Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.
1) Peg Leg Porker
The first time I ate at Peg Leg Porker, shortly after it opened I walked up to the counter and ordered a half rack of ribs, wet (that’s with sauce for the uninitiated and the vegans who might be reading this). The lady taking my order paused and asked, “Have you had our dry rub ribs?” I informed her that I wasn’t generally a fan of dry rub ribs–I’d had limited and subpar experiences to that point–to which she responded, “Well, you haven’t had ours.” I asked if I would get them for free if I didn’t like them, and she simply said, “Oh, you’ll like them.” And I did, that time and the dozens of racks of ribs I have consumed there since. Peg Leg Porker is my favorite BBQ joint in Nashville, a city that has many. It offers a simple menu of smoked meats and basic sides, all of which are entirely acceptable too. Their sweet tea is sweet and their beers are local. It’s near downtown, but not so near as to be over run by bachelorette parties and pedal taverns. So when you visit Nashville next, be sure to stop in and order the ribs, dry. You’ll like them.
2) A Change is Gonna Come– illustrated by Nikkolas Smith
I’ve loved Sam Cooke’s music for a long time. Cooke was a gospel singer, a crooner with soul who mostly put out love songs and sweet ballads, but his song “A Change is Gonna Come” is a protest song and an anthem of hope. He released it in 1964, the heart of Civil Rights movement, and it is rich with story, imagery, and emotion. What Nikkolas Smith, a brilliant illustrator and artist, has done is bring the song to life visually. Sam Cooke’s lyrics serve as the text, and Smith has created brilliant illustrations to pair with each phrase. Each page is a vignette of a time and a place and of heroes of the movement across the decades. It is for kids, yes, but only because adults don’t usually read books with pictures. I really just used my son as an excuse to buy this book for me. One day he’ll be old enough to understand these words and learn about the history and heroes and hope represented in these pages. Until then, I will thumb through it, soak it in, and appreciate all its detail and genius–both the lyrics and the images.
3) A Change is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke
If you don’t know, now you know. Here is the anthem.
