WHAT ELVIS LIKED TO EAT
The King enjoyed typical fare for his time, especially meatloaf and hearty breakfasts.
One reason people now poke fun at Elvis Presley’s diet is that it wasn’t a diet most people eat without question in the 21st century.
Elvis, born Jan. 8, 1935, died Aug. 16, 1977. His burgers weren’t leavened by tofu, and he didn’t circle grocery aisles for blueberries and “super foods.” His 42 years included the era when circling drive-ins was a favorite pastime — driveins that served greasy french fries, hydrogenated fat and no real or political concerns about what the Food and Drug Administration thought about it.
“It was also the era of French chef Julia Child, who said, ‘You shouldn’t be afraid of butter,’” says Cindy Hazen, co-author of a book on Elvis’ favorite dining establishments in Memphis. Called “Memphis Elvis-Style,” the book, researched and written with her former husband, Mike Freeman, told a story that reflects a traditional Southern diet typical of many in Memphis and the Mid-South, especially from the ’50s through the ’70s.
Elvis liked cheeseburgers. He loved Krystal hamburgers, and
he preferred Pepsi to alcohol.
“It reflects the era,” says Hazen, whose favorite story about Elvis and food is when girlfriend Linda Thompson once prodded Elvis to “get out of the house more.” So the couple journeyed close by to a McDonald’s on Elvis Presley Boulevard. Hazen doesn’t know what they ordered, but she says they went inside rather than ordering at the drive-thru. The delicious part, says Hazen, is imagining movie-star Elvis, the King of Las Vegas and rock music, standing in line with a former Miss Tennessee USA to order a Big Mac as a night on the town.
“The other thing is how unpretentious his diet was,” says Hazen.
“He wasn’t a fancy eater. He was just a basic Southern-boy eater, a meat-and-potatoes-type guy” says George Klein, a close friend of Elvis. “Once when we got out to Hollywood, we were at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. He would order meatloaf or pot roast — stuff he had when he was poor.”
Elvis had round-the-clock cooks in the kitchen at Graceland, reflecting his late-night habits. Cook Nancy Rooks, who eventually cowrote her own book, “The Presley Family Cookbook,” says Elvis had definite likes and dislikes.
First of all, she says, his affinity for peanut butter and banana sandwiches was blown way out of proportion. “People have kind of run that into the ground,” says Rooks, who nevertheless remembers every nuance of the sandwich:
Toast two pieces of bread. Put peanut butter on the first slice. Layer it with “very thinly cut” round slices of banana. Put peanut butter on the other slice of bread. Elvis then wanted the sandwich “cut in half. He liked it cut across in rectangles, not diagonal, then cooked in butter like a grilled cheese sandwich,” says Rooks.
She says Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were totally traditional. “He liked the turkey and dressing and cranberry sauce, but sometimes with crowder peas and sliced onion and tomatoes. And he liked sweet potatoes, especially candied yams.”
For breakfast, he liked scrambled eggs with a lot of pepper or an omelet with cheese, bell peppers and “maybe just a little onion.” He also liked bacon, but only fried crisp with no grease. Rooks also recalls that Elvis liked freshly squeezed orange juice with nothing out of a can or bottle.
One big no-no at Graceland was fish. “You’d better not cook no fish in that house,” says Rooks. When a relative asked for fish one night, she says, “He came down those steps. He wanted to know what that smell was.” Elvis left the house and ate at a Howard Johnson’s and said that “when he got back, he didn’t want none of that odor in the house. We were spraying and spraying.”
Among things he did like were sauerkraut and wieners, Frenchcut green beans, corn on the cob, chocolate and lemon pies and a “big old pot of crowder peas or purple-hull peas.”
And Rooks was privy to one of Elvis’ lifelong obsessions. He absolutely loved meatloaf. Like peanut butter and banana sandwiches, the meatloaf obsession has taken on a life of its own. But there are stories about Elvis ordering meatloaf for dinner 28 days in a row. Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden doubts that, but, he says, “I’ve heard Priscilla and everybody else tell the story about Elvis having one of the cooks do meatloaf brush on meatloaf 30 minutes before done. every night for two weeks.”
Elvis friend and Memphis Mafia member Jerry Schilling says Elvis’ seeming meatloaf mania was “not as bad as it sounds. Meatloaf went well with mashed potatoes. And it was in small proportions with other vegetables, so it was actually a balanced diet.”
Klein says he once took Elvis to a Chinese restaurant on Union. “He took one bite and said, ‘ Let’s get out of here. This is not my type of food.’” But he did learn to like some Italian dishes, including spaghetti and meatballs or ravioli from a Coletta’s restaurant.
The price of fame was another ingredient on the menu at Graceland. “When he ordered out, he usually had the boys (members of his entourage) go down and pick it up. He really didn’t like to go someplace and eat. He liked to eat at home.” Season with black pepper. Toss and serve. eggs and beat well, then add flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and blend well. Stir in the nuts. 3 Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overbake. 4 To make frosting, combine all ingredient and heat to spreading consistency. Let the brownies cool in the pan, frost and cut into 12 bars. Susan Schadt, ArtsMemphis Steve Conley, WKQKFM 94.1 personality Years ago, George Klein told me a story about what I consider to be one of the most significant dinners Elvis ever had. After hearing the story, I thought it was so crucial to the career of Elvis, I told George he should lead with it in his book, which he did. On a chilly January evening in 1969, everyone was gathered at Graceland, just after the holidays, and still basking in the success of the ’68 Comeback Special. Over a dinner of meatloaf and mashed potatoes, George made the suggestion to Elvis that he consider recording his new material at American Studios here in Memphis, instead of the B-side stuff he had done in Hollywood over the past number of years. GK was petrified that Elvis might totally reject the idea. Elvis said he thought it was a great plan, much to the chagrin of Colonel Tom, and from that discussion came the second surge of Elvis’ career with classics like “Suspicious Minds,” “Kentucky Rain,” “In The Ghetto,” “Don’t Cry Daddy” and other million-sellers. That dinner conversation essentially changed the course of Presley’s career and perhaps his legacy. John Vergos, Rendezvous We were just forwarded an interview Harry Caray did with Roy Firestone about eating Rendezvous ribs at Graceland with Elvis. This occurred in the late 1960s. Contrary to popular belief, Elvis never came to The Rendezvous. He always wanted to rent to whole place out, which my father would not agree to; however, he loved Rendezvous ribs, which we would deliver to Graceland with frequency. Jennifer Chandler, cookbook author My fun Elvis story is when I was the guest chef on Food Network’s “Dinner Impossible.” Robert Irvine was given the challenge of cooking a Southern meal for the King. Priscilla Presley and a restaurant full of Elvis fans were to be the judges. ... Robert brought me in to help with Southern dishes that Elvis had loved, like pork chops, fried okra, meatloaf and banana pudding. Our mission was a success, and the show was a hit! Bert Smythe, Alchemy, McEwen’s On Nov. 29, The Commercial Appeal ran an archive photo of Sue Manker being kissed by Elvis Presley at her crowning as homecoming queen at the E.H. Crump Stadium. Elvis was late and had missed actually crowning her himself, but he consoled her with a kiss ... and a “Love Me Tender” wristwatch! Well, Sue Manker is the aunt of our office manager at Alchemy Memphis, who loves telling this story and how the photo was hung, framed, in her childhood home from as far back as she can remember. Here’s the link: commercialappeal.com/ photos/2013/nov/29/609822