Kermit Goes Salmon!

ATTENTION - This post may not appeal to vegetarians

What Passes for Bike Parking at the Ocean Shores IGA

It's pretty common among cyclists to refer to operating a vehicle the wrong way (against traffic) as a "salmon." I encountered these sorts of "salmon" from time to time on my bike commute, as documented here (I explain the jargon terms here). Similarly, the only two times I've seen people on bikes "controlling" their lane in Ocean Shores, they were operating their bikes against the normal flow of traffic. Perhaps they were British and simply got confused about what country they were in. If you are reading this and don't understand why this sort of operation is dangerous, read the link and then email me if you STILL need help understanding why the notion of "jumping out of the way" simply won't work on a bike and why even "salmon" operation on a sidewalk is more dangerous than riding on a sidewalk in the same direction as the traffic in the adjacent road lane.


You CAN Carry a Pound of Brisket on a Bike and Still Operate the Brake Lever With the Same Hand


However, last weekend, Kermit discovered that "salmon" CAN be a whole different kettle of fish. What's more, we also discovered that Texas isn't the only place in the US with decent barbecue. In fact, I suspect that the barbecue in Ocean Shores might beat some of the Texas product. Better yet, it's got some varieties of barbecue I've never seen in Texas.

Unsliced Brisket, Straight from the Smoker. "Toto, I don't think we're in Texas any more!"

Friday, I happened to go past the local IGA grocery store when I smelled something familiar. The smell of barbecue smoke. As it turns out, a couple of times a year, the store brings in one of those smoker barbecue trailers. Luckily for me (this being October and all the tourists being gone), they still had brisket. After a taste test, I bought a full pound. It was GREAT. Personally, I think it matched or exceeded Angelo's, Feed Store, Railhead Smokehouse, or Cousins. The only thing it was missing was ambience, there being no benches or other eating facilities present. This didn't present a big problem since I was planning on consuming it over the weekend. Well, to make a long story a little less long, by Sunday the brisket was all gone and I resolved to go back for more. Alas, this time the brisket was all gone, as was the bbq chicken. Not really liking ribs, I discovered that the IGA folks were also smoking salmon. After a taste test, I bought a quarter pound. And that's how Kermit went salmon! I SHOULD note, however, that Kermit didn't actually have any himself since apparently frogs do not consume salmon as part of their diet. He was very polite about waiting for me to finish, however.

Why DON'T they have barbecue salmon in Texas?

Container Isn't Very Elegant, but There's Little Better than Hot Smoked Salmon Right Out of the Smoker!