Experiencing the food of a region one is visiting is a very important part of the overall travel experience for me.  When traveling, well known chain restaurants have always been off of the list.  In my opinion, if one wishes to eat the same meat and potatoes or fast food eaten when at home, stay home!   Soooo, at each town we visit in the South, we are eating that which the area is well known for, including sampling the local beers.  BBQ in Texas, hush puppies, black-eyed peas, collard and turnip greens in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Boiled crayfish and oyster po-boy sandwich in Biloxi.  Fresh grouper and raw oysters in the Gulf of Mexico, crayfish etouffee in Breaux Bridges, Louisiana.  While my wife is less adventuresome than me, she is eating food one cannot easily get in the southwest and chain restaurants.  This etouffee pictured was more fussy than the standard, but still good.

The photos were taken with an IPhone.