One of my favorite American institutions is the soda fountain lunch counter in a small town. Nothing fancy, just plain ole homemade goodness. Most are under the same roof as the local pharmacy. Extra points if they have hand dipped ice cream or are located on the town square. In my experience, its where you will find local color and characters in a small town. Always interesting in my book.
Earlier this week, I trekked down to Corinth, Mississippi to work for a couple of days. Corinth (the locals say Cor-IN-th) is home to Borroum's Drugs - established and continually operating, in the same location, since 1865.
Prominently featured on the menu is something called a Slugburger. Sound appetizing? Not so much at first, but interesting enough to investigate. Evidently the Slugburger is a tradition in the Northeast corner of Mississippi, particularly around Corinth and neighboring Iuka. During the Depression, cooks in the area sought to stretch ground beef to make as many patties as possible. They added ground pork, soy flour and additional spices; then deep fried the patties and sold for a nickle (sometimes referred to as a "slug") a piece . . . and the Slugburger was born. Decades after the
Great Depression, this recipe is still around and popular enough that Corinth hosts a "Slugburger Fest" every August.
http://www.slugburgerfestival.com/what-are-slugburgers/
On my first trip to Borroum's in 2010, I opted for the Chicken Salad (always a safe option) and a fountain Cherry Coke. The Chicken Salad was yummy, but the fountain drink was fantastic!! When I started planning this week's trip, a return trip for a "real" Cherry Coke was defintely on the agenda. This time I decided to try the local fare and was pleasantly surprised. It was different, but still good. One of those things you'll just have to try for yourself. Maybe on my next trip I'll try an ice cream float. :)
If you go, Borroum's is located on the town square (of course) in Corinth, directly across from the Alcorn County Courthouse.
