Thanksgiving

It was a very enjoyable first Thanksgiving in NC. We got the pleasure of joining Lauren and her family in Charlotte. There was great company, wonderful food and much needed relaxation, with a sazerac thrown in for good measure. We felt right at home. Liz and I may have even been adopted in the process.

We returned home to Durham for round two. I awoke the following morning to prepare a Friendsgiving meal. A couple friends, who also recently moved from OKC to Durham, joined us. In fact, it was Natalie whom I credit for my introduction to Liz. It was the least I could do to welcome her and Travis with open arms and treat them to a decent meal. It was a very enjoyable first Friendsgiving in NC.

North Carolina Fall Foliage

            Until now, I have never lived in a place where there has been a subtle transition from summer into fall. I am familiar with t-shirt weather, and trees covered in green, abruptly followed by bare branches and a coat requirement. The difference 1,200 miles east makes.

            The highway that I used to drive in OKC, is the same highway that takes me to work each day. I-40 E. Many times, on my way to work, it felt as if I was on a subdued roller coaster; its tracks taking me through a kaleidoscope of fall foliage. With wide eyes, I would have to remind myself to refocus my attention to the highway. Day after day, I half expected to see all of the leaves simultaneously fall to the ground. They didn’t. They only kept changing into bright yellows, oranges and burning reds. Then after several weeks had past, the Japanese Maple in the front yard finally covered the ground in a colorful carpet. First full fall transition, check.

Cameron Indoor Stadium

We got the pleasure of attending a Duke Basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Something I am quickly realizing does not happen everyday. An institution rooted in basketball excellence, Duke Basketball has a rabid following and facilities that house less than 10,000 spectators at a time. It takes a certain family history, a chunk of change or sheer luck to claim a seat in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Two steps through the door, I turned to Liz and said something to the effect that “it smells like a gym in here”. Yes, considering we were walking into a gym, I was stating the obvious. To me though, it extended beyond simply being perceptive. My nostrils flaired. Synapses fired. Memories from years ago rushed to the surface. It wasn’t a bad smell, but familiar. It smelled like a gym.

Both of my parents coached. Soon after I was born, I was in the bleachers of gyms. Since I could walk, I was running around in gyms. Behind bleachers. Across wrestling rooms. Under volleyball nets. Through field houses. Into locker rooms. And if I was lucky enough to find the door unlocked, launching myself off of a trampoline into the gymnastics foam pit. When I say that it smells like a gym, I say that with a sincere fondness and appreciation. It is the smell developed after many hours, days and years. It is the smell of hard work, sweat and blood. It is a smell you can’t create with any air freshener or candle. Nor is it a smell you can ever get rid of with any air freshener or candle. It is a smell that is hardwired into my mind and my memories.

The game was great. The Carmon Crazies were in full force. And I sat there, in a sea of blue, with a childish grin on my face the entire time.

Working Man's Lunch

            Papa –the Curtis half of Simon Curtis- would always refer to an “RC Cola and a Moon Pie”… always drawing out the “R” and the “oo”. I would always laugh… always wondering what in the world he was talking about.

            Associated with lower or working class people in the 1950s, RC Cola and a Moon Pie made for a quick and affordable combination. At approximately a nickel a piece, the pair provided workers with an inexpensive lunch to curb their hunger for the remainder of the day. The two became closely associated with one another and were often referred to as the “working man’s lunch”. The combination has held fast as a Southern tradition from which fond memories stem.

            Enter Fullsteam Brewery. Fullsteam brews the Working Man’s Lunch as part of their Workers’ Compensation series. The series consists of “Year-round, easy-drinking beers that celebrate labor past and present”. Chocolate nibs from Raleigh’s Escazu Artisan Chocolates are among many of the defining aspects of Fullsteam’s Working Man’s Lunch. The result is a perfect pairing of a pint and a Moon Pie. A Southern tradition meant to be appreciated and carried on by a new generation.

            After a cross-country move, a history lesson and an aptly named pint, I can now stop wondering what Papa was talking about.

Durham Food Trucks

            Durham has an impressive food truck scene.

Gourmet burgers made with beef from Cliff’s Meat Market in Carrboro, NC. Twists on the thin-sliced Korean barbecue. Delicious Detroit-style deep-dish pizza. Homemade pop tarts and pastries.

Sausages made from humanely raised North Carolina pigs. Pimento-cheese brat and Italian sausages. ALL from food trucks.

           

Durham Central Park recently hosted a Food Truck Rodeo in which 25 food trucks represented Durham’s finest rolling restaurants. It still blows my mind to see that so many varieties of food, and good food mind you, can come from trucks

Truck operators build relationships with local universities, businesses, music venues, and craft breweries. They make arrangements to serve on various days and nights throughout the week and love is often shown from the venues by touting what trucks that will be at their location. Some locations even go as far as installing electrical support so that trucks will not have to use noisy generators.

It is nice to know that the food trucks out number the fast food restaurants in Downtown Durham. And given the chance, I would choose a local offering served from four wheels over a Big Mac or a $5 footlong ANY day of the week. Welcome to Durham.