BBQ Wagon (Bryson City) - June 28, 2012 - Pam's 2 Cents

Andy & Opie

7/3/2012. Just as I opened this page to write, the 6:30 news ran a story about Andy Griffith dying and I got distracted from writing about food. Strange how you can feel the loss of somebody you never knew personally. What is the power of that TV show? That simple whistling tune that is so evocative? Pride in a fellow North Carolinian who made good? Nostalgia for simpler times (or at least, simpler according to TV)? Thinking now of a former student who said he decided to become a lawyer because he wanted to be like Matlock. And Ava Barber, a Knoxville gal who sang on "The Lawrence Welk Show", who said in an interview that one of the biggest thrills of her life was meeting Andy Griffith, especially when he said he was a fan of hers and they exchanged phone numbers so they could keep in touch. And two years ago when my brother and I took Mama to Mount Airy/Mayberry for her birthday and even though the Snappy Lunch and Floyd's Barber Shop were closed and it poured the rain, we had a fine time seeing where Andy got his start. And how I once got into an argument with a coworker over who was the right woman for Andy - Helen Crump (the teacher), Peggy McMillan (the nurse), or Ellie Walker (the pharmacist). Well, this person said Andy's soul mate was Peggy, which is absolutely ridiculous because everybody knows it was Helen.

Andy & Helen

For the Merfoxes (my beach girls), all conversational roads lead eventually to "The Andy Griffith Show", which always makes Honey roll her eyes, maybe because Andy once taught music in her hometown of Goldsboro, NC and had a reputation for being difficult. Even so, we're planning a Mayberry marathon next time we're together. Rest in peace, Andy. And Goober. And Barney. And Aunt Bee.

Sylva DQ now open

Okay, back to the food. It was hotter than the hubs of hell the day we went to the BBQ Wagon, but once we got inside we forgot all about the heat. Very relaxed atmosphere - wouldn't be hard to imagine you were in Mayberry - and tasty barbeque. And even though Susan didn't like the looks of those big home fries, they were delicious - not mealy at all, just the right crispness. Everybody else's food must've been good, too, because those plates were clean at the end. Leaf offered me a taste of her fruit salad but I couldn't bear to taint the perfectly balanced blend of pork and tater taste in my mouth. We talked about going for ice cream after supper but were all full as ticks, so we just went home to digest. Which reminds me, I cannot believe I still haven't been to the new Dairy Queen in Sylva yet. I was counting the days until it opened so I wouldn't have to go to Canton or Cherokee for my dip cone fix anymore. Maybe I've gotten too addicted to Pet Turtle Tracks ice cream. Why oh why can't ice cream be diet food and lettuce be fattening?

Earl Hamner

One thing we talked about that Susan forgot to mention was the famous people we had rubbed elbows with in our lives. My top two are Eva Marie Saint and Earl Hamner (I am always horrified how many people don't recognize his name. Earl Hamner created the TV show "The Waltons", and it's his voice doing the narration at the beginning and end of each show). Greg's was Russell Means. Susan's was Rosalind and Amy Carter. I think Lisa was the big winner, though. She's dined with Henry Kissinger, at the same time sitting close enough to touch Gwyneth Paltrow. I learned something new about Susan from that conversation: she's a movie star! She was an extra in several movies that were filmed in NC, and also a Kinks video. So we can all add her to the list of famous elbows we've rubbed.

Okay kids, that's all until next time. See you July 12 at Yummi Yummi in Bryson City!