We're in the south. The evidence? A Cracker Barrel every couple of freeway exits. Sonny's BBQ right across the street from our hotel. Shoney's right next door to our hotel. Last night we ate at Sonny's. I don't think we ever ate inside Sonny's when we lived in Florida...we always drove through and picked up yummy bbq meals. And I've got to say, I still recommend that method. The inside of Sonny's is not very impressive. Mildew comes to mind. Crumbs on the floor. Sticky tables. Interesting locals. Actually, our server was extremely helpful and competent. And the food really was good. Smokey St. Louis style ribs. Pulled pork. BBQ pork. BBQ Chicken. Potato salad. Cole slaw. Garlic Bread. BBQ beans. Green beans. Fried corn nuggets. Giant cups of icy cold sweet iced tea. 5 kinds of sauce. Banana pudding for dessert.
About halfway thru dinner, a party of 4 guys came in and sat at the booth across from us. These guys were about 18 or 19 years old. Good ol' buddies. Tattoos on everyone's arms. Couple of muscle shirts. Typical group of friends, goofing off, a little bit of mild profanity, flirting with the waitress. They ordered the family platter. $42 for 1 of everything on the menu (at least that's what it looked like). At first sight of all the food, a few more mild profanities. Then they started digging into the platter, piling up their plates. Then one of the guys held up his hand and reminded everyone that they needed to pray for their food first. I was trying not stare, but I probably was pretty much eavesdropping & staring by this point. So, the first guy prayed. Then the second guy prayed. Then the third guy prayed. Then the last guy prayed. Halfway during the prayer circle, the waitress came up to their table. She stood politely and waited until they were finished praying. Then they said their final amens. The waitress re-filled their drinks. The joking around and mild profanity resumed.
Ahh, yes...The South
