J C G 3 » Commentary

Happy Holidays!

Jason G. — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:38:22 +0000

Goodbye Dillard’s

Jason G. — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:46:39 +0000

One of the best North Carolina Style BBQ restaurants in Durham closed today… this was our local go-to place for really good barbecue, even though it was a little inconvenient to get to. Dillard’s, you will be missed!

The closing got some attention… after the N&O, Herald Sun, Bull City Rising articles, apparently the lines to eat there resulted in 1+ hour waits on Thursday and Friday.

Where Cheerwine Started

Jason G. — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:15:00 +0000

When a sugar shortage at the start of World War I made it difficult for L.D. Peeler to sweeten his Salisbury, NC-based bottling company’s popular Mint Cola, Peeler began looking for a less sweet, but equally tasty, alternative. The local businessman purchased a wild cherry flavor from a St. Louis salesman and developed the formula for Cheerwine in the basement of his grocery store in 1917. Cheerwine was an instant success and was outselling Mint Cola by the early 1920s. Shortly thereafter, Peeler changed the name of his business to the Cheerwine Bottling Co. The red-colored Carolina staple was distributed locally until 1981, when it expanded into Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia. While Cheerwine’s reach continues to grow, it remains most popular in the Carolinas and parts of Virginia. This year, Cheerwine partnered with a fellow Tar Heel State company, Krispy Kreme, to offer Cheerwine-infused doughnuts in stores throughout the Carolinas.

From Mental Floss: The Stories Behind 11 Regional Soft Drinks. (Vernors Ginger Ale is also mentioned.)

And in case you were wondering, yes there is an app for that.

Tree vs. House

Jason G. — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:19:41 +0000

Yeah, the tree won. That’s my uncle’s house. Thankfully, no one was hurt…

Go Duke!

Jason G. — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:21:12 +0000

2010 NCAA Basketball National Champions… and the students celebrated with bonfires. Woohoo!

Pictures from Brad Worsham… thanks for sharing!

Happy New Year

Jason G. — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:59:22 +0000

Happy New Year to Everyone, and here’s hoping for a wonderful 2010!

As everyone seems to be wishing 2009 a good riddance, I have to say 2009 was my best year yet.

Your Tax Money at Work

Jason G. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:17:26 +0000

Here’s a nice picture of everyone in Congress playing solitaire…

From Casey’s Daily Dispatch:

Here we see House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk (standing on far right) speaking while colleagues Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford, and Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, play Solitaire as the House convenes to vote on a new budget.

Also, you’ll notice the guy sitting in front of these two to the right is on Facebook and the guy behind Hennessy is checking out the baseball scores.

Deep Fried Everything!

Jason G. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:47:37 +0000

Ahh… the North Carolina State Fair Cuisine in its highest form…

Highlights include deep fried PB&J, deep fried cheese burger, deep fried mac and cheese, and a variety of deep fried desserts such as oreos, candy bars, and pecan pie.

Your heart surgeon thanks you for your future business.

Pictures are from my friend Liz M.

Wormwood

Jason G. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:59:13 +0000

Saw this in the store, was quite surprised – Absente. “The first absinthe style drink to be sold in the US since 1912.” Apparently the US Govt finally lifted the ban on wormwood?

Milestones

Jason G. — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:34:31 +0000

Happy 12:34:56 7/8/9. It just happened.