Dixie Cafe neon sign - Selmer, TN

With a menu of Catfish, Chicken, Steaks and Seafood, the Dixie cafe was one of the most popular places to eat in Selmer for 50 years. The Cafe was located along the main road through town, which was also US45/64. The Cafe went out of business in 1997, and a few years later the building was razed while the old neon sign out front was in ruin. In 2006, the McNairy County Historical Society worked to preserve their historical landmark. All of the neon tubing was gone, but it has received a fresh coat of paint and the base is fenced off.

Pat's Cafe - Home of the Slugburgers

A slugburger is not what you're thinking, fortunately. The quick explanation is the ground beef has inexpensive filler added to it.

Slugburgers are a regional delicacy found in and around the Corinth, MS area. Pat's Cafe seen here is north one county in Selmer, TN (and is about as far north you'll find one.) Mixed in the ground beef is some form of extender and depending where you get it, it could be soybean, corn meal, potato flakes or flour (but no gastropod mollusks). Then the burger is deep fat fried instead of grilled.

The best I can tell, these were created out of necessity in the early to mid 20th century, perhaps because of a struggling local economy. A slug used to be common slang for a nickel, and slugburgers cost five cents. In Corinth, there's even a yearly Slugburger Festival and it is this weekend. www.slugburgerfestival.com/ I suppose it's a source of civic pride, although they're celebrating something which by definition is a lesser quality product. Still, I want to try one.