My Favorite Things

Have you ever wondered how "travel professionals" make their mobile lifestyle work?  All of the comforts and necessities that make home, "home", are notably absent when one spends most of his/her time on the road.  What tips, tricks, and gadgets help the road warrior successfully traverse the planet as effortlessly as you traverse your living room?

Tip #1:  "Everything in life is habit."  Thus spake my Great Aunt Hulda Abernathy when she was well into her 9th decade of life and I totally concur!  Think about your "routines", both good and bad.  While most of us prattle on about being "in a rut" and how spontaneity is the key to happiness, the reality is that habits are the backbone of our daily existence.  The KEY is to form fewer bad ones and more good ones.  If you build and follow healthy, regular habits, they will serve you both at home and abroad.  For example, whenever I fly to Asia (Japan is a 14 hour non-stop from Houston), I know that I will end up on "the backside of the clock" which is particularly confounding to the body.  I find it much easier on my profound circadian rhythm to allow my body to remain on my "home" time, especially since I will be returning home in just over 24 hours.  Some think it odd to work-out in the hotel gym at 2 a.m. then return to the room to watch the TODAY show live, via SLINGBOX (a future installment of "My Favorite Things").   For me, it just makes sense.

Comedian Richard Pryor once said, "old people don't get to be old by being stupid."  I guess he must have met Aunt Hulda somewhere along the line!

Another key to staying "grounded" when you're a world traveler is to establish what are the intrinsic benefits of your time at home...what are the things at home that make NOT traveling special?  Just today, I reveled in my latest lunch obssession.  It is non-descript, perhaps even a little "iffy" looking at first glance, but Corkscrew BBQ off of Budde Road in the Woodlands, TX is some of the best barbecue I've ever eaten!  Having been raised at the feet of a recognized "Jedi Master" of barbecue, J. Neal Reece, I'm pretty sure that my opinion can be relied upon.  My particular favorite is the "healthiest" BBQ alternative, smoked turkey breast.

Turkey breast can be a monumental problem for the BBQ master because the process of smoking can dry and toughen the meat since there's neither fat or bone to help keep it naturally juicy and flavorful.  It often arrives at the table the consistency of shoe leather and, although I've never eaten a shoe, it probably tastes about the same!  Somehow, the folks at Corkscrew present tasty, juicy, tender, turkey breast EVERY time:  the combination is a BBQ Home Run!  Of course, the traditional brisket, pulled pork, sausage and chicken are top notch but they don't present the smoking challenge that turkey breast does.

When you combine their obvious smoking talents with some novel presentation approaches, you have one of the best BBQ experiences available; reasonably priced, PERFECT location (minutes from my front door), and friendly proprietors.  The combination is hard to fault.  There's just one thing...they frequently SELL OUT within an hour or two!  Even before noon, early-arriving patrons can be disappointed to learn that their favorite meat is already gone.  When asked why they don't simply "cook more?", the Corkscrew folks replied that they cook 600 lbs. every day, that's their full capacity.  Whatever their secret, it's a winning recipe that has been recognized by local media, The Woodlands Villager and The Houston Chronicle, as being "best of the best."

Did I forget to mention that they accomplish all of this out of a trailer parked on a vacant lot?!

Visit my friends at Corkscrew BBQ on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Corkscrew-BBQ/106714476033357?ref=ts&fref=ts

or on their website at:
http://www.corkscrewbbq.com/

Better yet, visit them in person.  If you're a BBQ lover, you WON'T be disappointed!  While you're there, if the guy with the ridiculously pierced ear lobes (friendly, patient & helpful) asks, tell him that "Tony" sent you.

He won't have a clue, but maybe it will make you remember that a friend shared one of his "favorite things".  Then, it will be yours to PAY FORWARD!

More favorite things next week...you WON'T be disappointed!