BBQ

The sign at the 4-Way BBQ advertised boiled peanuts and barbecued pork, chicken and ribs--a definite sign that we were in Georgia (pronounced Jo-Ja).

Boiled peanuts are tolerable when they are warm. The peanuts are boiled in salt water and sold in gas stations and small shops around the country. We bought a container of boiled peanuts in Plains, Georgia (Jimmy Carter's hometown). My uncle and cousins snapped open the peanut shells and plopped the peanuts in their mouths. The peanuts are soft, like a bean.

The barbecued sandwiches were more to my liking than the boiled peanuts. We climbed on the porch of 4-Way BBQ and my uncle placed our order at a low window equipped with a rocking chair for the patron to sit in while ordering. Then we carried our barbecue sandwiches, slaw, sweet tea and key lime pie to a table on the other side of the porch.

In the south, barbecue is more than just a food. It is a part of culture. My uncle tells me that there is a difference in the barbecue sauces throughout the region. Just a few miles north of 4-Way BBQ, barbecue sauce contains more vinegar.