[CH] Notes from the South

Alex Silbajoris (asilbajo@hotmail.com)
Sun, 17 Jun 2001 10:29:39 

I'm back from a week of business travel that started in Meridian 
Mississippi, where thed commissary officer told me he won't use the new 
system, and ended with Randy in downtown Atlanta.  I have learned to carry 
my own supplies when heading south, and in the course of the week I used up 
about half a bottle of red hab/apple mash to spice up the local foods.  For 
example, a pork chop biscuit sandwich breakfast from Hardee's, or some Q.

It was fun to meet Mark and thank him for sending me the video.  I never 
caught George G on this trip, but I may be back.  The Huntsville area is 
very pretty, I wish I'd had more time to see it.

I got a laugh at one of the commissaries, explaining to the staff how the 
new handheld readers can show item movement history and a peak day's 
consumptiopn.  We were scanning some big 12-packs of toilet tissue, and I 
said "Wow, you moved 26 of these in a day.  Must have been the day after the 
chili competition."

In Atlanta, Randy showed me around, beginning with a nearby roadside produce 
stand with a very impressive selection of pepper products.  (Atlanta Chile 
Pepper Company, I think)I got a bottle of his own peach/vidalia hot sauce, 
and something I'd never seen before - a bottle of clear hot sauce from 
Panola.  It seems to be more of a spiced vinegar than a sauce, but it looks 
nice with one red and one green pepper in it.  I also got chile lights and 
hats.  In fromt of the store, the owner had some peanut boilers, and in one 
he was making a hot batch.  It was funny to hear him explain how he was 
surprised to have oil floating on top of the batch, which I guess doesn't 
happen with most kinds of peppers he uses.  So we were dipping fingertips in 
the red scum ..."hmmm, great scum, nice building heat..."  Randy also gave 
me some Bottled Hell and some of his own pepper concoction - What can I say 
about this elixir?  It has a vodka base which gives it an aroma a little 
like the kind of peri-peri I make (oil, peppers and whiskey) but with some 
mysterious added flavorings.  Oh am I glad the jar didn't break in my 
suitcase on the way home!

We had a few rounds at the rotating restaurant while we watched a 
thunderstorm pass over town.  We sat at the bar level, in lounge chairs by a 
rail that moved slowly past us.  For the heck of it, I put a penny on the 
rail, and we got back to it in 36 minutes.  We had a lot of fun along 
Peachtree Street on a Friday night, including some beers at Rock Bottom 
brewing.

In the morning, I watched the jets lift out of Hartsfield.  In the 
afternoon, I rode one of those jets and looked back at that hotel window.  
Now I'm back in my own place and ready to smoke some whitefish ... hey, if 
I'll have the smoker going anyway, why not thread a skewer of jalapenos..?

- A

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