The Road Trip Advertisement?

[VetScratch]

I'm sure others have seen the road-trip ad on TV where the kids are driving south to Florida. The passengers are plugged into their MP3 players, desperately hoping their batteries last, while the driver offers a non-stop monologue about the demographics of each state. For North Carolina, the driver claims the horse population is 234,000!

It's comforting to learn that old racehorses really don't feed dogs or Frenchmen... they just fade away to North Carolina! :)

[VetScratch]

BTW, the North Carolina Horse Council pegs the horse population at 225,000, so Madison Avenue didn't miss the mark by much.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Driver was counting mules!!

[VetScratch]

Probably descendants of Army mules used by MacArthur when he re-took the Philippines... after the war, they just faded away to North Carolina.

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Honey, don't let your dobber down; something good always shows up before the band plays "Faded Love."

[Valuist]

And all along I thought all North Carolina had to offer was tobacco and Duke basketball.

[VetScratch]

We associate North Carolina with hunting, jumping, dressage, and 2YO Thoroughbreds in training at Aiken, but not many folks think of North Carolina as a major horse state. At the same time, North Carolina estimates that horses add $500-million annually to the state's agribusiness economy.

This level of economic impact is exceeded many times over in other states, but this message is not reaching the general public. The savior of racing will be the first person who gives politicians a sound bite that sells the economic value of horses to the voters.

[Dave Schwartz]

VS,

Okay, now you've go tmy attention. We can definitely talk about North Carolina a bit.

Ribs. North Carolina style.

Here in Reno a rib joint opened up about 6-8 months ago that serves NC-style ribs. Now, I was stationed at Ft. Bragg when I was in the military but I just don't remember eating NC ribs.

These are the greatest ribs on the planet!

You should be very proud. <G>

Dave

[VetScratch]

Dave,

You were probably in NC longer than me. I was "stationed" at the Aiken training center for 3 months about 10 years ago.

As I recall, the rib joints in NC featured NY-style ribs, ribs with Jim Beam sauce, Louisiana-style ribs, Texas barbecue, etc. In the rib business, the shippers apparently take all the money.

[VetScratch]

BTW, I have lumped the Carolinas together in my mind, so I offer my apology to folks back east that know where the borders are between New York City and Jacksonville, Fl.

[Dave Schwartz]

VS,

Are you saying that you have never had NC-style ribs?

Permit me to tell you about them... a light, slightly sweet, somewhat watery vinegar-based sauce.

That says it all.

And now I know where I'm going for dinner tomorrow night.

Dave

[VetScratch]

Dave,

Going back a decade in my memory, I don't recall either North or South Carolina ribs being famous in their home states. From now on I'll be on the lookout.

Back then I had a boyfriend with family in North Carolina, but we worked at Aiken (SC) all spring, bummed around the Beaufort area for almost a month, then went up near Fayetteville and parted ways. He was a really nice guy, so I took him home to Momma before I said goodbye! :)

In Aiken proper, I thought of the establishment as Connecticut Rebels because they all had historical landmark plaques on their houses... sort of like Beaufort without tourists and water. The other thing I vividly recall is discovering that "Work At Home" must have been invented in the Carolinas. Wherever you went, all the small houses had at least one sign advertising a trade, service, foodstuff, or merchandise. You could live your whole life and never need to leave the country road where you were born.

[Observer]

Originally posted by VetScratch
... It's comforting to learn that old racehorses really don't feed dogs or Frenchmen... they just fade away to North Carolina! :)

You're kidding yourself if you believe this. Many horses are still being sold off to slaughter .. and while Thoroughbreds probably make up a big portion of the population in North Carolina, I'm sure there are many other breeds included in that figure.

[VetScratch]

Observer,

Gee, thanks for setting me straight. Now I'm glad that I never ate the ribs!

[kenwoodallpromos]

Many of my ancestors from different lines did horse-involved work in NC. Mostly Stokes and Rockingham Counties 1789- 1850's. Farms, road work, blacksmithing.