Reid Morton

Mr. Weinstein

English 101

6 September 2007

Aint’ Nothin Like Em Nowhere

A pungent aroma of smoked meat captures the nostrils. Skilled waitresses weave their way throughout a bustling restaurant. The customers that occupy a relatively small dining room are not plagued with obstacles like most customers of a restaurant. There is no indecision or tedious choices for all that sit know what is going to be served, Dreamland Ribs. Like most individuals that grow up with the heritage of The University of Alabama as a staple to their lives, I always associated the colors of crimson and white with Dreamland Ribs. I am a second generation member of the Alabama faithful and the legacy of the sweet, smoked, perfection was passed to me from my father. I can remember the first time I ever stepped foot into the infamous establishment of fine barbecue. The menu was simple ribs and white bread with the hardest of all choices being how much and what drink. The first dreamland restaurant was built in 1958 and has been a site of a casual, warm, dining for a spectrum of all types of people whether you are a common resident, a person just passing through, or a person seeking that delectable meat only found there.

Beyond the fact that Dreamland ribs are by far my favorite food, the barbecue is intertwined throughout my childhood. I can still remember the first whiff of the sharp smell walking through the old doors. I still have the memory of being somewhat disoriented while trying to search for a menu to choose what I wanted before my dad calmly explained that there really is not much of a choice; the only decision is how many slabs to get. If there was a choice in the matter of what restaurant to dine in I would always elect for Dreamland. Every birthday that I can remember was spent over the table of this historical establishment. I was grown up as a huge University of Alabama fan and the fact that the ribs almost parallel Alabama football also always appealed to me. Every game that was called would be sponsored in someway by Dreamland and every Alabama legend would almost certainly endorse the southern cooking. The fact that icons like Kenny Stabler, Joe Namath, or Shaun Alexander would openly eat and advertise the legendary restaurant and that was more than enough evidence for me to partake in the experience. Although the heritage Dreamland has is consistent with my childhood the reason I parallel this food is for what the rib itself stands for.

A dreamland rib is slowly cooked on a brick grill with the utmost care and attention to detail that was passed down from “Big Daddy” Bishop himself. It is smothered in a special sauce engineered for perfection by Bishop. Every rib is consistent with this recipe and that consistent is reflected in the town’s heritage. The origin of a rib is also relevant to the importance of it; it comes from the core of the pig. The meat is taken from the very nucleus of the animal which makes it superior that some of the other parts used in a meal. A dreamland rib consists of three basic parts: the central bone, the slow cooked meat itself, and the sauce. All three of these things represent three attributes that I believe I portray. The sauce represents my interests; my interest in cars, music, sports. I would not be complete or nearly as interesting without my passions just like the ribs themselves would not be as delicious without their famous sauce. The meat represents me as a person, my personality, and the attributes that make up my persona. My respect for the friendships I have, the outgoing nature I have, and in-depth mindset on life. These things make the person just like the meat is the food itself without these things I would not be who I am just like the rib. Last is the bone, this represents my strong central morals I have: loyalty I have towards my family and friends, my dedication to do something I say I will do, and my honesty to not deceive or lie to people who depend on my word. A person’s personality and even hobbies revolve, and surround this central backbone of morals. If the central morals are strong then so will the personality traits and the activities that person engages in, and vice versa for weak morals.

When beginning this essay I recalled something my grandfather used to tell me when attending dreamland. When eating the ribs my grandfather noticed that I did not eat the meat that was closest to the bone and explained to me that the meat is tender closer to the bone thus making that the most desirable part. I found this to be quite interesting because that in fact was the essence of a person and mirrors the relationship between my morals and the personality. My strongest qualities as a person seem to be more closely related to the morals I preserve. An example of the relationship is my friendships are strengthened through the loyalty I present. Behind every strong friendship must be a strong sense of trustworthiness that if absent would damage the relationship. Another instance would be the fact that I am outgoing enhancing the fact that I am honest. Because I am outgoing nature they are more likely to see my honesty.

The make up of a rib directly reflects me as a person. The three parts: the sauce, meat, and the bone portray the structure of my morals, qualities, and interests. The meat coincides with my qualities and attributes, the sauce is my interests and without them I would not be who I am, and the bone most importantly provides structure for my life and sets a base for the decisions I make now and will make in the future. Beyond the food itself how it was made and the atmosphere and heritage it has is consistent with my life and my heritage. The Dreamland rib is rich with the Alabama culture and the make up of the food itself directly parallels to me as a person.