90.9 WBUR - Boston's NPR news station
Top Stories:
Listen News Programs Schedule
PLEDGE NOW
Friday, August 31, 2012

Literature, Music And Barbecue: Getting To Know N.C.

Patrons leave Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro, N.C. in 2008. Wilber's uses vinegar-based BBQ sauce for an eastern North Carolina flavor. (AP/Jim R.Bounds)

Patrons leave Wilber’s Barbecue in Goldsboro, N.C. in 2008. Wilber’s uses vinegar-based BBQ sauce for an eastern North Carolina flavor. (AP/Jim R.Bounds)

Ron Rash has written several books set in North Carolina and his roots are deep there: his family has lived in the state since the late 1700′s. He tells us that it’s not one state, but several, there are geographical, cultural and political differences across the state.

Ron tells Here and Now’s Sacha Pfeifer that that North Carolinians take three things very seriously “literature, music, and barbecue, that’s the sacred triangle there.”

“I was actually telling somebody, I felt safe talking about politics and art, but talking about barbecue is scary,” says Rash.

Guest:

Other stories from Friday's show

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

  • ronlee

    Why do pigs on so many bbq joint signs seem to have big smiles?Â
    I stopped eating meat ~3 years ago (and don’t miss it).
    Now I use my bbq for veggie burgers and Quorn chickn patties (and occasionally fish, but we’re eating less fish these days as well).Â
    Personally, I wish people ate far less meat – or we learned how to let these animals live a free range, long life before ending their lives.

  • Rievler

    Greatly enjoyed Rash’s commentary until he incorrectly identified the “proper” pronunciation of Appalachia.  Short a, not long a. Only New Englanders and possibly geologists use the effete long a pronunciation. We who live here in the cultural hillbilly hearth say it Appal-latch-uh, not Appal-lay-shia

  • Ronrash

    To all Ap pa latch ans and others. I was so nervous doing my interview that I said the opposite of what I meant as far as the pronunciation. Ap pa LAY chin is often used  by folks outside western North Carolina, but Ap pa LATCH in is used by natives. Ron Rash

With Sponsorship from:
Accelerating the pace of engineering and science
Popular Stories
  1. Longtime Everest Climber Calls Mountain A ‘Powder Keg’
  2. Algorithm Finds Top Programmers, No Resume Required
  3. Scientists Discover Protein That Reverses Heart Disease In Older Mice
  4. The Interview Behind ‘I Drive Your Truck’
  5. ‘Watergate: The Video Game’ Puts Player In Woodward’s Shoes
H&N Favorites
Monday, May 20, 2013
‘Watergate: The Video Game’ Puts Player In Woodward’s Shoes
(watergategame.com)

If you find yourself waxing nostalgic for the kind of 1970s investigative journalism that led to the Watergate hearings, you can now relive the chills and thrills of the Washington Post investigation.

Comment | more »
Monday, May 20, 2013
How Did The IRS Get The Job Of Vetting Political Activity?
(Dennis Brack/Landov)

The law requires the IRS to determine whether a group is a social welfare organization, which is allowed some political activity, or a political group, which must disclose its donors.

6 Comments | more »
Friday, May 17, 2013
The Interview Behind ‘I Drive Your Truck’
Paul Monti next to the truck of his son, Jared Monti. Jared Monti died while serving in Afghanistan in 2006. (Anna Miller/Here & Now)

A conversation Here & Now’s Alex Ashlock had with Paul Monti about his son Jared Monti, who was killed in Afghanistan, sparked a song that hit No. 1 on the country charts last month.

4 Comments | more »
From Twitter