It’s Four O’Clock Somewhere
story by Bob Rouse
Honeywood Parrish Rouse lived her whole life—all 92 years—in Midway, Kentucky. And like Honeywood, the restaurant, Honeywood, the lovely lady, sprang from Holly Hill Inn, although it was “Hermosa” when Honeywood spent her growing-up days there.
Honeywood married Howard Rouse in 1922, and legions of Midwegeans enjoyed having an afternoon drink with the couple at Pinkerton Place, their stately brick home on Winter Street; it’s now the residence of the Midway University president. Today’s Honeywood, the restaurant, offers a Four O’Clock Snack Platter that’s an all-star lineup of comestibles that Honeywood the hostess served.
Honeywood was my grandmother; my sisters and I called her Honey. I’ve been thinking about her a lot while writing about Hermosa and the people who called it home. An essay I wrote about Honey includes my childhood memories of overnight visits to Pinkerton Place:
Along with my sisters, Kay and Amy, I spent many a Friday night at Honey and Howard’s house. Honey would read us bedtime stories, often from the Little Colonel series, written in the early 1900s and set in a town near Louisville. I remember absolutely nothing from those books. I won’t forget the lovely voice that read them, though.
I well remember the Saturday breakfasts that Honey fixed us. I rarely think of her as a great cook, mostly because she employed a talented woman, Juanita Darneal, to prepare evening supper and Sunday dinner. But Honeywood’s breakfasts were her own creation: eggs and bacon with fried grits cakes, and every now and then she’d serve a real treat: fried fish—bluegill or crappie, maybe trout—that Howard had caught in the farm pond the night before.
The memory of those small, delicious filets coated with crumbly cornmeal makes me want to grab a pole and head to the pond right now.
I should also mention our Sunday dinners—the midday meal after church—at Pinkerton Place:
Howard always told some good stories, but we’d also get a laugh whenever Honey, sitting at the head of the table closest to her kitchen, would summon Juanita for the next course by pressing with her foot a button beneath the rug that sounded a buzzer in the kitchen … except Honey seldom found the buzzer on her first attempt. We’d see her rocking slightly and hear the thuds of misplaced stomps, and we’d know more food was on the way—maybe.
My collection of essays about Hermosa, Honeywood, and her siblings will compose a yet-to-be-titled book that will launch in late summer. But you don’t have to wait to enjoy Honeywood-style hospitality. Honeywood, the restaurant, will serve you snacks with your favorite drink whenever you get that four o’clock feeling.
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The Four O'Clock Snack Platter
It’s been on the menu at Honeywood since day one. The components might change a little over time but the concept remains the same — take time to unwind with a platter full of tasty snacks to share.
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