My vacation so far
has taken me to the sun-scorched corn fields near my aunt’s house in Mayfield,
KY (luckily, we were able to rehydrate in her backyard hot tub); to the beaches
of Hilton Head Island with my sister Donna; to my mom and dad’s bluegrass jam
sessions; to walk the Lake Murray Dam in Columbia, SC, with my sister Carmen; and
to Raleigh, NC, for a day of art museums and comedy clubs with my friend
Aliana, as well as quality time with my sister Lori who, according to one
restaurant hostess, must be my “maternal” twin.
Of course, my trip home wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t
seize the opportunity to chow down on some real Southern BBQ. I should note
that I’m slightly concerned about my future ability to satisfy these cravings
in the Bay Area, which I’m sure has more pork than Mark’s neck of the woods,
but it appears to be largely vegetarian terrain. Many of the apartment listings
I’ve seen say things like, "No Meat, Dead Animals, Fish, or any eggs allowed in the fridge.”
With this in mind, I went with my parents to a little family-owned
restaurant near their house called Bluffton BBQ, located at 11 State of Mind Way
(very zen!). My mom’s initial reaction was that the place looked “kind of…
redneck,” but I knew I was going to like it when I saw the tub of free PBR in front
of the cash register. The restaurant is brand new and was giving away beer for
donations until it gets its alcohol license.
The meaty menu included pulled pork, ribs and chicken; a
smattering of sides; and moon pies for $1. There was also a sampler platter
called the “fat bastard,” but I didn’t hear anyone ask for one of those.
You’ll only find tomato-based (not mustard-based) BBQ
here, as indicated by a handwritten sign that says “mustard is heresy.” This, however, is contrary to popular opinion
in many parts of this pork-loving state. According to Lake E. High, Jr., of the
South Carolina Barbeque Association, German settlers brought mustard sauces to South
Carolina in the 1700s and, as people began applying them to BBQ, mustard sauces
came to be considered the traditional South Carolina style. (Here's an interesting article about this.)
I ordered a pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato
casserole and mac and cheese on the side. The sandwich was scrumptious, especially
when dipped in the restaurant’s signature “Ted sauce.” I found the mac and
cheese a bit bland, but the sweet potatoes were smooth and rich. Also tried
some of Dad’s perfectly spiced rack of ribs.
Pig paraphernalia adorned almost every inch of the
restaurant that wasn’t already occupied with a political poster. A Yelp review
I read says the owner is a big Tea Party-er, so no surprise there. In case we forgot, this was a gentle reminder that we were indeed in the South, where you can walk into a restaurant and find both butts to eat and butts to talk politics.
In the end, we all gave it a big thumbs up but agreed we’d
probably prefer to take it to-go. The outing was a delicious way to wrap up my
last week at home... hopefully I’ll be back again soon for more.
