Years ago in a New Orleans restaurant, Dave Adlard pointed out the States he had already visited on a huge wall map. Most of them. Today he’s only missing one – Arkansas.
I’d been to only about 15 States at that time.
But today I’m only missing West Virginia, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Maryland Connecticut — one road trip visiting Barbecue spots.
… If you know whether a state was part of the Confederacy, it is possible to make a reasonably accurate guess about where it stands on a range of seemingly unconnected matters, from party politics to gay marriage. …
Today, only five states have no minimum-wage laws; all were Confederate 150 years ago. Of the ten states that lock up the highest proportion of their citizens, seven were Confederate. …
The 11 states of the Confederacy were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.
I was in Alabama last year. Very nice. I saw no visible signs of the legacy of slavery. I’m headed for Texas next week.
I’m the guest of Jim and Lea Rand in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
This is what SUMMER looks like. 🙂
… Barbecue Secrets Podcast returns, better than ever. In this episode I connect with tech and barbecue geek Richard Campbell, who shares his recipe for Spanish-style Paella on the Grill and recounts his experience of regional barbecue in Romania, and I have an in-depth conversation with one of the leading lights in Canadian barbecue, Angie Quaale.
You can listen from that page. Or subscribe via iTunes. It’s free.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday.
Barbecue guru Rockin’ Ronnie rails against the “cholesterol fascists” and hints that he’s considering another cookbook …
… Raw seal meat is the texture of the finest tuna sashimi and tastes like a cross between beef tenderloin and sea urchin roe. …
Barbecue Secrets – Confessions of a Meat Freak
Lonely planet, as they often do, nailed it:
Beautiful Boricay manages to meet, exceed or defy expectations. It rarely disappoints.
That’s surprising since this is likely the single most touristy destination on all of Philippines 7100 tropical islands.
A beach holiday is low on my personal priority list. But the 5 nights flew by. Very relaxing.
Once or twice a day I ran the beach. Mid-day I went exploring. It’s a small island. I covered most of it.
I recommend Boracay if ever you get the chance to visit. Solo, no go. Bring a date or come with a group.
It’s definitely good for kids. A safe beach.
Considerations:
• you still need barter for everything on the beach
• touts and hawkers are annoying
• quality of most goods/services is low
• there’s no reliable tourist information
• there are no hostels here — a shame since it was first “discovered” by backpackers
• motorized roadways are Hellish
Recommendations:
• 99% of tourists stick to White Beach. If you leave that strip, even to either end of the Beach, life improves.
• if you are looking to save Pesos, the best value White Beach accommodation is in a quiet dead end alley near Station 3. The top pick is Dave’s Straw Hat Inn. Recommended by Lonely Planet, it’s usually full. Prices are now up to $35 / night or more. Others nearby are almost as good and half the price.
• I stayed in the ($19 including breakfast) fan rooms at Orchid Inn. If you come with 2-3 people, better are the upscale Orchid Inn Private Villas (3ys old). Compare others against that option. Prices vary wildly. Barter.
• I did finally see dormitory beds for about $8.
• Hundreds of restaurants on the beach did not impress me. The only one I can recommend is the German hangout, Kurts.
Be careful with the famed buffets. Food often sits long, under-heated. The famed Mongolian barbecues are better.
• Dana would like Boracay — Starbucks is here.
Stay out of the ocean. Fish pee in it. ☺ … I have no idea what all those happy people are doing out in sailboats.
The two activities I was willing to pay money for did not seem to be open during my stay:
• Ariel’s Point
• Ride the Zorb (not actually affiliated with the original Zorb, New Zealand)
More of my photos:
• White Beach
• Bulabog Beach
• Boracay random
related:
• 10 Commandments on the Beach
• Lonely Planet – Boracay – Fantasy vs. Reality
Read the latest from Kate Greatest – Canadian? Australian? What’s the difference?
Kate had a tasty birthday at Dundarave Beach in West Vancouver.
She was pleased the whole fam damily could celebrate on a perfect day.
See more photos from Kate’s Birthday
See more RANDOM Shewchuk photos.
Kate and her daughter Zoe are taking in a chick flik this afternoon. Then the family is doing a beach barbecue picnic to celebrate her 29th birthday.
It’s partly a wedding anniversary celebration, too. She married some old, forgetful guy named Stanley about this time of year, decades ago.
I really enjoyed a complimentary outdoor Salmon dinner yesterday.
… The event is organized by Robert Clark, sustainable fish advocate and chef of divine cuisine, who teamed up with Pacific Salmon Foundation to celebrate pink salmon as one of British Columbia’s most sustainable seafoods. A total of 1.5 tonnes of free, barbecued-to-perfection pinks were prepared and served by chefs to hundreds of visitors …
Rockin’ was one of the chef / evangelists.
Denzel had a booth selling their barbecue sauces. He’s attending Barbecue on the Bow next weekend.
The weather was perfect.
Rick McCharles 