RoadHug

…but, no, Cricket does eat.

I mean seriously, gas? That stuff ain’t cheap and it’s going somewhere. And oil…after the 10 hour drive from Saluda to Atlanta she required 2 quarts (and, yes, it actually only takes most humans 3 hours to make that trek, but I never claimed Cricket or I were like most humans). And, then with the busted water pump last week she ate up quite a lot of coolant. And, then money…that new water pump cost a pretty penny so yeah, she ate that money up too.

Good thing I love that girl. But, as of last week, everything is all good in the world of Cricket. Her digestive organs are functioning quite well now and she has been taking me all around the Greater Atlanta area so I can fill my stomach like a proper traveling food journalist.

In the last month since I’ve hit the road I’ve had some pretty amazing foods hit my stomach and some pretty interesting thoughts hit my head as a result. And, yes…I just said month…incredible how time flies when you do nothing but travel, eat, cook, interview, write, video edit, eat again, cook some more…well, you get the point.

Here are my thoughts – well, some of them, in a list (because there is nothing I enjoy more than lists…except maybe the ellipses – I’d like to have a love affair with the ellipses):

1. When I hit the road I was thinking “authentic.” You know all those roadside truck stops, messy Mexican restaurants, great big bar burgers, sloppy barbecue…Diners, Drive-ins and Dives style…or Diners, Dives and Drive-ins…or Dives (can anyone out there ever say that name properly?!). In reality, I’m actually much more focused than that. Good news for 1) our waistlines, 2) our organs, 3) our planet and 4) our community (see, I like lists so much that I have lists INSIDE my lists).

2. Although I still like the use of authentic (or you’ll often hear me use “legit” to describe my food…as in “That grass-fed steak and baked sweet potato fries with homemade organic ketchup was legit.”) I find that my version of authentic seems at the surface very limited and you know what, that’s okay.

3. I want more people to eat real food. Actually, in a perfect world I would want everyone to eat real food. Why? Because I’m a perpetual optimist and I want each and every one of you to live long and health-filled lives. And I believe that real food is the answer (well, that and some other healthy lifestyle choices, but we’ll get into that later).

4. Other food wants? 1) I want people to cook and eat at home more – and enjoy the process. 2) I want the USDA Certified Organic labeling to go away…because I want organic to be just plain “normal.” 3) I want you and me to be closer to our food – to know where it comes from, how it was made and who is responsible. Must be nice to want, right?

If this list leaves you with more questions than answers…good. Email me at darla@roadhugusa.com and ask ‘em. Each of these points are to be expanded upon in later posts and maybe, just maybe, I’ll like your question enough to include it (although like any naughty journalist, I’ll probably take credit for it myself).

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