Memphis - Socializing and Predation

Coming in to Memphis, I ended up on 3rd St. on the way to checking out the location of my intended dinner destination. There was quite a wait to turn left at the stop sign off the highway exit from I-55 and I found out that it was because 3rd St. is a major location for cruising. I don't know what the proper au courant slang term for it is, but I'm referring to young people congregating for social purposes along a specific road to drive by slowly in one's freshly scrubbed vehicle; said road should also be lined with the parked cars of like-minded persons. A staple of teenage life for decades -- both urban and suburban -- it is disliked by law enforcement, and not immune to the impact of gas prices. I haven't witnessed many cruising scenes so it was interesting to watch folks lining a very industrial road to show off whips, dubs, rims, etc. in bumper-to-bumper traffic for about 0.75 miles. It seems like a broad and slightly impersonal social scene, as there didn't seem to be much interaction between strangers; I did not hear any communication between those who were mobile and those who were pedestrianating, and most of the vehicles were content to play music at volumes that precluded external conversation. I imagine that I may have seemed just a *bit* out of place in my dusty used Jeep. Yes, the music you hear in the background of the video is coming from my own car.



It turns out that my original dining selection (Interstate BBQ) is closed on Sundays so I had to go with an alternate. Central BBQ is highly rated and has won a number of awards, so it seemed like an excellent option. Getting there about 45 minutes before closing, I asked for recommendations and ended up ordering dry rub wings and a big combination plate with dry rub ribs, beef brisket, and pulled pork in order to try as many things as possible. Oh, the sacrifices I make. The fellow behind the counter was nice enough to throw in a bag of their barbecue sauce-flavored potato chips, a nice gesture as the meal was about $22. The wings were excellent, with a very crisp exterior that zinged with strong flavors (paprika? cumin?) and a juicy interior that some might consider just a tiny bit undercooked. It's worth clicking on the picture for a closer look at just how much texture is on the surface of each wing.



The ribs and brisket were frankly a bit disappointing, as both were a bit dry. Dry rub ribs have no reason to be dry on the inside so this is not cool. The flavor of the ribs was fine -- not as potent as the wings but distinct and tasty -- but it's hard to enjoy dry ribs. The brisket was a touch dry and much tougher than I would have liked. It almost seemed like the gelatin had been cooked out of the brisket, rendering the meat from tender back to tough. The pulled pork was fine but indistinct; by itself it did not bring much flavor to the table and was simply innocuous. The barbecue sauces are available at a separate self-serve bar and were outstanding. The mild sauce had the expected balance of various flavors, with a leaning toward the sweet and acidic, definitely in the treble clef. The hot sauce was not very hot, but was dominated by the broad, smoky flavor of bourbon or whiskey. It was delicious, like a smooth bassoon, and I confirmed with the dude behind the counter that it does indeed have a whiskey base. So, we have subpar meat and outstanding sauce, which to me does not equal outstanding barbecue. The brisket and pork provided blank canvasses for delivering massive quantities of sauce, but that's really not the point of eating barbecue, so I'm going to have to say that I'll look to try other places -- especially Interstate BBQ -- before returning to Central BBQ. On a largely unrelated note, it was interesting to observe that the proprietors and customers of Central BBQ were entirely Caucasian. I don't know if it is neighborhood-related but it makes me curious about how integrated Memphis is; is it a melting pot or a salad? I'm not saying that it isn't based on a meaningless single data point, but some cities are more seamlessly color-blind than others and my experiences with Memphis have been fairly homogenous. There also clearly isn't a racial component to producing superior barbecue, but I'm beginning to develop a personal bias. I would be very skeptical if Donald Trump decided to open a chain of barbecue restaurants.



To round out a disappointing night, I visited Beale Street at around 11pm. Keep in mind that this was a Sunday night, so it is not likely representative of a typical night. On approach, the flashing neon was reassuringly gaudy and music could be heard from quite a distance. Beale Street takes up a couple of blocks and is cordoned off by police so that patrons can walk about freely in the street with open alcohol containers. I started off optimistically with a large beer at the beginning of Beale, taking pictures along the way. There did not appear to be any other tourists around (or they just hid it better) and there were plenty of folks lounging outside of establishments eyeing passers-by. There really weren't that many people there in total, and the loungers slightly outnumbered the pedestrians. I was stopped 3 times in the next 30 steps by men trying to hustle me in various ways. The approaches were all initially friendly and disarming, but quickly got down to business. I got tired of feeling like a mark and put away my camera for the rest of my walk up and down Beale. There are the expected bars and restaurants, and many of the bars play the excellent live music (mostly blues) going on inside on outside-facing speakers. I walked the entire strip and then made my way home without stopping in any of the establishments. My visit as a lone Asian tourist late on a Sunday night was not particularly enjoyable, but Beale Street might be fun to do with a group on a weekend night. Did I do Beale Street justice? Did I do myself justice by leaving without checking the place out? Almost certainly no to both questions, but I'm comfortable with that. Sometimes, one is just done for the night. Plus, I wanted to be at the gates of Graceland bright and early the next morning to avoid any lines.









Miles Driven: 285 / 1305
Ratio of nights spent couch-surfing / in a motel: 4 / 3
Nights spent in a Super 8 motel: 3
Pairs of sneakers in the car for workout purposes: 1
Exercise outfits in the car for workout purposes: 3
Number of times I've exercised during the trip: 0