Politics and Barbecue in North Carolina

Once a month I will be posting a piece on barbecue happenings in print/media/music. It is my thought that barbecue has a profound impact on the everyday lives of Americans. This is just a theory, but perhaps my monthly updates will shed further light on this less than commonly held belief. For our first installment we turn to politics.

In 1992, Governor Rick Perry tasted a bit of Eastern North Carolina barbecue which was shipped to a convention in Houston. After a few bites, he remarked that it tasted worse than road kill. I fully understand that Eastern North Carolina barbecue tastes quite different from the traditional stuff in Texas. I could even foresee a newby to the whole hog concept finding the sauce to be too bitter and swine in general to be a less desirable meat compared to beef (for the record, I completely disagree). However, to declare that the barbecue tastes worse than roadkill is bold, uninformed, and over exaggerated. Governor Perry should have thought long and hard before he uttered those foolish words.

Anyways, almost 20 years later as Rick Perry campaigned for votes in North Carolina to become the Republican presidential candidate, his words came back to haunt him. A newspaper story was published, and it revealed that North Carolinians, most of whom are very prideful about their state and heritage, were still disgusted by the Governor's comments. The story even made it to the LA Times on the West Coast. Governor Perry dropped out of the race before the North Carolina primaries, but it is my guess that his decades old comment would have still negatively impacted his chances of winning the state's primary. Below the picture of Governor Perry is the link to the LA Times article.

Governor Rick Perry Enjoying Some Barbecue

LA Times Article- Pork Chopped: Rick Perry Takes heat for barbecue Blast

Now it is your turn to chime in. Does barbecue have a tremendous impact on our everyday lives? Does it significantly impact politics and who people decide to vote for?

I hear First Lady Michelle Obama has also made a misinformed comment to the press. Apparently she stated that she was appreciative for her visit to North Carolina because, among other things, the barbecue was great. However, residents belief she was stretching the truth due to the fact that she only visited Charlotte. Apparently, most North Carolinians agree that Charlotte is the worst city in the state for barbecue. Funny, is it not?

Brisket vs. Whole Hog: Which is Tastier?

Another Rick Perry Gaffe