Culture Shock

Well, we've made it to Plano safe and sound and we're getting ready to attend the Holland mafia meeting, so things are busy here. Just wanted to share a little tidbit. . . .



Long before there was a Charlie or a blog, Hubby and I lived in a little town north of Dallas near the Oklahoma border. The drive we took from that town to visit our relatives in the New Orleans area is pretty identical to the one we took yesterday. We've probably stopped at every rest stop along the way and over time we have developed preferences about where we like to stop.



At some point we discovered Eddie's BBQ in Alexandria, Louisiana. Alexandria is a base town that lost it's base some time back and it's struggling to get a new identity. It's a little faded and worn around the edges. Eddie's first drew my attention because it had an outdoor picnic area and a grassy field. Perfect for a girl traveling long distances with her dog. I'd sit outside, eat my BBQ, and Buster would sit in the grass watching Dog TV (that's what we call sniffing the breeze at my house). Eddie quickly won me over, however, with a delectable concoction known as the Potato Jubilee. Picture a bakes potato and then add BBQ beef and sauce. It's not sophisticated, but who the hell cares? It's good.

Well, as we headed toward Plano, I informed my husband that we'd definitely be stopping at Eddie's for the Potato Jubilee.

So we're sitting at Eddie's BBQ and and in comes this older couple. They pick up a menu, look it over, and then they approach the counter with some questions. Know what question the woman asked?

"Is the salad just iceberg? Or does it have some Romaine in it or anything?"

I realize this seems like a pretty reasonable request, but let's think about it:

We're at a BBQ joint in rural Louisiana.
One that's attached to a Texaco station.
Whose motto is "ah likes da ribs" There are only four words in that motto and two of them have been misspelled on purpose .

Not exactly the kind of placed that's known for it's radicchio and arugula salad.

She perused the vegetable selection where she was disappointed to find that most were stewed with bacon. Also, at BBQ joints, macaroni and cheese and baked beans are considered vegetables.

She finally settled on a baked potato with no toppings.

That's like a crime against food.