natural flavor

i'm sitting in the vw shop in soflo. i should be unhappy at having dropped $2,000 this week into dr. w's car between a new fender, new headlamps, and a new a/c compressor.

instead, i'm smiling, as i'm blogging from the workstation at the shop. they actually have a quiet set of cubicles that are glassed off.

the main reason that i am not unhappy is that i found a fantastic bbq joint, called the georgia pig, down the street for lunch. it reminds me that i'm often asked my fellow yankee transplants what makes a good southern bbq. there's actually no one single thing that defines authentic bbq. however, the more of these things that your bbq joint, has, the more genuine it is. Real bbq joints:

• cook their meat with natural flavor, so it needs just a dab of bbq sauce. if you have to drown the meat in sauce, they haven't done it right. the meat should have a heavy smoked flavor, so that the meat has a pink tinge.
  
• are family-owned. the owner should work there.
• are clearly committed to either vinegar-based bbq or molasses-based bba, but never both.
• do not accept credit card. cash only.
• have one and only one location. no chains.
  
• serve sweet tea. brewed sweet--not that lipton shit with splenda added. it should make your head hurt.
• make the food out where you can see it. the cook should be chopping or pulling the meat right behind the counter.
• have a menu that fits on one page. two pages max.
• have a old school jukebox, the kind where you press the buttons to flip the records. it should have lots of hank williams and johnny cash.
  
• have local restaurant reviews from the paper, but nothing from zagat's.
• have waitresses that call you, "sugar," "honey," or "sweetie."
• sell candy that you never find anywhere else.
• have the following side items: corn on the cob, cornbread, casserole-style macaroni & cheese, french fires
• have the following desserts: pecan pie, key lime pie, sweet potato pie, and something that has tons of chocolate.