Another Snowbird Visit With Jim Symington

Admittedly, I hate cold weather. I don’t ever remember really cold, nasty weather growing up in Memphis or in school at Ole Miss. Although I do recall one time when there was enough snow on the university campus for guys to “sled” down the hill behind Ward Hall on the hoods of old cars they had purchased from the local junkyard.

Getting out of New Jersey and heading to warm, sunny Florida is my idea of the way to spend winter. I like being a snowbird!
While some folks here in Venice are all consumed with playing croquet, I also enjoy time lunching with friends, attending history lectures, volunteering at the historic train depot, checking out the thrift shops and cooking. We recently had lunch at the Pink Elephant on Gasparilla Island with Jim and Sylvia Symington.
I’ve known Jim since my days as editor of the Daily Mississippian when James Meredith integrated the University of Mississippi. Jim was an assistant attorney general under Bobby Kennedy, sent to check out the situation on the Ole Miss campus during those turbulent days. He later became a Congressman from Missouri; his father was Senator Stuart Symington.
Sylvia talked about their days of taking Amtrak overnight from Washington D.C. to Venice and then renting a car to drive to Gasparilla. When the train stopped in 1971, the Symingtons flew down to Florida, keeping a car at the Sarasota airport—then an open field. They left the keys to the car under the mat and amazingly no one ever stole the car.
Since the Symingtons were not familiar with six-wicket croquet, we took them over to the courts behind the Gasparilla Inn. A friend walked across the court to say “Hello” to Ken and me but stopped when he saw the folks behind us.
“Is that Jim Symington?” Oakley Johnson asked. He and the former Missouri congressman had a great time reminiscing about the days when Oakley’s father and Jim sang in a quartet in D.C.
Ken mentioned seeing Brit Hume reporting on Fox News from Boca Grande and wondered if he had a house on Gasparilla. “Oh, I don’t know,” Sylvia said. “We’re having dinner with him on Sunday.” Small world.
Always looking for new recipes to try when I have the cooking urge, I found one in the Winn-Dixie Flavor magazine. Of course, I made some changes. Here’s my version of a very tasty recipe that I cut in half for Ken and me.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 lb. peeled shrimp
2 limes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons seeded and minced jalapeno
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, one tablespoon olive oil, one teaspoon salt and half teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
Add shrimp, coat well and set aside.
Zest and then juice one lime. Cut the remaining lime into slices and set aside.
Heat the remaining olive oil and the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add shrimp and cook until just pink.
Add jalapeno, garlic, lime zest, lime juice and cilantro.
Combine well and remove from heat.
Garnish with lime slices.
Makes four servings.
Serve with rice and mixed green salad.

Sidna Brower Mitchell was the editor of The Daily Mississippian in 1962.