Shannan and I went out early in the season to pick apples.
This year we visited Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge. We decided to make the
most of the road trip to North Georgia by staying the night Saturday and
getting out to the orchard first thing Sunday morning. We didn't have a dinner
plan for Saturday; however we did have a list of many restaurants in town. Good
fortune befell us. Upon arrival we learned the Blues and Barbecue Festival was
taking place downtown. Our choice was made.
We thoroughly enjoyed the festival including a turn through
a local art gallery and listening to great music. Our biggest dilemma came in
deciding on which BBQ station to patronize. In the end, we divided and
conquered. We each went to a different place. Both vendors provided exquisite
food. We had pulled pork, sausage and brisket along with traditional sides of
mac and cheese, brunswick stew, cornbread and baked beans.
Some years ago we visited a traveling food exhibit sponsored
by the Smithsonian in Indian Springs, GA. One of the panels noted that sharing
recipes affirms the bonds of friendship and family. A year or so later while
touring the Agrirama in Tifton, GA I enjoyed a small section about BBQ in the
south. Several quotes suggested that barbeque is one of the unique food items
which crosses racial lines, and in fact brings people together.
Roasting meat does not happen in nature. It's a practice that
sets humans apart from the animal kingdom, and it's intricately linked to human
communities across time and place. I plan to explore this topic more as the
first theme in forthcoming podcasts, Bread, Beer and BBQ: The Sustenance of
Societies.
Read. Eat. Run.
Tom
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