“We’ve set the tone for other jurisdictions to follow in creating an open and inclusive city,” Fenty said.

What an exciting way to end such an incredible year for DC!

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Time to eat too much food, drink too much wine, and fall into a coma before the sun goes down.  Sounds awesome, right?

Yes.  Yes it does. 

But today is also about giving thanks.  So be sure take a few minutes and think about all there is to be thankful for in your life.  For one, you are reading The Hay Say…that is pretty great…

I’ll send you off to the turkey table with this jewel from last year.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Safe travels.

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Kareem's Catfish, Greens, and Mac

Food Adventures: An Ongiong Series

The author shares a few things with Padma Lakshmi, two being luscious dark hair and a love of all things culinary.  Jaclyn initiated a tradition with HaySayers Doug and Kareem to expand their DC restaurant horizons beyond the current confines of convenience while maintaining a level of fiscal responsibility (we are in a recession, ladies and gentlemen).  Since the adventure is part of the experience, you’ll notice that the adventures are about the overall experience in addition to the meals we enjoy.

We are always looking for new ideas for future adventures, so if any place in the DC area really gets your taste buds in a twist, please feel free to drop that knowledge on us whenever the spirit moves you.

God often chooses to bless a broken road instead of leading you straight down an easy path to fulfillment.  Well, at least that’s what they tell you in Sunday school when things don’t go your way.  Our path to Saint’s Paradise and the meal that it gave us is one more point on the big scoreboard in the sky in favor of vacation bible school teachers everywhere.

Doug, Kareem, and I had no intention of getting soul food in the District.  We set out to go to Gladys Knight and Ron Winans’ Chicken and Waffles in Largo, Maryland.  Fortunately for us, someone decided to look up the address online to confirm exactly how to get there and after much discussion, a frantic internet search, two disconnected phone numbers and one informative phone call to a corporate office in Atlanta, we learned that the Largo location had closed for good… a week earlier.  (Mr. Winans – I am from Detroit.  Expect a strongly-worded letter.)

With a craving for fried chicken and nowhere to go, our trusted friend Kareem suggested we try Saint’s Paradise in Shaw.  It was billed as “a cafeteria-style soul food restaurant in the basement of a church.”  A cafeteria?  In a church?  What is this, 1955 in Milwaukee?  It would suffice to say I was curious.

Hungover on a Sunday morning, the three of us somehow held it together long enough to get there and our efforts were not in vain.  Walking by groups of people in their Sunday best holding takeout containers, things looked promising.  We made our way to the basement of the United House of Prayer and found a room full of long tables and one huge, winding line.  As we took our place at the back of the line, we instantly felt a small pang of guilt as we realized that we were the only group of people eating lunch who had not attended church before this meal.   Men wore suits that match from head to toe (socks and glasses included) and women sported hats with coordinating high heels and handbags.  Standing with them in line, my fellow HaySayers and I shuffled a big in our jeans and sneakers.  Like the Redskins say, next Sunday.

If you choose to make this your own personal food adventure, one thing you must prepare for is the wait.  We waited… and waited… and waited for what felt like a decade but was realistically about 45 minutes.  The small child behind me squirmed and fussed the whole time, but I didn’t mind because I shared his pain.  Fortunately for us, we had an Oktoberfest party to rehash from the night before, so we could occupy ourselves for most of it.

When we finally got to the front of the line and saw the chafing dishes full of fried and buttered goodness being spooned out by kind-faced women in aprons, I knew that God was shining down on us yet again.  I got my soul-food gold standards of fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni & cheese, and cornbread.  While it was not cheap, the portions are far more than a lady should eat in one sitting, so you get more than your money’s worth.  The fried chicken was slightly greasy, but when I got it, my drumstick was piping hot, crispy, and tender.  My sides held their own, the macaroni and cheese incredibly rich and melt-in-your-mouth gooey, the cornbread sweet and moist.  It might have been Jiffy mix, but I didn’t care at that point. I am a huge fan of greens and these weren’t necessarily my favorite (slightly on the salty side) but the chicken certainly made up for things this meal lacked in other areas.  I stole a bite of the sweet potato pie that Kareem ordered for dessert, which was decent.  I prefer mine a bit sweeter, but it was still worth ordering if you need a pie fix.

After all was said and done, we walked back out into the beautiful Sunday sunshine with full bellies and smiling faces, reveling in the meal with which God rewarded us for our patience and perseverance.

Next time, I promise I’ll go to church first.

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After a few week hiatus, The Hay Say is back, and better than ever!

I apologize for the lack of posts, but I wanted a little break.

I have some very exciting news, The Hay Say will now have a new contributor, Jaclyn! Jaclyn will begin a brand new series, capturing our Food Adventures around the city.  She comes to us with a full mouth and sassy style, which is impossible not to enjoy. Jaclyn’s first post, on Saint’s Paradise, will be featured tomorrow.

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Pumpkin Patch at Butler's Orchard

It is beginning to look a lot like fall.  You can hear the screams at the football on TV, smell the leaves a changing (well, not really in the city, but we can pretend), and feel the cool, recently cold, breeze flowing through the air.  This is my favorite time of the year.  Time to get outside, and enjoy the October festivities.

Recently I joined Kareem, G and Spud for a trip up to Maryland, and out into the country.  We knew we wanted apples, and maybe pumpkins, so Butler’s Orchard was the perfect choice.  The website said they had an October Festival.  And I mean, what could be cooler!?  Well, turns out a lot.  The ‘festival’ was definitely not for the 20 somthings crowd, and honestly, didn’t look like the kids were even having much fun…

So we ended up bypassing the festival and headed straight to the orchards.  Since apple season is pretty much over, it took some real hunting to find the good apples.  But we did, as well as the raspberry patch, and of course some pumpkins.  I purchased a huge 17 pounder.

Next step, crave the round thing!  Should I go evil or goofy?

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Running the Baltimore Marathon

Seeing the first marathon blanket somewhere around mile 25 was the first time I knew for sure that I would finish the race. It had been a long, painful journey up to that point. Walking to the start Saturday morning, I couldn’t help but think back on all the work it took to get this far. All of the sacrifices I made and hours spent on the road, came down to that day, that morning. As I joined the thousands at the line, the excitement, anxiety, and nerves filled the air.

The gun went off, the crowd began to yell, and it all began.  The first few miles blew by.  I kept thinking to myself, “I sure hope the whole thing is this easy!”  Then, somewhere around mile 4, when everyone started feeling out their rhythms, Cheer Team Hay (CTH – comprised of Sister, Mother, Spud and Fam + a few others…that’s right, I had the biggest cheering section in the marathon) made their first appearance. They were loud, with 8, yes 8 cowbells, and signs to boot. The racers fed off their enthusiasm, and I quickly realized I might be the luckiest runner out there.

Things went pretty smoothly for the first half marathon. I quickly found my rhythm and cruised along without trouble. I crossed the half way point a few minutes under 2:00 feeling great. When I passed CTH around mile 14 I remember Sister saying, “you look great!” and I replied “I feel great!” Because I did…for about another 3 miles.

Miles 16-20 were uphill. I don’t know who the hell designed this course, but they clearly never ran it. The hills caused me to lose stride, slowing me way down. By the time I reached the top of the climb, I had hit the wall, with little left to recover. Mile 20-21 might have been the longest. It circled a lake, so I could see the other end. With every step, the end grew increasingly far way.

By this time the half marathoners had thinned out the marathoners, making it feel more and more lonely. As they zoomed by with fresh legs, the only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that they may cross the finish line first, but I will have run twice as far.

A buddy from college told me the other day, “Remember, the last 6 is what you trained for.” He was totally right. The first 20 was tough, but NOTHING compared to the end. The fun was over, the excitement gone, and for miles 20-25, every stride was a challenge.

Then finally, the first sighting. That sighting of the first marathon blanket was more brilliant than any view of the inner harbor. It brought hope, energy, and drive back into my step. I could finally taste the finish, and it tasted sweet.

The last mile grew louder, as the spectators grew in numbers. Running through the gates of Camden Yards, it felt like I was flying, with the clank of the cowbells from CTH carrying me the last few tenths of a mile.

As I crossed the line, emotion took the best of me. The pain, exhaustion, excitement, accomplishment, and relief came pouring out in the form of dry tears. A feeling I never want to forget.

I’m proud to report, I accomplished both my goals for the weekend!

Well, tomorrow is the big day!  20 weeks of work comes to a climax starting around 8:00 am. I think I’m as ready as I can be.  My head is right, my body is right, as long as my knee stays strong, my legs will be right.

I have two major goals for the day.

1) Finish.  Preferably around 4:00, but I’ll take any finish.

2) Not get on YouTube for a finish like this:

Wish me luck!
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2009 Baltimore Marathon Course

131 Days, over 500 miles, and a pair of shoes have led me to this point.  I’m finally just 10 days away from running the Baltimore Marathon.  Just 19 weeks ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

This has been one of the most painful, challenging, and time consuming journeys I’ve ever been on.  I have given up soda, avoided junk food, and in these last weeks even put down the bottle.  Icing has become a regular part of my evening, and blisters no longer seem to gross me out.   But it has been so worth it.

A few days ago I was talking to an old college buddy who ran a marathon last year.  He told me, “Congratulations.  You have done it!”  And I think he is right.  10 days from now I’ll run the race.  God willing, I’ll finish without any worse than usual issues, and it will be awesome.  But that will be just about 4 hours of this trip.  The countless hours, the self motivation, early mornings, painful knees, and maybe even a few tears, is really what this was all about.  I set out to do something.  A kind of commitment I have rarely had in my life, and now I’ve completed the worst of it.  It might not be over until I cross the finish line, but the works is done.

Last night I went out for a quick 6 miler.  I was thinking about how many times I’ve run down that hill, and past those apartment buildings.  All of a sudden a biker on the sidewalk comes flying by.  I mumble my usual response to bikers, “It’s called ‘Share the Road’, not ‘Share the sidewalk,’” he turns to look, and we both keep going.  That got me thinking, “wow, I can’t believe nothing serious has happened to me.  I really hope I don’t get hurt by something dumb in the last few days of training.”  Seriously, not 15 seconds after that thought passes, I find myself laying face first right smack dab in the middle of 11th and U st.  I look up to see people jumping from their seats  in the outside seating area of Solly’s and a man running from the sidewalk to help me.

I got up with nothing more than a few scratches, my “10 days” bubble burst, and a red face, but left thinking that it could have been a lot worse and at least 20 or so people had something to laugh about!

10 days until race day.  The work is over, but the stories have just begun.

Weather looks perfect

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Fresh from the smoker

Quest for the Perfect Pig is a series on the HaySayers quest to find the best regional BBQ. Be sure to check out reviews of Rib Pit, Rocklands,  Mr. B’s and Urban BBQ.

After spending what seemed like 4 hrs in a car trying to get down 395, we made it to Woodbridge, VA home of Dixie Bones Bbq. From the moment you pull into the parking lot you can smell the aroma of slowly smoking meat in the air; a scent that will never get old to yours truly!  At the point of arrival, I was using every bit of Christianity I could muster to stay somewhat upbeat and not go crazy from not having eaten anything for the previous 19hrs.  My greatest fear was that the place was going to be crowed and another long wait would happen, but to my surprise, there was available seating even though there was quite a crowd who decided to feast on slow cooked meat on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

After being seated we were handed a simple menu with one side listing food options and the other describing what this place is about.  The one point that stuck with me was the fact that while their sauce was vinegar based this was not NC style bbq…the owners are from Alabama and their food is better (according to the menu that is).  With that being said, I flipped the menu to find some food.  There was all the standard food you would expect from a bbq place so it was a matter of pairing in a way that would bring maximum pleasure to my mouth.  I opted for a BBQ pork plate that came with collard green, macaroni and cheese and a piece of cornbread.  Surprisingly the food came out faster than I could spell Mississippi mudslide forward and backwards.

My goodness, this food was very very good, the meat was incredibly moist and you could certainly tell that it was smoked using hickory (my wood of choice). I used their home made sauce on the pork and it certainly went well on the pork. The sauce was of course vinegar based and I can’t complain about it since I was starving at this point.  However, I will say that I am certainly a bigger fan of tomato base sauces.  The greens were really good, reminded me of something my father would make, this was yet another dish that used vinegar to flavor the food. While everyone in my family will put vinegar on their greens, I do not like it much. It isn’t horrible, but I prefer to let the flavor of meat broth do the talking, not some acidic liquid.  This however, was a small thing once I had the pleasure of tasting the mac and cheese, I don’t know what more I can say about it other than it was the best restaurant mac and cheese I’ve had in recent memory, very good.

I can’t help but to think that I will be going to this place again, there were many more things that need trying such as the brisket, sausage, ribs, and catfish…which means I’ll be spending a lot of time in traffic on 395…I’m sure it will be worth it. Dixie Bones is a fine, fine institution of eating.

Flavorfuly Yours,

Kareem

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