Big Appetite
by Sam McLeod
Dr. Beauregard pulled his chair up a little closer to me, looked me in the eye, and said, “Sam, I’m afraid your health is pretty good. You could stand to lose a little weight, but without some bad news, I can’t scare you into taking better care of yourself… You’ve got to find some meaning in your life that will motivate you to take better care of your body – something that gets under your skin, something that grabs your imagination, something other than a diet. And only you can figure that out.”
So begins “big boned” Sam McLeod’s search for the meaning of life. Luckily, a mysterious envelope arrives in the mail to distract him. It’s an invitation to a neighborhood reunion in Nashville, Tennessee, where Sam grew up. Sam’s wise wife Annie insists that her reluctant husband get in the car and go. “Here’s your map and your itinerary. You just keep your hands off that old girlfriend – you hear me?”
As Sam drives, he tries to work out the meaning of life, just like the doctor ordered, but instead, memories of childhood fill his head. Who would be at the reunion? Weiner? He remembers how Weiner got his name and his lasting fear of buzzards. Would he find a descendant of Big ‘Un, the snake as fat as a family-sized can of Franco American Spaghetti? And what about Lexi? She wasn’t his girlfriend, no matter what Annie says, but he remembers the summer night they played hide and seek… And with these recollections come the smell of his mother’s meatloaf, the taste of spicy pimento cheese, the tang of cold picked shrimp, and the tart sweetness of strawberry pie – the food of his southern childhood.
Does Sam find the meaning of life? Yes, he does, even though he lacks “the emotional intelligence God gave a stinkbug,” as Annie so delicately put it. So come along with Sam as he follows his deep fried roots to a simpler time and place, where mothers nourished their children with much more than ham biscuits, deviled eggs, and tuna noodle casserole with potato chips on top.
“A Jolley gem of a book. It made me laugh out loud… and made my mouth water for home cooking, Southern style.” – Sandra Brown
“This is a delicious book full of the finest kind of love stories for family, friends and food. I can't wait to make those chicken and dumplings. Oh, and Sam’s not the only one who wore sandwich bags over his mittens in the snow. Must be a Souther-en thing.” – Celia Rivenbark, author of You Can’t Drink All Day if You Don’t Start in The Morning
“This book brought back great memories of family, friends and food. It made me laugh and made me hungry!” –Joe Rogers, Jr., Chairman & CEO, Waffle House, Inc.
If you could not attend the reading, but would like a signed copy of Big Appetite, you may purchase it below.
Sam McLeod
Big Appetite (signed copy)
$23.00