OK, Who Puked on my Plate?

Well if this was vomit, it was actually very nice to eat. It was my very first Mexican food even if it looked ghastly. Given guidance by my female companions as to what I might actually like, this chicken based dish (pollo, if I recall correct) went down a treat. My very white British palate coped admirably. Thanks to Chapala Mexican off Weaver Boulevard for a satisfying intro to different cuisine of a very different country for me.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Weaverville High Street at Dusk

This is how I remember Weaverville best of all. The front porch of Blue Mountain Pizza. I loved sitting on front porches of different places and homes in the evening. Not a culture we've got a Britain. Though I guess the climate's to blame!

Quietening of the evening. Light still hanging on in the blue-silver night. A peaceful moment and a vibe to cherish.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Live Music at Blue Mountain Pizza

This was where we joined the live music at Blue Mountain Pizza in Weaverville itself. Wonderful vibe. Good evening. Warm spring air on the front porch. Delicious HUGE pizza, and some appropriate music to accompany a beer. Very nice one indeed. Probably my best memory itself of Weaverville.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Jack of the Wood, Asheville

Some Downtown Asheville. And about time too. Several hours later after a drive back to Asheville and a Cherokee Circle, it was time for Jack of the Wood on Patton Ave.This was my favourite pub, and about as close as I had to a regular while Stateside. Brilliant pub, often live music, themed on a romanticised US perception of celtic culture, but very homely for it. Good ale too. Bumped into a few folk here who had been walking the Appalachian Way. Good vibes, good memories.

While writing this I just had the realisation that an additional 'f' in "Jack of the Wood" substantially alters its meaning. Ooer.

The pub's website is here.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Imported from England

Says it all! After respective climbing and belaying duties on Looking Glass Rock, it was time to responsibly enjoy some ale in the sun and wilderness. Newcastle Brown Ale, incase you're wondering.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Welcome to the House of Waffle

I've never flown for more than about one hour before. So having flown five hours west, I was five hours behind my body clock. Cue midnight munchies.

At 2am my body says "it's 7am, time to wake, get some breakfast". Hmmmn. I couldn't settle, so we ended up heading out to a Waffle House. Again I'd never heard of these before, but came to see them everywhere.

So here is my first American Breakfast. Omlette, toast and hash browns. Yes, if you're English those ARE hash browns on the left. If you're American, English hash browns are like the ones in McDonalds. Hang on. Isn't McDonalds an American export? Anyway, that was something of a cultural shock. Very nice though. For a hungry tummy at 2am, it did the job admirably.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

I wanted an iconic American dish!

Well, my first meal in the US had to be something typically American, something iconic. So, here it is - a burger and fries (NOT chips - that's another matter!). Yes, it was an awesome burger, courtesy of 'Cracker Barrell'.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

I am English. Tea should be hot!

Now, new country, new ways. When in Rome etc etc. So I'd asked to sample some typical American dishes and drinks, and was told that this was a good ol' Southern Drink. Sweet tea. Cold. Sugary, and stacks of ice. Well, I tried, you know. A couple sips was enough for me to recoil in horror and realise that being English (well, yes, personal taste too) had conditioned me to feel that tea should be hot, usually with milk, and drank from ceramic cups / mugs.

This was at a 'Cracker Barrell'. I'd never heard of it, but was told it was an American institution of sorts. Taken in South Carolina, and if I recall correctly there was a huge apple or pear nearby unintentionally (or maybe not) resembling a gargantuan naked ass (or arse, if you're English).

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.