Ended up last night at the Cat’s Cradle entertainment complex in Carraboro. I went to see Sarah Shook, a traditional hard-drinking honky tonk angel of a performer who I like a lot. I misread the program and I thought her back up band was the Two Dollar Pistols. Actually, Sarah Shook’s back up band is the Disarmers. I got a bonus when I realized the Two Dollar Pistols were a band I remember from years ago that I thought had broken up. They had actually broken up, but were together for one night only. Fun show.
That capped the end of a long day and guaranteed a good night of sleep so I could get up early and head to Virlie’s in downtown Pittsboro for breakfast. Winding my way past the bench by the front door where 3 old men sat sipping coffee and solving the world’s problems, I stepped into a bustling Virlie’s diner. 8 a.m. on Saturday almost every seat was taken with regulars and families, amid a staff working hard to keep the coffee mugs full and the breakfast orders coming.
I went for the most country breakfast I could, two biscuits and gravy, two eggs, and a piece of fried bologna. The bologna was a 1/2 thick slice, enough for an entire sandwich in my world of bologna. It was so good, and salty, and greasy. My Dad used to fry a slice of bologna with his eggs, a regular slice, so I was having some nostalgia. But, about 1/3 of the through the bologna and my brain screamed stop eating that! Stop it right now! So I had one more bite, but that was it.
And because I’m on vacation, after I ate to much for breakfast, I went to the Phoenix bakery next door for a cookie, but instead was met with a display of not just traditional bakery items, but some savory beer cheese breads and scones.
The reason I was up an at-’em so early on a Saturday on vacation was that my hosts were already ahead of me setting up their produce and flowers at the Apex Farmer’s Market.
The Apex market is nice. Early in the season, most of the farms have essentially the same produce (KALE!), but there was also fresh made bread, soft cheese, and baked goods.
After some local shopping and afternoon beer, we went home and cooked KALE…and chard
Nothing Ever Happens on My Street 