The Quest for the Perfect Pig: Urban BBQ – By Kareem

Pulled Pork

Quest for the Perfect Pig is a series on local BBQ.  Be sure to check out reviews of Rib Pit, Rocklands and Mr. B’s.

Our hunt for BBQ takes us to the Urban Bar-B-Que Company in Bethesda.  I certainly didn’t expect to find anything special in Bethesda but I was pleasantly surprised.

I’ve been eating enough BBQ lately to have a general idea of what I want when I get to these places. So like usual, I ordered a BBQ beef brisket sandwich with a side of mac and cheese. Doug ordered pulled pork with fries and cole slaw. I must say that this place was so far the best of all the places I’ve been. For your meat you had two sauce choices, red sauce and yellow sauce. Me being the not so exciting person I am went for the red (which is your regular brown) sauce. The meat was very very very tender and smoked to a smoky goodness. The bun that it came on could have been a little better (if I recall, it was a hamburger like bun) but it wasn’t bad. The mac and cheese seemed like it was basic velveeta mix but they compensated for it by sprinkling freshly shredded cheddar on top…I found that to be a very nice touch and it tasted good to me.

No BBQ trip would be complete without having a few ribs so that’s exactly what we did! We ordered a full rack of ribs and layed them on the table to stare in awe. They were were a long brown smoked smelling sight to behold. I’m pretty sure they use a dry rub on the meat and I for one will not complain. It made for a tender and tasty party in my oral cavity.  I think most of you would approve of such an event! Unfortunately all good thing must come to an end and this BBQ outing was no exception, by the time we left, there was very little to show for all the food we ordered but sauce drippings and a tiny bit of food that we brought with us to enjoy later. I think everyone should experience the food served at Urban BBQ, I for one will be back!

Flavorfly Yours,

Kareem

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Reflections on Guatemala

Lago Atitlan

I’m not going to write some sad post about the state of Guatemala.  I’m not going to talk about poverty, hardship, or corruption.  I’m not going to write about that because frankly, Guatemala deserves better.  Well, that and The Haysayers didn’t wander too far from the tourist bubble.

Street Scene in La Antigua Guatemala

Instead, I’m going to write about how our trip was pretty awesome.  We did as much as we could, with the short time we had.  We hiked Volcan Pacaya, shopped the markets, wandered through towns, napped, ate, swam in Lago Atitlan, and toured the coffee farm, Finca Filidelfia.  We met people on the street, tried to get to know some of our vendors, drank our fair share of Gallo and coffee, and talked government with a bar tender.

View from Casa Elena in San Pedra La Laguna

Starting in the historic former capital of Antigua, and continuing over to the hillside villages of Lago Atitlan, allowed for the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation.

The small towns around Lago Atitlan offered hammocks, incredible views, cheap food and leisure.  As we boarded a small boat to cross the lake from Panajachel to San Pedro, I couldn’t help but feel blown away by the three towering volcanoes casting their shadows on the clear water.  It was so easy to just sit around the lake and take it all in.

Arco Santa Catarina

Antigua offered wonderful architecture, lining the cobblestone streets.  The town was obviously home to many tourists, and everything comes with them.  There was no shortage of traditionally dressed women hawking their colorful tapestries and jewelry, or Spanish/English menus in the downtown restaurants.  But it was easy to see more than just that side of the city, as it had so much to offer.  We would sit for hours at a time around the Parque Central, watching the children run around in their school uniforms, or the men shinning shoes.

Volcan Pacaya

It was from Antigua that we headed to one of the surrounding volcanoes for a climb.  The reason everyone chooses Volcan Pacaya, is certainly not easy access or the just mediocre views, but the scene at sunset from the top.  The volcano is very active, offering hikers the opportunity to get a close as they want to the rivers of lava.  At one point I could see the lava flowing beneath my feet.  Needless to say, the bottoms of my shoes will never be the same.

But this trip left me hanging.  Not that I didn’t get what I wanted to out of the trip, because I most certainly did, but it left me longing for so much more.  It made me realize how much I ignore all of the adventure in my every day life.  How I get stuck in this work, go out, do the same thing nearly every week routine.  There is so much more to see in this world.  There are so many more people left for me to meet.  I can say that I’ve been to 15 countries, but how much did I really see in those countries?  I could live in Guatemala for years and still not know what the country is all about.  Reality is, Columbia Heights offers so much more than I realize.  The adventures should start there.

Walkway around Parque Central, La Antigua

Parrilla in Panajachel

Bananas on the boat

Cerro de la Cruz, La Antigua

Los Haysayers Van a Guatemala

Tomorrow morning marks the day when the Haysayers break from DC to explore the world…or Guatemala anyway.  We will be setting off on a short, but delightful trip through the western part of the country.  We have lots of ideas, but very few set plans, so this trip is bound to be an adventure.

I will try to make an update or two about the trip while abroad, but I’m sure you will be able to catch all of the best stories upon our return.  If nothing else, you can follow an update or two on the Twitter feed.

Wish us luck!

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26.2

The Goal. The Plan.

26.2 – A number that means so much for so many.  For me right now, it means, “crap, what did I just do.”

Tonight Roommate and I registered for the Baltimore Marathon.  We are now setting out on a 20 week adventure leading to the finish line.  As I thought about this idea today, I couldn’t help but think what that 20 weeks meant.  Since graduating from college, accepting a job, and moving to DC, I have had little-to-no real goals to work towards.  Sure, I dream of the perfect job, more money, and one day going back to school, but I have no real concrete goal or  plan of action.  26.2, that is a goal.  20 weeks of training, that is the plan.

I’ll keep everyone updated on the progress.

Mesmerized by the Ellen Dance

Well, I made fun of everyone freaking out about the flu…so of course, I got sick.  Sunday afternoon I started feeling a little rough, and soon after things got a more than a little messy.  By midnight, and trip number 5 to the bathroom, I began to freak out.  It went from, “oh that pasta I made earlier must have been bad” to “Oh my God, I actually do have that damn H1N1 flu.  I’m good as dead!”

After a night of little sleep, some wild dreams, and hours of painful moaning, I called in sick.    The rest of the day my mind drifted from sleep to daytime TV, and boy was it awesome.  My TV enjoyment began with The Price is Right.  It has been years since I sat through an hour of The Price, so I was pleasantly surprised that Drew didn’t kill the show.  In fact, I would say he made it all the greater!  I don’t know if it was his dashing good looks, witty charm, or just the fact that it was Drew, it was great.  In his own way, he successfully made fun of himself, the contestants, and the show, all while making everyone have a good time.

Following another two hour slumber, I woke up to a little Ellen. Immediately I was mesmerized by the crazy.  In my flu hallucinogenic state, I could help but sway my head along with her moves.  Every word made me laugh, every guest made me cry.  This was my first full hour of Ellen, I have to shamefully admit, it felt like a cold brew on a warm day.  A nice refresher to a day of vom.  I don’t know who saw Ellen and thought, “I bet people would love to watch this middle aged woman dance around,” but I hope they got a raise.

As rough as it was, I made it back to work today.  This evening, as I sit here doing my post-flu-better-wash-everything laundry, reflecting on yesterday’s daze, and longing for more DrEllen.  If only tomorrow would bring more “come on downs,”  or just maybe one last shuffle through the crowd.  If only…