Exile in Dunganville

Waffle House cheat sheet discovered...

I can’t think of many things better than a trip to the Waffle House. Now that they accept all major credit cards, it’s hard for me to find a reason not to go. After all, how many places can you go and have your hashbrowns made 40,000 different ways?

People that know me, know how predictable I am. I tend to order the same thing every time I go. It’s the way I operate. Give me a sweet tea, ham-egg-cheese sandwich, and a side of hashbrowns and I am good to go. Give me a newspaper - and I am in heaven.

The Waffle House is a true slice of Americana on the side of road. And it looks like photographer Nick Gray found out the secret cheat sheet that makes those cooks so dang consistent on their presentation...

Fresh or bust - the rise and fall of leftovers

I have a brother-in-law who doesn’t believe in leftovers. You heard me right. Not even if it is day-old spaghetti, Chinese food, or even cold pizza. Doggy bags and to-go boxes are not in his vocabulary. His motto is “fresh or bust”.

When I grew up, leftovers were more to us than food that was more than a day old. It was an event. At my house there was a grilled chicken night, a hot dog night, a meatloaf night, and there was a leftover night. And like most dinners, it all tasted good since I wasn’t the one preparing it.

Necessity is the mother of invention. And apparently the guy who invented the microwave wished he could one day re-heat his leftovers in a timely manner. 

According to Rutgers Cooperative Extension, they define leftovers as “cooked foods that you or your family does not eat within two hours after they are cooked”. They also recommend to never eating leftovers more than four days old. 

Because as we all know, anything over four days officially becomes a science experiment. 

 

Best Banana Pudding in Charlotte

Talk about a multitasking dilemma, I sure had one last night.  I was torn between two things - the Super Bowl (and the commercials), and the February issue of Charlotte Magazine. 

With most TV shows, you can at least flip through a magazine during the commercial breaks.  Not so with the Super Bowl.  You never know when you are going to miss that one commercial that everyone is going to buzz about the next day.  So if you pride yourself on your water cooler knowledge, attention is required at all times.

I decided to give up on the game and instead thumb through the magazine after all.  There was a great interview with longtime Charlotte radio personality Mike Collins.  However my main purpose was to figure out what restaurant in Charlotte had the best banana pudding…

Charlotte Magazine’s favorite….was Reid’s Fine Foods. Who is yours?

 

Did you know...

While watching one of my favorite Friday shows, Final Edition, I found out that Salisbury's own Cheerwine will be airing a commercial during halftime of the Super Bowl next Sunday!

I thought Cheerwine marketing gurus might be kicking off a nationwide campaign during the Super Bowl.  However, this not true.  According to a News 14 Carolina article, it will only be shown in the Charlotte and Triad markets only. 

Even though it's a local promotion, it sure is a nice way to celebrate 90 years of Cheerwine.  What will they think of for the 100th Anniversary?

National Pie Day - January 23

In honor of National Pie Day tomorrow (January 23), I thought I would compile a few songs that celebrate all things that are “The Pie”. Of course topping the list is Don McLeans’s “American Pie”. And while it doesn’t have anything to do with a pie specifically, it has Americana written all over it…

And while you are out and about tomorrow – go get you some pie. If you happen to be in Mount Holly, you could stop here…

Songs About Pie

• American Pie – Don McLean
• Sweet Potato Pie – James Taylor
• Pie in the Sky – Frank Black
• Pecan Pie – Golden Smog
• Wild Honey Pie – The Beatles
• Custard Pie – Led Zeppelin
• Country Pie – Bob Dylan
• Jagermeister Pie - Beck
• Custard Pie Blues - Brownie McGhee

Can you think of any more?