Forty five baby chicks arrived at the farm. Oh! They were so cute and soft. The hatchery boxes them up for shipment almost immediately after they come out of their shells. When they arrived, John had to dip each chick’s beak into water. They didn’t like the water in their nostrils so they opened their beaks and got a taste of water. This reminded them that they needed a drink after their long ride in a box.

After the chicks were settled we drove to Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium. We ate lunch at Sticky Fingers in downtown Chattanooga. I had sliced turkey, pulled chicken, sweet potato fries and collard greens. The Aquarium was wonderful. We have visited aquariums in South Carolina, Louisiana, Florida, California and Texas. This is as good as any of them and better than most.

The next morning we waved good bye to John and Marsha and drove past the tornado area to Montgomery, where we visited long time friends Jim and Margaret. Jim grilled chicken, Margaret fixed vegetables and salad. We had a wonderful dinner and watched classic black & white movies.

Today we walked to a lake near their house. We ran up and down the dam for exercise. We had lunch at a downtown barbeque restaurant called Dreamland. This restaurant is famous for pork ribs. The best choice for me was a barbeque chicken salad. It was delicious, but it I could not help compare and contrast Texas barbeque with Eastern barbeque.

Texas barbeque is focused on beef brisket. A few restaurants will serve chicken or turkey, but beef is what Texas barbeque is all about. Eastern barbeque is focused on pork ribs and pulled pork. They may serve chicken and turkey, but our friends all say usually there is no beef.

Barbeque restaurants in Texas have three standard side orders – Cole slaw, pinto beans, and potato salad. Occasionally a restaurant will add another vegetable, but usually not. Barbeque restaurants in the East have long lists of side orders. Almost always there are cooked greens of one beneficial variety or another.

If I were going to imagine the perfect barbeque restaurants it would have the best of both worlds. It would serve beef, chicken and turkey. OK, maybe they could have pork ribs, not that I’d ever eat them, but people in the East seem to want them. I would also have a lot of side orders including sweet potatoes, okra, green beans, and cooked greens. What a BTD banquet that would be.