Did you get to try this? I always wanted to try it!

  • Sandra

    What a capturing ending quote from Faulkner!  And, Daniel, have you come to understand Mississippi? Very interesting, to say the least!

  • Charleneribaudo

    People noodle in Minnesota too. I spent some time in the south and catfish is one of my favorite fish to eat.

  • Foody and Oliver

    Great taste of the people,visual of the area, sense of the thrill of the task at “hand”, but like hors d’oeuvres-left us wanting more. The quote captured it!

  • http://twitter.com/10ecgrl Jan

    You found some interesting people in Mississippi. Too bad you didn’t find a contrasting experience to share. This is fun but not exemplar of the majority.

  • Greg

    Well done. Let the visual be the story. No need to spoon feed. Allow ‘em to think a bit. Excellent. 

  • http://twitter.com/artfulgourmet Kristen Hess

    Hi Daniel,

    I just wanted to say I love love love this video! I thoroughly enjoyed your Video Blogging presentation at the IACP Conference in Austin – you do great work and it was super informative! Keep up the great work and I hope to see you at the IACP Conf in NYC in 2012!

    Kristen :)

  • http://twitter.com/artfulgourmet Kristen Hess

    Hi Daniel,

    I just wanted to say I love love love this video! I thoroughly enjoyed your Video Blogging presentation at the IACP Conference in Austin – you do great work and it was super informative! Keep up the great work and I hope to see you at the IACP Conf in NYC in 2012!

    Kristen :)

    • Anonymous

      THanks Kristen,  I really appreciate it.  See you in NYC!

  • John Deer

    Good one!!! But how bout cook’n it up?

    • Anonymous

      Recipe coming tomorrow

  • http://pandabolt.wordpress.com/ the_matt

    as a kid who grew up in mississippi, i wonder about your comment that tamales are traditional there – certainly popular, but i didn’t really get around to them ’til i moved to texas :-) fantastic atmosphere in this video though – reminds me a lot of home, even if my people aren’t quite as “country” as these folks. and it was a sweet, delicious deep fried catfish filet that led me to the discovery of my (very unfortunate, very severe) fish allergy years ago…

    in any case, for anyone that’s interested, there’s a fascinating documentary out there about noodlers in oklahoma, appropriately called _okie noodlin’_

    • Anonymous

      He Matt – I read about the tamales in Southern Belly by John T Edge – was just surprising that they got taken in by the locals.

      Sorry about the allergy!

  • http://www.facebook.com/fotoninja Greg Roden

    Right on Daniel and Mirra! Love the Cinema Verité aspect of this episode in particular and the music really sets the mood. You guys rock! I was expecting to see Daniel in the water, especially when they called for help. Hoping to connect up with you guys at some point on the road.

    • Anonymous

      Thanks! I was in the water. I caught a very small fish though.

  • Michael Koreen

    DANIEL
    I LOVE watching you a chip off the old block. keep iot up

  • JD

    My dad and his brothers always said “grabbling” with an L in it….seems like everyone I remember always said it that way…never tried it myself but have been there when others were ramming their hands under a tree trunk or under a clay bank….not for me thanks…that video actually looked kinda tame, but it was a nice size cat. An uncle who lives on the Arkansas side of the delta said they used to go out in the fields when the river flooded and “grabbled” for cat after using their feet to find them!!!!

  • http://www.thewanderingtable.com Adam Hegsted

    That was awesome. Teach a man to fish……awesome.

  • http://twitter.com/kevinkossowan Kevin Kossowan

    Um. Wow. That must have been one unique experience.

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