Hudson and Cheeseburgers

“It’s just the kind of flavor that is amazing.”

-Hudson {When discussing the flavor of a bacon cheeseburger.}

In the middle of Lexington, North Carolina sits Lexington Barbecue #1 with, by popular opinion, the best vinegar barbecue in the state. While the menu has everything you would expect out of a BBQ joint, you just need two things: their pulled pork and blood coleslaw.

And Hudson ordered a cheeseburger. Just like he does every time we eat out. A plain cheeseburger with bacon and lettuce. But here in the heart of Pulled Pork Land, my mother couldn't have her son eating a preformed, individually packaged slab of what might not be meat. It’s not Lexington Barbecue #1’s fault, they just have much more important things to worry about like getting the right vinegar to meat drippings ratio in the coleslaw.

We drove three hours to the restaurant and we were supposed to meet my cousins, but when we failed to account for afternoon traffic going through Charlotte, NC, we ended up arriving in Lexington thirty minutes before closing time which is nine o’clock. This didn't seem to be a problem because the restaurant was still full of baseball teams and other large groups of people each talking over each other.

We didn't really pick up the menus, we were hungry and would eat whatever the nice waitress who looked like my grandmother put in front of us, preferably meat. My mom and I ordered, and then the waitress turned to Hudson where he ordered his usual. My mother must have regained semi-consciousness at this point because after the waitress left, she explained to Hud that when we are in a burger joint, we eat burgers, when we are at a seafood place, we eat fish. My mother is very passionate about ordering what a restaurant is good at. Hudson got all teary and said he just felt like an idiot.

Same thing happened to me. I always tried to order chicken salad at places that shouldn't be making chicken salad (Chick-fil-a was oddly disappointing in that department). But after a while I got over my little obsession of mayonnaisey-chicken mounded together, and moved on to more important things, like appreciating really good barbecue. And I know that Hudson is still in this little obsession, and maybe it was the tear or the long hours in traffic, but all this kid wanted was a cheeseburger with lettuce and bacon and who are we to tell him no?