At one point in my business I traveled a LOT! In fact, I’m sure by some standards I still do. When you’ve been to that many places… and you’ve seen about every inch of every interstate in about every state… things get a little boring. I think I’ve dined at about every McDonalds, every Cracker Barrel and every Golden Corral from Florida to Maine! After a while, they all just seem to blend together and the food… although it’s usually darn consistent (except for that one Golden Corral in North Carolina) well… it just blends together too. Our highways and even our main streets have been taken over in large part by they corporations all serving up their rendition of whatever the colloquial specialty would be. They’ve attempted to “homogenize” America’s palate. And to a large extent… they’ve succeeded. Unfortunately it’s usually done with the lowest cost ingredients they could find… all smothered in some sort or salty or sugary sauce that they claim is “home made.” I always wondered whose home this stuff is coming from… and what sort of diabetes they have!
Well among this “sea of mediocrity” are always a few standouts that would have your taste buds jumping with joy! And usually those “standouts” are some local restaurant who’s owner is not satisfied with the bland taste his corporate competitors are cranking out. Who’s portions are probably way too much and his local flair brings all it’s excitement to the table! Luckily I’ve found these gems along the way. It’s the restaurant all the locals go to. It’s the place with the 30 minute wait… you know, the one that looks kind of run down… but the parking lot is always full every night of the week.
But the question is… how do you find these places? Well I hope over the next few months that “Shop & Get Local” will be one of the keys to that particular success. The other way, is to just ask the locals. They know where everyone goes. Or just drive around a bit, get a little off the beaten trail and ask people in the local stores, the local gas station or maybe even the local barbershop. These people are just full of great information and most are willing to share! We’ll try to do our part to and feature a few of these great local establishments whenever we can. If you’d like to contribute… by all means! We welcome your input!
Bon Appetite! Lets all enjoy some GREAT local food!
