Sean Dietrich Articles

Sean of the South | Five years ago in Huntsville

OPINION — Five years ago, I was in Huntsville when the world shut down. Five years. Almost to the day. I’ll never forget it. I remember what life was like at the time. I had spent the previous year working on a book. A memoir about my dad’s suicide. I put a lot of...

Sean of the South | A familiar accent in an unfamiliar place

Maryland. The old cafe is mostly empty this time of night. Music plays overhead. Pedal steel guitar. The cook is cleaning his flattop. The waitress is reading a magazine. Thank God magazines still exist in our AI Age. I smell cured pork and onions. There are globe...

Sean of the South | One afternoon at Winn Dixie

OPINION — He was a good kid. You could just tell.He was maybe 11. Twelve at the most. He was in the supermarket. He had his little sister balanced on his hip. You don’t often see boys carrying toddlers out in public.The kid was filling a shopping buggy. He was...

Sean of the South | Sweet Georgia Barbecue

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — Columbus, Georgia. I was eating at a barbecue joint not far from the state line.My cousin, John, insisted that this joint serves the best barbecue in the state of Georgia. He made me promise to try it.I ordered the ribs.I ate them without...
Bar Food

Bar Food

By SEAN DIETRICH I am at a bar. It’s loud. There is live music. And cheeseburgers. I missed dinner tonight because I was making a speech at a dinner...

read more
Bar Food

The Good Old Days

By SEAN DIETRICH I have a confession to make. I am addicted to my cellphone. I’m not proud of it. I don’t like admitting it. But I’m coming clean,...

read more
Bar Food

Dadeville

I can only pray. That’s all I know how to do. I am nobody. I am not particularly smart. I am not savvy when it comes to political discourse. I am...

read more
Bar Food

The Phone Call

By SEAN DIETRICH The call came late afternoon. “May I speak to Sean?” said the child’s voice. Speaking, I said. “Is this a bad time, Mister Sean?”...

read more
Bar Food

Opry Kid

By SEAN DIETRICH The phone rang. My wife and I were in the kitchen, cooking an elaborate gourmet dinner. I was chopping garlic. My wife was sauteing...

read more
Bar Food

Play Ball

They were calling for rain. But no rain came. Yet.  The umpires stood on the field, clad in clerical black, staring at the sky, palms facing...

read more
Bar Food

America

By SEAN DIETRICH "HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY?!" shouts the talking head on TV. I’m at an American diner. The kind with fried food and...

read more
Bar Food

Buc-ee’s

By SEAN DIETRICH Buc-ee’s convenience store sits outside Athens, Alabama, like a giant squatting beaver. This Texas-based gas station place is not a...

read more
Bar Food

Trees

By SEAN DIETRICH I have a thing for trees. I don’t know why. Maybe because I’ve always been a nerd. I think it all dates back to my days in Boy...

read more