Meet Me in a Dream

“Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive

If you can

And meet me in a dream of this hard land”

Meet me, Springsteen sings, in a dream of the true America: as rough, as tough, as hard as any other land. In song after song of toil and tears; wartime death and young loss; dreams forgotten and reality accepted, Bruce Springsteen strips away the ghosts of the American Dream to reveal a country that I’m desperate to explore.

Everybody needs an inspiration to plan that first coming of age road trip through the US. For some it might be Jack Keruac or John Wayne, but for my sister and I it has always been the Jersey born musician, Bruce Springsteen. His lyrics outline a route through the history and the heart of the USA that go beyond the Swamps of Jersey, straight to the core of the American spirit. Let’s call him Springsteen, our spiritual guide.

So how do two students loaded with enthusiasm for this Land of Hope and Dreams, but without the dollar or driving licenses to allow the rental of a vintage Cadillac, plan a road trip? With a lot of compromise is the answer. And here is where Springsteen’s first teaching makes itself painfully clear: all hopes and dreams are impossible to achieve when you’re broke. Thus, rather painfully we’ve had to wipe New Jersey straight off the itinerary. Our three-week time frame means that we have to bypass the boardwalk of Atlantic City and head South from Chicago, to Louisville, Kentucky. From there we dive southwards, to the heart and soul of the music scene: Nashville. Of course, Memphis is next and then south again to New Orleans. We might be missing out on Springsteen’s home turf, but he has got to be impressed by this amount of soul. From there we turn our heads westwards and fly out of the swamps of Louisiana to Oregon. Three weeks, seven states, too many dreams.

Of course, our trip won’t simply be about honky-tonks and jazz clubs – It will also sing with soul food. Pizza in Chicago; Hot Browns in Louisville; Gumbo in New Orleans: all of it defiantly sinful and devilishly soulful.

I haven’t spoken much about Bruce Springsteen on this blog, but he’s always been there, accompanying me in my cooking exploits from a little radio on the kitchen counter. His ability to create music to accompany every mood, and every meal, is part of the magic.

As I plan my gastronomic journey, the soul food sings even louder; as Bruce’s music unfurls, so does the road.