Wednesday, March 23, 2011.
Taking A Look. Hi-Ho.
The surgeon who will dominate my schedule Friday took a look at what he had to deal with this morning. He thought that my injured foot was still swollen enough that conditions for the operation were less and ideal. On the other hand, he thought that waiting any longer had its own problems. So we will go ahead with the surgery on Friday.
Mary Ann was hungry after the visit, and we had plenty enough time to make it back home in time for the radio show. She wanted to try the new HiHo Barbecue on Airline Highway. HiHo has been around since 1939 in Hammond. I can't remember ever going there. It's too new for review--I don't think it's been open two months yet. But what MA says goes. I sat in the car while she assembled a representative lunch for the two of us.
That was a half-dozen ribs for her, and a barbecue pork sandwich for me. I wasn't really hungry; my appetite has been much attenuated by this injury. It's a good thing I get sick once in awhile, or I'd never lose any weight.
Barbecue in the 1930s was different from barbecue now. HiHo reminded me of another Thirties place, the Pig Stands in Texas. The ribs didn't have much in the way of smoke aroma or flavor, other than what might have come from the roasting or grilling they get. The meat was tender enough, and MA liked them. But this isn't barbecue by my standards. The same could be said about the sandwich. The sauce had a meaty flavor, like a gravy. But not much in the way of spice, sweetness, or smoke.
I'm sure these people consider their long-running recipe an authentic piece of work. Perhaps even the only "real" barbecue. But every barbecue cook says that.
I've talked the editor of a new web portal called The Daily Meal into running my Food Almanac every day. I've been looking for a way to distribute that feature, which is about the only thing I do that isn't specific to New Orleans. I hope it gets a few new readers.
