On the Road with Gravy and Greens

You know how everybody has their own road trip peculiarities? I once dated a guy who insisted that all road trip food be fast food because he never ate it in his real life. I know a girl who says a road trip isn't complete without listening to John Mayer's Heavier Things. I have a friend who requires a book on tape to listen to; music doesn't do it for her.

I have one friend who has a circumstantial road trip rule. If he's driving north, he insists on eating Southern before leaving. He's originally from Surry County and it's like he's afraid his southern soul will perish north of the Mason-Dixon line without proper fortification.

Today he was leaving from Williamsburg for Cambridge, Massachusetts and he wanted to meet for lunch here. So all I had to do was think of a place likely to give him a bit of his southern fix before hitting Route 301. And although I'd never been in Becky's at First and Cary, from what I'd heard, it sounded like it would do just fine.

The look was right: long and narrow, booths on one side and tables on the other and with old wooden swinging doors leading into the kitchen. They had a daily specials menu that ran from pork chops and meatloaf on Mondays to fried chicken and (of course) fried fish on Fridays. My friend very quickly decided on the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, with a side of collard greens being the key component.

Fear of gravy-envy compelled me to order the hot turkey breast sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. And thank god for the gravy because otherwise that white turkey on white bread with white potatoes on a white plate would have been a bit monochromatic. As it was, it was awfully tonal, but tasty enough.

And in an effort to send him north with a final southern sweet, we had an enormous slice of the three-layer Red Velvet cake. I know, I know, it's really just yellow cake with red food coloring but the thick layer of frosting was to die for.

We'd successfully met his road trip requirement. Hopefully that will be enough to sustain his Surry County-boy soul until he returns to the land of pig and greens.