Sandy's Barbecue Sandwich / Reggae Against the Machine

I’ve been meaning to try out Sandy’s barbecue sandwich for a while now. Sandy’s has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Going there reminds me of a time when I could metabolize a pint of ice cream in a half hour, and I didn’t care what hot dogs were made of. I got my chance to try the sandwich this week, at last, thanks to a cassette tape.

I had a little radio show in college called “Reggae Against the Machine.” Sometimes I would tape the show, which was hosted by my roommate and me, to make mixed tapes for the long drive home from school. Good idea, right?

I recently came across one of the old tapes, labeled "SHOW BEFORE SP. BREAK" and popped it in the kitchen radio, the only functional cassette player in the Bridges house. Some of the songs on it still get a little airplay in my truck; others I hadn't heard in years. Hannah Jane and I were really getting a kick out of it, and then...

I had forgotten that almost seven years earlier, just before Spring Break, I got a call from my ex-girlfriend who was "in the area" and "really wanted to see me." I was dating Hannah Jane at the time. I have no idea what possessed me to mention it on the radio show. But as I sprang across the kitchen to press the "stop" button on the tape player, a very pregnant Hannah Jane moved in front of me. She reached behind her back and turned up the volume. And I braced myself for embarrassment.

Luckily, I mentioned that I had a girlfriend and there was no way I was going to meet up with the old girlfriend. In the end, my only crime was not telling Hannah Jane that the ex-girlfriend had called. At any rate, the incident left me feeling guilty enough to take my swollen wife to Sandy's for a milkshake, something that she has lately been unable to turn down.

I finally got to try the barbecue sandwich, which was a lot better than I expected it to be. It's billed as "famous, award-winning vinegar based bar-b-que from NC," and it reminded me of the Lizard's Thicket sandwich. Except Sandy's puts a little slaw on it.

Gervais says, try the barbecue sandwich at Sandy's... don't wait until you've done something to make yourself look like a weiner.