“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller

This was never about food. Eating is a momentary rush, concentrated to the few seconds food contacts tongue and papillae sends signals of pleasure to brain. That pleasure is a chemical, like drugs, and the moment comes and goes. 

The greater thrill is the chemical that won’t subside. They’re the people we’d never meet if not for food. Barbecue was just the excuse. Driving across the country, gaining new friends, trading stories, exchanging gifts, visiting new cities, stimulating the local economy, settling our disagreements over a pint of brew and plate of smoked pork — that, more than the momentary high of tasting food, stays with us.

RESTAURANTS VISITED
26

MILES TRAVELED
3,337

STATES WE VISITED (OR DROVE THROUGH)
13

FAVORITE THINGS WE ATE (IN ORDER)
1. Chicken-fried pork chops at Willie Mae’s in New Orleans 
2. Barbecued pork plate at Allen & Son in Chapel Hill, NC
3. Shrimp, swiss, roast beef gravy at Domilise’s in New Orleans
4. Pimento cheese sandwich at Bridges BBQ Lodge in Shelby, NC
5. Barbecued pork tray at The Bar-B-Que Center in Lexington, NC
6. Chopped pork + coleslaw + corn cake at The Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC
7. Southern hash + pork cracklin’ at Maurice’s Piggie Park in Columbia, SC

FAVORITE SAUCES (IN NO ORDER) 
House vinegar sauce at Allen & Son in Chapel Hill, NC
Mustard sauce at Maurice’s Piggie Park in Columbia, SC
House sauce at Abe’s BBQ in Clarksdale, MS
Melon sauce at J.J. McBrewster’s in Lexington, KY

ROAD TRIP ALBUM
Drive-By Truckers, “Brighter Than Creation’s Dark”

NICEST HOTEL (WITHIN OUR MEAGER BUDGET)
Holiday Inn Express, Pembroke, NC

FAVORITE PLACE VISITED THAT WE DIDN’T WRITE ABOUT
Penguin Drive-In in Charlotte, NC

COOLEST STREET
Wall Street in Asheville, NC

BEST FOOD SOUVENIR
Zapp’s Voodoo Gumbo potato chips, New Orleans

TRIP SYNTHESIZED TO ONE SENTENCE
Bad barbecue tastes like good barbecue if you’ve never had great barbecue.