Postcards from Snagglepuss: Driving on the state line, and obviously
So Huckleberry Hound and yours truly, after some time driving US 59 through northeast Texas at its extreme, found ourselves in as unlikely a town as Texarkana.
I say “unlikely” because Texarkana, as is obvious from the name, straddles the Texas-Arkansas state line. In fact, State Line Avenue, which is US 71 as well, true to its name, straddles the Arkansas-Texas line, with northbound traffic essentially in Arkansas and southbound such in Texas, as it turns out. Not to mention the Post Office and the Union Station likewise straddling the state line. But it’s separate cities in The Lone Star State and The Natural State, with separate high schools in each state. But still, let’s not forget that Louisana, which is some 15 miles south of Texarkana, forms part of the Texarkana Matropolitan Area … and the Arkansas side plays host to the Four States Fair, which also encompasses extreme southeastern Oklahoma.
But as for where to have some barbecue … we decide to go to the Arkansas side, inasmuch as we seem to be travelling eastward. Somehow, Texas seems overrrated in the barbecue department, with Kansas City a close second. But just be fortunate we found a barbecue place in as unlikely a town as Okay, Arkansas. Not all that seedy-looking, but more like a small-town cafe, and smelling of hickory smoke and tomato-infused barbecue sauce, with plenty of bemused “locals” and some quasi-sophisticates from as far away as Texarkana itself. Order half a rack of ribs, glazed rather generously enough to give our lips quite the mess.
(Just be lucky the manager has plenty of moist towelettes for customers. Basic paper napkins can only go so far in wiping up after exceptionally scrumptious barbecue. I understand the Cattanooga Cats’ Groove dabbles in barbecue, and when I mention this to Oh-So-Chuckleberry “himself,” he was rather pleasantly surprised, remarking on the side that he recalled vaguely one particular occasion he shared his barbecue sauce, a tomatoey such infused with crushed garlic, honey and Maggi Seasoning. He’s entered it into a few barbecue competitions small time, and while it may not have won much beyond second place, Groove, nonetheless, is rather proud of it.)
One thing is for certain when it comes to barbecue in these parts: The spice is such that you DEFINITELY want to douse it liberally with especially Dr Pepper; it seems that one can may not exactly be enough, so this particular barbecue joint, in the case of large orders, serves a 2-litre share bottle just to quench such barbecue-infused thirsts.
And did I mention the Jo-Jo potatoes?
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