Eating Authors: Jamie Davis

I’m no stranger to the power of community, or the power of the internet as it affects community, but sometimes it still creeps up on me and takes me by surprise. Case in point, a few weeks back when an author I know put out a call for help because an aged relative was in danger of being put out of the house she’d lived in for decades. All at once, a vast list of authors came together and began contributing to an anthology, Hellcats, some sending in reprints and others writing new works just for the anthology. The plan: sell the book for bushels of cash, all of it earmarked to keep an old woman from being turned out onto the street.

I sent in a story, and readily agreed to boost the book’s signal via social media, but then wondered what else I might do. The solution was obvious: feature some of the other contributors here on EATING AUTHORS. That wasn’t quite so easy an idea though, as many of them (including Craig Martell, A.M. Scott, Julia Huni, E.G. Bateman, and R.R. Virdi) had already put in an appearance here.

But I reached out and in classic win-win spirit, authors began reaching back. Which is why I get to introduce you today to Jamie Davis. In addition to being an author, Jamie is also a nurse, a retired paramedic, and a nationally recognized medical educator who started out teaching emergency responders. Among readers, he’s probably best known for his six volume Huntress Clan Saga, his Accidental Traveler trilogy, and his ongoing Extreme Medical Services series (currently up to seven books)

Jamie lives with his wife and three kids in Maryland woods, combining his interests in medicine, gaming, and writing with seamless ease.

LMS: Welcome, Jamie, and thanks for contributing to the Hellcats anthology. Now, tell me about your most memorable meal.

JD: The most memorable meal I ever had has to be the breakfast at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans famous French Quarter. My wife and I were on our honeymoon and this was the one place she wanted to eat so we’d made brunch reservations for our fourth day in the city. Now Brennan’s is fine dining, the full 5-star meal in every way. It was a lot for two young people in their twenties to appreciate. Up until that point, we’d had some wonderful meals consisting of PoBoy sandwiches, raw oysters and fried shrimp brought in that day from the Gulf of Mexico, and beignets fresh from the fryer and dusted with just the right amount of powdered sugar.

So, when the two of us kids dressed up and wandered down to Brennan’s, I don’t know what I was expecting, but given what we’d had so far, I knew it would be a lot fancier. My wife ordered a mimosa to start and Eggs Benedict for her meal. I ordered steak and eggs, a ribeye if I remember correctly, along with two fried eggs over medium. We wrapped it all up with my wife’s order of Bananas Foster, a flambé dish prepared table-side by our waiter.

All in all, it was a pretty decent meal. The wait staff attended to our every need, and the chefs prepared everything perfectly. The meal was excellent over all, but it wasn’t the food I remember the most. The most memorable part of the meal was the check. This was 1990. It was breakfast, for God’s sake. Which was why I couldn’t wrap my brain around the bill. It was $115.42 before the tip. My jaw dropped. I don’t think we’d spent that much for two of us over an entire day before. I tried to hide my shock and pulled out my shiny plastic credit card, paying the man with a smile (I think).

Ever since, when asked about our honeymoon in New Orleans, I mention the breakfast at Brennan’s right at the top. It wasn’t to protest the price so much as time went by. I’ve grown accustomed to some pretty expensive fine dining establishments over the last thirty years. No, it’s more to talk about the wide-eyed country kid who had to pay for his first “big-boy” bill as a married man. In the end, I can’t complain. I must’ve done something right. We’re still together thirty years later with three wonderful kids, a grandson, and our health. Oh, and a great story from the beginning of our lives together to kick things off.

#SFWApro