Sorry I didn’t post on my lunch break, but it’s been a weird day. Those of you in the 2007-11 Rapscallions/Ques Brothers friend group, I may be texting you shortly…
I want to thank the three people with extensive BBQ competition judging experience who generously volunteered their time and taste buds yesterday. Thanks to them, the Moody Ques got an honest critique of the product we are putting out. The cookteam stayed up all night Saturday preparing two pork shoulders, and the judges arrived at pitmaster Frank’s house at 10:30 AM Sunday for a simulated BBQ Fest presentation.
Since members of other shoulder teams read my blog, I am not going to go into detail about the feedback we were given. In general terms, they told us what to never tell a judge again, what to talk about in more depth, and tweaks we needed to make to our shoulders. However, they said that the taste of the shoulders was right there where it needed to be. “You’re not going to win in 2016,” the judges told the cooks. “However, you’re on the right path. If you keep doing what you’re doing, if you keep holding practice cooks, if you keep entering regionals, if you keep tweaking your cooking, in about 3 years’ time you are going to be one of the big dogs.”
That is very exciting news. If we can become one of the top cooking teams, the Moody Ques really will be the total package. We have dominated the Best Booth category the past four years, winning two firsts and never finishing lower than third. We have always been known as a booth where there is a good party. We’re a younger team, with average age in the 30s (although we have people of all ages on the team), which I think is an asset. If we can add some cooking awards in the years to come, we really will have it all.
If you would like to be a member of the Moody Ques for 2016, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com and I will put you in touch with the team leaders – wait a minute, they named me Director of PR, so I AM one of the team leaders now. We also have sponsorship opportunities available. Why not hitch your wagon to a team that is on the way up?
On to the news: Uber will partner with TransLoc, a company that provides public transit data, to combine Uber rides and public transportation to ensure a seamless commute. Memphis is one of the first two markets in which the partnership is being tested. They picked a good test case with our city, because it is hard to imagine a city Memphis’ size with a worse public transportation system.
The Commercial Appeal interviewed Lily Brooks O’ Bryant, the young lady sharing the lead role in Matilda at the Orpheum this week.
There’s a reporter position open at WHBQ-TV.
The Peabody will be at the Who’s Hiring Career Fair tomorrow at Memphis Botanic Garden, 10-3. If you want to work for the historic hotel, come submit a resume.
There will be a forum on race and sports at the National Civil Rights Museum Sunday, the day before MLK Day. Two Sports Legacy Award winners, Jalen Rose and Tamika Catchings, as well as the Grizzlies’ Matt Barnes will take part in the discussion. (credit Memphis Daily News)
In the spam folder this morning: “She’s expecting more from your mating meat?” and “Practice in Bed Olympics more!” Spammers really go to extreme lengths to try and get their stuff past filters.
The college football national championship, Alabama vs. Clemson is tonight. Keeping with my policy of rooting for SEC schools not named Ole Miss or Tennessee, I will be pulling for the Crimson Tide. Somewhere in a bar at or near McAllen, Texas, BBQ team legal counsel Bama Lawdog will be cheering for the Tide as well.
In case you’ve been living in a cave today, David Bowie passed away at age 69. I don’t listen to his music a whole lot but I respect what he brought to the history of music the past 50 years. The man was never afraid to be himself. He is a role model in that respect.
Happy birthday to Memphis’ own Grindfather, Tony Allen, who turns 34 today.
Felicia Suzanne’s is now accepting reservations for Valentine’s Day. Nothing against Felicia’s but you won’t see me there. After what happened on Valentine’s Day last year, I am never making plans for that stupid holiday again. V-Day is on a Sunday this year. I guess my Valentine’s Day dates will be John D, Otto, and the New York Times crossword puzzle at D-RANKS with B-RAD.
If you want to watch Shaq Goodwin foul out, the Tigers host Temple at FedExForum at 7 Wednesday.
I found a Twitter account called Tacos (@TWEETLIKEATACO). If you like tacos you should follow it.
Home from work, time for beer. I considered walking down to Max’s Sports Bar to watch the national title game, but I have decided to keep it close to home. Melissa Monday at Bardog is first up, then Blind Bear