Food Feature: Sweet Potato Queen for a day

Sassy spuds dominate Saint Patrick’s Day in Jackson, Miss.

Saint Patrick’s Day weekend is the time for the Wearin’ o’ the Wig in Jackson, Miss. The holiday has evolved, in the past few years, into the annual convention of the Sweet Potato Queens and myriad other wigged-out royals. The SPQs, once just a charming quirk in Jackson’s personality, sprang to national prominence a few years back with the publication of Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love. Women (and a few men) around the world decided they wanted to be Queens of This, That and/or The Other, and now descend on Jackson by the thousands, turning the parade and the town into what looks like a convention of drag queens, except that the celebrants are, largely, heterosexual women.

It’s odd that the event hasn’t caught on with other demographics. The drag aspect surely should appeal to the “Will & Grace” crowd. And straight men might be expected to gravitate to a city full of women in exotic costumes behaving in ways their mamas would deplore. The Queens’ official line on men — “Treat ‘em like shit and never give ‘em any” — is a bit daunting, but they can be much, umm, kinder than that credo indicates, once you get to know them. Sparkly gifts help.

With Boss Queen Jill Conner Browne’s third SPQ epistle The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner), currently atop the paperback bestseller lists, the influx of demented royalty into Jackson promises to be bigger than ever. Georgia will be boisterously represented by the Box Wine Belles of St. Simon’s Isle, the Fried Flamingo Queens of Marietta, the Hotlanta Liquid Lunch Queens, the Skank Ho Party Queens (Valdosta), the Patent Leather Panty Posse (Alpharetta), the Dick C Chicks (Snellville) and the Marietta Melon Queens (chapter motto: Juicy From Head to Toe). Canton’s ambassadresses are the Head Nurse Queens, who showed up last year in crisp white uniforms, red stiletto boots, and white stockings with dirty knees. You figure it out.

As far as I could tell, I was Atlanta’s sole male representative. I was the Marquis de Marshmallow (motto: Sweet Potatoes Are Happier With Me On Top), and my crown and scepter were sumptuously decorated with jewels and gilded marshmallows. This year I am the Count of Cockadoodledoo. My crown — a foot-and-a-half tall and made of chicken wire — drips with faux diamonds, pearls and little plastic roosters.

The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, and runs as long as it takes for all the participants to pass and pay homage to the Bucket Head Judges. But the Sweet Potato shenanigans run from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon. It’s a full schedule: There’s a lunch, the Margaritafest and the SPQ Ball (featuring country singer Kacey Jones) on Friday; the parade on Saturday, brunch on Sunday and much more. Saturday’s parade, a full-blown St. Paddy’s affair dominated by the thousands of bumping, grinding Queens, will also feature Atlanta’s own Seed & Feed Marching Abominable, and the increasingly famous NuClia Waste, Princess of Plutonium, a stilt-walking atomic drag queen from Denver.

Through it all, Queens from all over the world will be whooping it up in ways they can only dream of the rest of the year. Get yourself a persona and come on down. If you’re too masculine to be a Queen, more Spud Studs are always welcome. Bring sparkly gifts, and the Queens may just keep their famous Promise. (See “Head Nurses” above.)

travel@creativeloafing.com<

For more parade info and tickets to events, visit www.sweetpotatoqueens.com and www.halandmals.com/stpat/.






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