We arrived way too late on Friday afternoon because mapquest delivered us to the wrong side of Chapel Hill. When we finally reached the retirement community Hayden’s grandma didn’t seem the least bit flustered by our delay. In fact she looked terrific and it was nice to finally meet her. Over the course of the weekend we were riveted by her stories. How a young woman travels on her own from Iowa to South America in the first half of the twentieth century is beyond me. Her stories of taking 7 day airplane rides or month long voyages by sea to get there unnerved me. If I had to travel that way I’m pretty sure I never would have made it out of New York. Her tales of raising kids and maintaining an American lifestyle amidst the chaos of revolution in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and elsewhere were incredible. This tiny lady told these stories matter-of-factly, without any acknowledgment of her unbelievable bravery. A true pioneer.
On Saturday, we intended to head to my uncle’s house for dinner in Raleigh but were unsure because we had heard of possible tornadoes in the area around the time we were leaving. We were just northwest of Raleigh when we noticed the clouds quite dark ahead of us. It was really weird. The sun was shining behind us and we had our windshield wipers on because the storm was just in front. It suddenly started to rain heavily and I could see many cars pulled over on the side of the road. I started to panic, because I then looked beyond the highway shoulder and saw a strip mall that had been completely leveled. Having dabbled in many life-skill areas, I realized that I had absolutely no idea what one does when driving and happens along a tornado. The last few minutes of the journey were tense. The storm, now reported to have had over 60 tornadoes, was right in front of us.
When we arrived at my uncle’s place, we did a quick tour of his new home, a quick check of the weather and then piled into his car to go to a famous barbecue joint in downtown Raleigh called “The Pit.” Getting there wasn’t easy. We attempted two or three routes that were blocked by downed trees and power lines. Raleigh was hit pretty badly but strangely The Pit was open and packed to the hilt. What I learned about North Carolina is that people are serious about their barbecue. And now I know why. We had the most incredible spare ribs of my life. The meat fell off the bone and was spiced to perfection. It was delicious and as Hayden pointed out very very naughty. My uncle, who’s been there several times, just kept saying “this is outstanding.” We left with doggy bags that seemed to be the same size as the meal that was brought to us.
As a snotty New Yorker, I was apprehensive about North Carolina. I was pleasantly surprised that despite the accent (confession: I don’t think I could ever get over that accent) the friendly people are surrounded by some of the best universities in the world and they love their food. Sounds good to me.
http://www.thepit-raleigh.com/
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