Today I had lunch at Ms P's Electric Cock on South Congress in Austin, Texas with Ms.P-regular Don Dickson, and my fun foodie cousin Brooke Heller, in from Vancouver. This beautiful shiny trailer with a flashing yellow and red neon "CHICKEN" sign sets between a China Berry tree and a Spanish Oak on the 1100 block of South Congress. You can park in aspacious lot behind Doc's close to the music row, or bike over from the trail. Regarding Perry's (Ms. P) menu I think Don put it best: "She figured out that the art of Southern Cooking is to take something that is good for you, and make it bad for you." When you take chicken and fry it, or take blue cheese to cole slaw, or just straight up order the mac and cheese you shouldn't count calories, just friends to share it with.
Although fried chicken is her specialty, the black eyed peas were what brought us to this popular chicken trailer. For those new to southerly traditions, we here south of the mason dixon dish up black eye peas on New Years day. Matter of fact, my mother always told me it had to be the first thing in my mouth in order to get the good luck it is purported to project. We make our family's version of hot water (fried) cornbread, serve black eye peas on top and grill some sausage for the side dish. And voila: Happy New Year. Perry grew up in West Texas with the same Southern tradition of eating black eyed peas on new years day. In her words, "We spent New Years losing the worst part of the last year instead of making resolutions. That's how it should be - remember the good parts and leave the rest." 
Get your order in to avoid bad luck in 2012. Call her up: 512-912-7778. A big heaping helping will serve two folks for $5 and comes garnished with sour cream, bacon and chives. Whether you're curing a hangover, or looking for luck, it would be good to have these in the fridge ready for you when you wake up on New Years Day. Migas are for every other day of the year.
Side note for when you go for your next fried chicken meal: Although she won't disclose the secret ingredients that create chicken-addicts out of her fans, she did say she gets her organic chickens from Holmes Foods in Gonzales, Texas. Thanks Ms. P for keeping it local!
