Sunshine Days in the Sunshine State

Dear Florida,

Thank you for the warm days last week and the hospitality that does not always make it to the front pages of our newspapers and media sources. You've got me wanting to throw my hat in the ring and franchise a Pollo Tropical except for the fact that central Arkansas is severely inundated with chicken joints on darn near every corner: the Miami version of the Cuban sandwich is worth every bit of $8.49 that I paid the other night. For my fellow barbecue addicts, I'll make sure to replicate the recipe and compare it to the Tampa one I shared to the blog a few years ago soon. Either way, someone is going home full.

When it comes to the food, I would be remiss if my inner Mikey did not make an appearance. As always, the conch fritters were on point and fried perfectly; I need to find a supplier to ship me a case to batter and fry at home. What surprised me is the barbecue game in the Sunshine State: Next time you find yourselves close to Wildwood, there is a walk-up BBQ joint called M&M Smokehouse Bar-B-Q that absolutely needs your attention! Their rib tips are going to send me back to the lab, their OG sauces is a bit spicier than my own, and the Florida Gator Gold mustard sauce is a whole lot sweeter than my Dub Shack BBQ’s The Ancestors. The hours are short (11-5 most days), so get there quickly!

With all of the sunshine, nonexistent state income taxes, and throngs of visitors clogging both Interstate 75 and Florida's Turnpike plus the women flying into the 305 for BBLs, one would think an encounter with Florida Man was to be a standard part of the trip but...ol' Gertrude tried to put an ice cube in my hot morning coffee by asking us where is a wheelchair every freaking morning like she had suspected every Black adult in our hotel was withholding a mobility device as she pillaged the yogurts, cream cheeses, and items that could be refrigerated. Needless to say, bless her heart. 

The Miami Zoo was nothing but phenomenal even as the bike carts that had a three-hour limit really gave us a workout the final hour!

Parakeets enjoyed feeding time

Caeli also got to feed the giraffes

It's safe to say that skipping leg day is never a good idea. 

Although I didn't take enough varying snapshots for those who find themselves living vicariously through my family - and sometimes living in the moment trumps standing behind a camera as the person capturing the memory is often the one missing out. Big up to the cousins who welcomed us back after five years away, Levar for dropping gems while watching the Heat come from behind to beat Cleveland, the kin we missed this time around, and the new Fortnite teammates Little Miss Sunshine picked up.

Whatcha know about Garcia sausages?

Do I have criticisms? Only a pair: Y'all got to be kidding me with the gentrification of Miami. I know big bank takes little bank,  yet forcefully uprooting residents who have been a part of the neighborhoods' fabric for half a century if not longer is not cool and whitewashes Perrine. My other beef is with the traffic on both the Turnpike and I-75: Where are the exit ramps to avoid sitting still for up to fifteen miles from the original incident? 

From Suwanee where I got my Sun Pass to Miami, Alligator Alley to the missed manatee park and fenced in panther crossings along I-75 in addition to crossing the Apalachicola River to re-enter the Central Time Zone, thanks for the warm days and cool stuff. We'll make it to Key West one day, I promise. Destin and the rest of the Emerald Coast shall possibly be the source of our next adventure depending on cost and climate - literally and politically. 

Til the next time, three Arkansans