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I don't think the almighty waffle is necessarily a sweet food. I make cornmeal waffles to go with chili.

This looks tasty and delicious to me, and I am excited to read more about the slightly alarming koolickle.

My favorite barbecue joint near here gives out these little white buns in baggies with every order. I have never eaten one; they accumulate in cupboards, and they do not rot. Instead they ossify. My boyfriend and I call them Foul Bun. I have a few that are several years old.

I only drink mixed drinks at home, never at bars, because all those mixes are pretty horrendous. Bloody Marys that taste of corn syrup and aluminum...mojitos that taste like soda pop...$15 if you want a margarita made with decent tequila...why bother when vastly superior versions are easily achieved at home? Bars were made for beer. My kitchen was made for mixed drinks.

But to answer your actual question, I think many drinkers start out with things like Boone's Farm and sour mix and chocolate martinis because alcohol is an acquired taste. I know my 19-year-old palate wasn't prepared to appreciate a martini, but my 29-year-old palate most certainly is. As you begin to like the way actual alcohols taste, you begin to want to actually taste them.

So my theory is that the people buying these mixes don't actually really like alcohol, since these sugary, chemical-flavored mixers are meant to cover rather than enhance the taste of alcohol. These people want the effects of alcohol without the flavor.

Also, yeah, Mia Rose is right: Williams Sonoma is like the Sharper Image of cooking.

...with his Birkenstocks. (Excuse the drama; accidentally hit "Enter".)

Don't feel bad about missing Little Pigs; it's nothing special. The pig isn't smoked, and the sides are okay but not transcendent. I go there from time to time, but I wouldn't make a pilgrimage out of it. I haven't tried Palmetto Pig but now plan to do so.

Anyway, great post and great pictures. But just backing up the Cod here: as a Columbia, SC resident I can testify that racist secessionists generally pose a threat only to one's hope for humankind, not to one's person, especially if one is white. Maurice's is to be avoided on principle, not out of fakey oh-noes-I-hear-banjo-music fear.

Also, there are no potatoes in the kind of hash that's served with Southern barbecue. It's heavy on the "stuff" you mention -- liver, brains, etc.

Thanks for the post!

Ah, Schlitz. I actually really adore Schlitz -- it's by far the best of the budget Wisconsin beers, with odd sour cream notes and a clean, bright finish. But so far it hasn't managed to replace sunlight in my own personal War Against Rickets. Maybe I need to drink even more of it.

Me too!

Another view, courtesy of Vinography: Food and Wine Pairing Is Just A Big Scam. It's worth a read, if only to remind yourself that this isn't a science.

But what do I know? $20 is quite a bit more than I ever spend on a bottle of wine. I find the boxed shiraz/cab blend from Target pairs very nicely with everything from shrimp & grits to lamb chili. A cold can of Schlitz has also been known to enhance many a bowl of homemade tom yum gai.