Thankfully the reason I traveled back to the east coast when
I visited in July was for a different reason than the last time in April. To get back as quickly as possible, I took
the red eye as to not waste any time traveling the whole day. I landed at 6 am
east coast time bleary-eyed and still a little cracked out on Tylenol PM, but I
was glad to get back in NC. My sister
text me to let me know they were up and ready for us with coffee and biscuits
with sausage gravy. We arrived at 7:30
am and sat down to the start of the 4th of July weekend with
family. Promptly after breakfast and a
cup of coffee I declared I needed to lie down since I was unable to sleep on
the plane despite taking the Tylenol PM.
I slept for four hours.
Usually my father’s side of the family gets together each
July for the yearly family reunion. We
missed last year’s reunion since we were moving to Portland and it’s one that I
won’t forgive myself for missing. I
could’ve hugged my aunt Kay one last time before she passed away suddenly this
past April. I knew I didn’t want to miss
this one. Normally, we hold it at the
family farm in East Tennessee, but it was decided we would do it differently
this year and would hold it in NC. My cousins
came in from Georgia and Alabama, and my aunt and uncle came in from Tennessee,
dividing themselves among my sister, dad and nephew’s homes for the
weekend. Friday night was barbecue at my
nephew’s house, which was a request I had made far in advance to acquiesce my
need for North Carolina cue’. Two
different styles of Boston butts were prepared: one on the smoker and the other
on the grill, both of which were doused in the heat-laden vinegar sauce of the
East. Two slaws were prepared, one red
and one white, as well as a side of baked beans, which I didn’t eat. After my red-eye fog had lifted, my sister
and I had made a heaping portion of Krispy Kreme bread pudding to feed the
barbecue stuffed crowd. Since living in
the barbecue barren land of the west, I only had a few days to satisfy my overwhelming need
for real barbecue.
I spent the next few days seeing as many friends and family
as possible, but there is never enough time.
The next few days flew by and before I knew it was time to head back to
Oregon. On the way back to airport I
stopped in at the Charlotte institution the BBQ King. In all the years that I lived in the area I
am embarrassed to say that I had never eaten at this long running, iconic
Charlotte establishment. BBQ King is
famous for their barbecue (hence the name) and also their fried chicken dipped
in barbecue sauce. The “King” has been
around since 1959 and not much has changed since. If you want to “eat in” the restaurant, it is
curbside only, or you can place your order inside and take it away. Choosing from the menu wasn’t terribly hard,
since I knew I needed to try to barbecue and the chicken. 
There are several typical sandwiches and
burgers on the menu, but when one eats at a place you should always go with the
namesake dish. I made eye contact with
the carhop who said he would be right over.
The carhop, an older gentleman, limped over to my rental to take my
order. I settled on the barbecue combo,
which includes barbecue and chicken.
Would you like white meat or dark meat he asked? What would do you think? He said to order the white meat, and I
dutifully took his advice. Since there
was no Cheerwine on the menu I settled on ordering lemonade. He proclaimed that I ordered an awful lot of
food to eat for such a little thing, to which I replied that he might be
surprised by how much I can eat. Are you
telling me that big things come in small packages? I laughed and said you got it. Minutes later he brought my food on a
tray. 
The first bites were some of the
best I had all trip. The chicken was
still hot and crispy, even after being dunked in sauce and the barbecue was
smoky goodness with a smattering of Western style sauce on top. Along with the protein there were two dense
little golf ball sized hushpuppies, a small container of white slaw with a
pickle on top and a hand full of French fries.
Since I hadn’t eaten breakfast and by the this time it was way past my
typical lunchtime, I devoured almost all of my barbecue along with a wing and
breast of fried chicken, both hushpuppies and half the fries and slaw. I told him he might be surprised. I washed my salty lunch down with the
lemonade, put the tray on the curbside ordering stand and backed out to head to
the airport. The carhop and I waved to
each other as I pulled out of the parking lot.
I didn’t get a chance to talk to him before I left but I think he would
have been proud.
There are several typical sandwiches and
burgers on the menu, but when one eats at a place you should always go with the
namesake dish. I made eye contact with
the carhop who said he would be right over.
The carhop, an older gentleman, limped over to my rental to take my
order. I settled on the barbecue combo,
which includes barbecue and chicken.
Would you like white meat or dark meat he asked? What would do you think? He said to order the white meat, and I
dutifully took his advice. Since there
was no Cheerwine on the menu I settled on ordering lemonade. He proclaimed that I ordered an awful lot of
food to eat for such a little thing, to which I replied that he might be
surprised by how much I can eat. Are you
telling me that big things come in small packages? I laughed and said you got it. Minutes later he brought my food on a
tray. 
The first bites were some of the
best I had all trip. The chicken was
still hot and crispy, even after being dunked in sauce and the barbecue was
smoky goodness with a smattering of Western style sauce on top. Along with the protein there were two dense
little golf ball sized hushpuppies, a small container of white slaw with a
pickle on top and a hand full of French fries.
Since I hadn’t eaten breakfast and by the this time it was way past my
typical lunchtime, I devoured almost all of my barbecue along with a wing and
breast of fried chicken, both hushpuppies and half the fries and slaw. I told him he might be surprised. I washed my salty lunch down with the
lemonade, put the tray on the curbside ordering stand and backed out to head to
the airport. The carhop and I waved to
each other as I pulled out of the parking lot.
I didn’t get a chance to talk to him before I left but I think he would
have been proud. 
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