Fort Pork?

My first year of teaching English was in 1970 at a predominantly black school in my hometown. I met the most wonderful 7 th graders, and one of them was "Pork Chop." Sorry to say that I don't have a clue as to what was his real name. Unlike many teachers, I threw away my grade books after a couple of years. I am better at decluttering than I realize, I guess.

"Pork Chop" was a happy fellow who indeed had eaten too many pork chops. Wonder when he got that nickname? But the rest of his story is that he had been born at Fort Polk near Leesville, Louisiana. When we were filling out some forms for his class, he always wrote that his birthplace was Fort Pork (no typo intended).

Bet he would have enjoyed Memaw's next Just Plain Cooking pork dish:

Skillet Pork Chops (Memaw's)

4 pork chops

1 onion (cut in 4 slices)

1 bell pepper (cut in 4 pieces)

4 tablespoons uncooked rice

1 can whole tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Salt and pepper chops. Brown chops in heavy skillet.

Top each chop with 1 tablespoon rice, 1 slice onion, and 1 piece bell pepper. Pour can of tomatoes over the pork chop mixture. Cover skillet and cook over low heat until pork chops are tender and rice is cooked about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Serves 4.