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Monday, October 11, 2010

Treatment and Regionalisms

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

Welcome to a whole slew of new followers - Kimberly & Jerry, Margie, Jessica, Msucheermom, and Emery.  The blog family is expanding again.

Today was Gin's last day of the monthly IV treatment, Tysabri.  She has taken it for about 3 years with a one year hiatus.  There really is no information about it's long-term effects.   She has gotten some benefits from it but she is afraid that the odds of serious side effects may catch up with her.  She also is just plain tired of scheduling her life around medications and wants to cut back where she can.  She will of course keep taking oral medications for spasticity and pain which are the main treatable symptoms of her MS.

While she is hooked up to the IV drip, it helps to have something to snack on like a pack of nabs.  I didn't realize that the snack crackers were called anything other than "nabs" until we met some folks from Philly who had no clue what we were talking about.  They can be peanut butter crackers or cheese crackers.  It doesn't matter, they are still "nabs".  Soft drinks are also referred to as "sodas" here in the South.  I'm familiar with the terms "pop" and "cola" but they are usually spoken by transplants to the area.  Raleigh has a lot of them.  I met one today while Gin was in for treatment.  He was a black man from New York and he had no idea what barbeque was.

A brief history about barbeque:  Pigs have always been a staple in the Southern diet.  There are still wild pigs in some rural areas in the South.  The phrase "living high on the hog" has a literal basis.  The good cuts of pork (ham, loins, etc) are located higher on the hog.  The ribs and shoulders and other less desirable cuts of pork were leftovers that the slaves had while the plantation owners would eat "high on the hog" so the slaves developed a way of cooking these cuts to make a very delicious meal.

Anyway... this fella was in the waiting room watching the Travel Channel on tv along with myself and another couple.  The show's topic was Southern barbeque.  After cooking the pig they pulled out some meat and started chopping it with cleavers and this guy was so surprised by that.  He just about shouted "What are they doing to that meat?"  I gently said "That's how you make barbeque.  You're not from here, are you?"  Nope, he's from New York and has lived in the area for about a year.  I told him where a local restaurant is where he can try some.  He said it looked like it would be good on a hoagie with some cheese.  I gave him a strange look and he knew that was not a good combo.  It should be bbq and slaw...nothing else on your sandwich.  I hope he tries it.

I'm looking forward to trying ribs in Memphis and beef brisket in Texas.  There are so many other regional foods to try out there but I do have to watch my weight.  I think the spicy Southwestern foods might be a challenge for my tender belly, but I'll try a milder version of it.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life's journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

4 comments:

Margie M. said...

I hope Gin feels better now that the IV treatment for today is over. I haven't had the chance to look back at older posts yet, so I was unaware of the MS. Sorry to learn of this and will keep Gin in my prayers.

BBQ in the west is the way to cook meat or chicken...we BBQ it. In the east, I know that ya'll grill meat and chicken. Regional differences are always interesting and amazing. Part of the great benefits of travel.

Have a good week, ya'll. :)

Along the Way with JnK said...

Hope all the treatments go as they should.

That is what we love the most, the different types of food served around this country. The funny thing is the types of food local stores carry varies as well. What you find in one area is not necessarily available in the next area we are in, including very simple items. Makes our travels even more interesting.

Merikay said...

I lived in Texas for about four years. During that time I had a "traveling" job and ate in lots of places.

Funny, the best "Texas BBQ" I had was in Colorado!

I think the best approach is to find a small town and find out where the locals go out to eat.

Paul and Marti Dahl said...

When Marti and I were dating (many moons ago) she was from MA and I was from NJ. I went to meet her parents for the first time and when I arrived, she was still in the powder room getting pretty for me.

I was standing around feeling uncomfortable with her parents and they asked me if I'd like a "Tonic". I'm not a drinker and I thought it was some kind of alcoholic beverage, so I said "No thanks, I don't drink". They looked at me real funny. What I found out later was a tonic in MA is a soda and being from NJ I had never heard that term.

We laugh about it now but I felt really stupid at the time when I found out what a tonic was.