WORK-RELATED TRAVEL NOTES (A.K.A., SOUTHERN COOKING SEEKING STRUGGLES)

I got a little closer to the authenticity I sought, but not close enough. Some of the folks we work with down in Birmingham took us to Dreamlands for barbeque. The sauce was very tasty, but overall I've had better ribs. These were a bit too fatty, not fall-off-the-bone-tender, and just a bit too chewy.

Very good potato salad though.

I managed to ask some of the local gang for their personal recommendations for local grub, and I hope to find the gustatory satisfaction I need on the next journey. I think I need to skip the ribs and go further still into the heart of Southern cooking. Perhaps after the third request they'll understand me when I say I don't want fancy, and I don't want funky. I want greasy and unhealthy and very possibly unsanitary. I need the real deal.

I think I'm back in less than three weeks. To be continued . . .