Sunday, April 6, 2014

Some Southern Flavor

The more I think about it, the more I think I should be a professional food critic. I could travel the world, eat, and write. To get my theatre in, I'll make sure to be really theatrical when I'm eating, like Bob Murray in What About Bob.




Seriously though, sometimes I think this describes me exactly.

This past weekend, my family and I travelled to North Carolina to check out some colleges. While there, of course I was determined to get a taste of the local flavor.

After dining at University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) for lunch on Friday (which had an overwhelming amount of options...I may or may not have had a minor anxiety attack) we got ice cream from this local shop called Yum Yum. Yum Yum also specializes in hot dogs, which are literally fire engine red. We asked the girl behind the counter why they were red, and by the look on her face, I immediately knew we were the oddballs in the shop. "I've always eaten red hot dogs," she whispered to her fellow employee. (According to The Gazette, all hot dogs used to be red, but after concerns were raised in the 1960s that the dye had risks of causing cancer, many companies stopped using the dye. Many hot dog makers in the South, though, used alternative dyes–like the kind used to color cough syrup and cherry soda–to keep the red color.)

The highlight of the day, though, was barbecue at Stamey's, a local joint recommended by one of the admissions councilors at UNCG. I was determined to get good pulled pork down South, and gosh darn it, I did. Stamey's Old Fashioned Barbecue has been going strong since 1930, and I can understand why: they picked one specialty to focus on, and they made it well. The menu is only one-sided, and you can have your choice of chopped pork, sliced pork, chicken, or hot dogs, prepared in their house-made barbecue sauce. Sides include hushpuppies, french fries, baked beans, chicken tenders, Brunswick stew, Stamey's slaw and rolls. The rolls, mind you, are $0.30 and are literally a hamburger roll. Where can you find anything on a menu for $0.30 anymore?

I got a chopped pork barbecue sandwich, and both my mom and stepdad got a plate of the chicken and barbecue pork combo. That's where this picture comes from...


My friend Connor would be so proud of me. 

And of course, for dessert we had to try both the peach and apple cobbler.


They should serve dessert with soft serve ice cream in the North. It was like frozen whipped cream. 


After all this, it's fair to say I may have needed to loosen my belt after dinner. 

But that was only Day 1. Day 2 started off with a long run, but was shortly followed by a visit to the original Krispy Kreme. 



Dunkin' Donuts can't even compare, especially when the Krispy Kremes are warm. 


The picture above is currently the background of my phone...we'll see how long that lasts.


And this is what I call double-dipping. Seriously. My friend Connor would be so proud.

Maybe my next trip down South, I'll actually work up the courage to try fried chicken and waffles.