I recently purchased a really cool book entitled, “Listography.” The entire book has prompts on each page for the writer to make lists of. For example: Favorite Things about Yourself, Favorite Movies, or Favorite moments as a teenager. The author’s purpose in creating this book was to give families and friends the opportunity to learn things about the writer and also for the writer to have the ability to compile multiple lists to one day create his or her autobiography. With that being said, it was like Christmas morning when I opened this package from Amazon. I got two versions: All I want to Do in Lists, and the Original Listography book. I cannot wait to one day finish these books and begin writing my own autobiography. I will have numerous journals, and blog posts to work with. Anyways, I sound like a super nerd but last night I began filling out the favorite restaurant section.
The list went something like this:
1.) Taco Bell. So I know this is the first on my list and that may seem crazy but let me explain myself. Taco Bell is amazing. There are so many options. There’s always Mountain Dew and it’s cheap. Like really cheap. In college if I had four dollars; I had a meal. One complaint: what happened to the cheesy potatoes? Remember those? They were always a dollar. They consisted of fried potatoes with nacho cheese and sour cream, sprinkled with chives. Just talking about them, makes my mouth salivate. Ok, moving on.
2.) Cracker Barrel. In college I wrote an entire essay on Cracker Barrel and its sense of heritage and family. I love shopping and I love eating. Cracker barrel is the best of both worlds. I’m also a big fan of the tester lotions in the women’s bathroom. Who doesn’t want to wash their hands with floral soap and douse their hands with goat lotion afterwards? I mean, that’s a perfectly normal part of your agenda at cracker barrel. Check. I’ve done it. You can also play that triangle peg game. Whoever has the least amount of pegs at the table wins. I am always an ignoramus though; meaning, there are many pegs left over when I play. My brother likes to play chess in front of the fire. I, however, do not. I always lose. Every time. Before I joined the navy, I spent many Thanksgivings with my dad in Tennessee here. Each holiday season, eating here on Thanksgiving always made me feel so blessed to be able to share the holiday with my dad. We always saw many older men and women celebrating the holiday alone. That just breaks my heart.
3.) Olive Garden. Specifically for the lunch special of soup, salad and bread sticks. This one is on the list for my mom and me. I really don’t go here with anyone else. We really only go for the lunch special. So, the olives, in my opinion, should just not belong in the salad, but since my mom eats most of them, I guess they can stay. But that’s it, only for her.
4.) Cook Out. I really do feel sorry for the individuals that have never experienced this one. I’ve only ever seen them in North Carolina. Do they exist elsewhere? This fast food joint is like Sonic, on crack. Most are drive thru only, but it’s worthwhile, I promise. The prices are cheap. The tea is sweet and the burgers are juicy. You can order a tray special, which allows you to mix and match sides with either, bbq, a burger, a hot dog or a corn dog. Also, tea comes with the tray. Did I mention the milkshakes? There are about 50 on the list. Once I decided I wanted to try them all. It would be called, The Cook Out Challenge. I had a check list and everything. About 12 flavors in, I realized you can mix and match the flavors. I suck at math so I quickly halted this aspiration. The probability was high that I wouldn’t succeed haha. I crack myself up. Moving on.
5.) The Heritage House. This is a local restaurant in Windsor, NC. If you’re wondering where Windsor is, there is no point in me trying to explain. The middle of nowhere, that’s where. In the middle of nowhere you find the most beautiful people and places. This was one of Granddad’s favorites. You know when you get a feeling or presence of someone who has passed away in certain locations. This place is my granddaddy Jake; The Heritage House and the front porch swing at the river with a spit cup in hand is him. This place is strictly country food. Don’t expect to order a salad. Don’t expect to ask for unsweet tea. What is that anyways? Don’t expect for the veggies not to be seasoned with fat back, salty ham or bacon. The fried chicken is top notch. The fish is wonderful but my favorite by far is the collard greens. I usually just go for the buffet. The buffet consists of any of the following: Beef stew, spaghetti, fried chicken, country styled steak, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, cabbage, fried okra, collard greens, peach cobbler, bread pudding and fried corn bread. My granddad never could see his plate, but he sure could clear it. He trained me well. I can too!
Well that’s all for now. Maybe this will evoke you to think of some of your favorites. Remember, making a list is fun, but dig deeper. Why is it your favorite? What memories have you shared here? What kind of trouble has it caused? Dinner conversations. Awkward Dates. Unexpected farts. All of these tiny details are what makes memories and stories come together.
