Gay in the Bay | Vol. 2023, Issue 14

Queer Intro

Welcome to the Gay in the Bay Blog! I am Josie, a queer writer and videographer that loves to document what I see around me. This started out as a writing blog but has grown to include events that more people should know about.

This post is for the week of April 2 - 8.

Do you have a live event that needs filming? I’m a videographer! Please check out the Sweeney Media on your way to the About > Contact page. I look forward to working with you.

Let’s stop writing and enjoy the flowers for a minute…

This week has been a hurricane of news reports, obituaries, and inability to really slow down. I’ve celebrated a friend’s birthday. I shaved my head for a photo project (more on that after I edit them). I’ve prepared for (cue horror music) for Tax Day. I’ve even decided to shelf my superhero book and focus on another book for the time being. But I’ve written a poem based off of a Cure song. It’s been a gloriously weird week. And I have a feeling that things are only going to speed up from here. That’s why I need to take more time to slow down and enjoy the scenery that surrounds me.

Speaking of scenery, I took a break from this here computer to head out and take some photos. They’re up on Instagram (@sweeneylens if you don’t already know), but you can also see them here. I don’t know anything about this building, except that it’s not in use. There was a crane on a tiny island, which I found endlessly fascinating. I’m starting to discover that I like taking pictures of bridges framed within trees and/or buildings.

Next week is going to be more business-focused. Have you ever thought about aspect ratios? Well, let’s talk shop. About LinkedIn Banners, about the various Instagram ratios, about it all! If you’re like me, you like to edit before you bring your photos onto the various platforms. And we’ll discuss why that matters.

News

Trans Rights Victories in Three States

I’m shortening descriptions this week, because we are in the weeds of details in news. But let’s start things off with a positive story, brought to you by Erin Reed.

Full disclosure, I have no affiliation with Erin Reed. We do not know each other. I have similar interests in what she covers and would like to give her voice more of an audience. Link in headline.

Tennessee is now Fascist

This past week three Democrats were forcefully removed from the State Legislature. Why? Their role in a protest in calling for more gun control. This happened in the wake of the unfortunate shooting in Nashville the week prior.

The Nashville shooting was not covered here, so there are no links to this site. This was not intentional; an oversight by Quality Control Editor Josie. In case you missed that, an individual walked into a grade school and open-fired upon students, teachers, and staff. It is a complicated and sensitive matter that has only fanned the flame of intolerance in the Tennessee Legislature.

Link to the Tennessee Three in the headline. I stand by the Tennessee Three.

LGBT Group Targeted

For once, Florida is not the only state with a strange occurrence from a resident. A Maryland man was charged for threats to the Human Rights Campaign. Allegedly there were references to the Nashville shooting on March 27, 2023. The voicemail was left on the 28th.

All of this is in the wake of the Nashville shooting of a christian school. The charge is interstate communications with a threat to injure, according to the article. Link in headline.

Rest in Power Heklina

Early last week we received news of a performance cut short. Last Monday Heklina, 55, was performing at London’s Soho Theater with their friend Peaches Christ. She is well-known for many things, more than I am familiar with. For full transparency I will allow The San Francisco Standard list out her full list of performances.

Link in headline.

Track Runner Keeps on Truckin’

A transgender youth is allowed to continue running in track-and-field. This was pushed through to the United States Supreme Court. For once, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trans Community. These issues often become complicated, but the article, linked in headline above, does a good job of covering it.

Montana House Bill 359

Montana is certainly Puritanical these days. This bill would be the second drag ban in the US. This would actually go further than the Tennessee drag ban bill. In short, this would ban anything that may have the “intent to incite lustful thoughts.” This has some interesting ramifications, such as theater productions to Halloween costumes.

Link in headline.

Montana… Again

This time we cover the Montana Senate Bill 458, dubbed the LGBTQ Erasure Act.

New Queer Dating App

Some new and positive news! Mary Richardson is a Penn State York student that has created a queer-friendly dating app for bisexuals. Full article linked above.

Color Coded Calendar

Lately I have not been able to attend or keep up with various events. But this and next week have several that I’ll be attending. And I will have updates on each of them.

Each week The New Parkway Theater in Oakland has a variety of events. The two that I love the most are Drinks & Dragons (Wednesdays) and Trivia (Thursdays) respectively. I am officially a new Game Master, and want to help make D&D more fun at the New Parkway. Check out The New Parkway website for further information on these and other events. You cannot go wrong no matter what day you show up.

Local Events

Beta Test Burlesque

Beta Test Burlesque has their next show coming up this Saturday. The theme? The sexiest of them all: Death and Taxes. The show is sold out, but if you’re late to the ticket game, there may be last minute I-can’t-go posts. Link in headline.

Pop Culture

Each week I include media that I’ve enjoyed. If you’re a creator of any kind, please email me to be included in this list. I love discovering new artists; from singer-songwriters to upcoming directors, and beyond.

Gay in the Bay | Vol. 2023, Issue 9

Queer Intro

Welcome to the Gay in the Bay Blog! I am Josie, a queer writer and videographer that loves to document what I see around me. This started out as a writing blog but has grown to include events that more people should know about.

This post is for the week of February 26 - March 4.

Do you have a live event that needs filming? I’m a videographer! Please check out the Sweeney Media on your way to the About > Contact page. I look forward to working with you.

Writing

It’s been a minute since I’ve edited anything for my YouTube channel. I’m still figuring things out for my content, but it’s still fun. Plus, it’s been a great way to get better at editing. And boy did I need that challenge. But I’m also scripting my videos again. Everyone has their own method, but at the moment I plan on editing the footage I’ve got and scripting afterward.

Writing has been a bit lax, but only because I’m still outlining. This feels like it’s stalled because I’m busy coming up with more characters. Been sick didn’t help. Though I really want to make more progress over the next few weeks.

Big D&D News!

Dropout recently shared a teaser for a new season of table top roleplaying. Matthew Mercer was the Game Master behind the table!

What’s interesting are the different folks who generally sit at Dropout’s table. Comedians and improvers are the usual players that grace us. While Matt Mercer is used to GM’ing a table full of voice actors. So this difference will be super interesting to see. You can see the video below.

Drag is not a Crime

Two bills that have been touted as a good idea were signed into law on March 2, 2023. The day before, governor Bill Lee visited Memphis, where at least two people from the trans community shared their disagreement with the bills. The purpose for Bill Lee’s visit was to cut the ribbon to a new YMCA in Whitehaven.

Amon Pride was brutally handled by five or six police-persons. It is unclear as to the exact number since everyone involved frequently moved around. You can see that video here. The other person, John Wilbanks who goes by their drag persona Moth Moth Moth (or Mothie), took a megaphone and proclaimed, “Bill Lee is a liar and a fascist!” They were immediately surrounded by several police and taken away.

I personally know Mothie and applaud their bravery for standing up. It takes a lot of guts to stand use their supposed first amendment rights to speak their opinions. Below is a local news report on the matter.

Color Coded Calendar

Each week I keep track of events so you don’t have to! This is amazing since I’m neurodivergent. But below are events that I really think you’ll enjoy…

Each week The New Parkway Theater in Oakland has a variety of events. The two that I love the most are Drinks & Dragons (Wednesdays) and Trivia (Thursdays) respectively. I am officially a new Game Master, and want to help make D&D more fun at the New Parkway. Check out The New Parkway website for further information on these and other events. You cannot go wrong no matter what day you show up.

Local Events

The New Parkway will show Clueless on March 12, 2023 at 2.10pm. The Oscars will immediately follow.

Pop Culture

Each week I include media that I’ve enjoyed. If you’re a creator of any kind, please email me to be included in this list. I love discovering new artists; from singer-songwriters to upcoming directors, and beyond.

  • I’m a fan of fan art. Aviv Or’s Twitter account is an amazing illustrator that has begun a Critical Role series. They draw the characters of each actor on CR. They also appreciate puns, which makes them the best!

  • Doctor Who - I was sick this and last week, and got to catch up on Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor.

Gay in the Bay | Vol. 2023, Issue 8

Queer Intro

Welcome to the Gay in the Bay Blog! I am Josie, a queer writer and videographer that loves to document what I see around me. This started out as a writing blog but has grown to include events that more people should know about.

This post is for the week of February 19 - 25.

Do you have a live event that needs filming? I’m a videographer! Please check out the Sweeney Media on your way to the About > Contact page. I look forward to working with you.

Writing

I ended up catching a bug this week, and was unable to concentrate on writing that much. I don’t feel great about that, and really don’t want to beat myself up over that. So this upcoming week I’ll be focused on outlining.

On top of that, I’ll be planning on some videos for my YouTube channel for the warmer months. So things have slowed down a bit, to the point where I needed to take care of myself. I hope you, dear reader, will take the time to take care of yourself as well.

Besides being sick this week, I’ve also realized that I’m feeling pretty down. I don’t have the bandwidth to read, write (some days are better than others), or do much more than watch TV. I think some of it has to do with weather, possible depression, or other factors. I have to practice patience with myself and take things slowly. Take a step back and look at what I can improve upon. So yeah, there’s that.

Scott Sessions’ Patreon

Before you scroll down to the next session, let me introduce a positive force to you, dear reader. The articles below are heavy and (for many) distressing. This piece is meant for everyone to feel good and spread love.

Scott Sessions has started a Patreon. They are continuing their positive efforts to introduce spirituality in queer spaces. More information is included on the Patreon site, including perks and payment tiers. It’s great to know you can still participate in a post-religious (or “porous”) space in a world where religion is too big a deal.

Tennessee is the Most Conservative State in the Union

Thursday 23 February 2023

Today the Tennessee House of Representatives passed two harmful bills which claim to protect children. The sick people that come up with this are actually the ones who are overly-focused on children and should instead look inward. This is a war against the LGBTQIA+ Community. According to the linked article, Tennessee is the most restrictive state in the United States in terms of anti-LGBT legislation.

House Bill 1 bans medical decisions targeting Hormone Replacement Therapy. The thinking from conservatives is that minors are being forced to transition before puberty. This is incredibly false, overly simplified, and misguided. The people who wrote this have ignored years of research in favor of HRT.

House Bill 9 bans any drag performances taking place on public property. My mind drifts to laws set in place in New York State and others against “dressing as the opposite sex.” Drag performance has long been associated with transgender people and crossdressers. Again, this is an oversimplification by conservatives who refuse to understand others.

Tennessee is an appalling state and I am happy that I left. I now feel like I, a non-binary person on HRT and dressing the way I feel is right, am not legally allowed into Tennessee anymore. Nashville and the TN House have angered a lot of people today, in and out of the state. It is discriminatory to literally ban a specific type of person from living within your borders.

Edit: Chase Strangio posted this video on Instagram the same day that this newsletter was posted. It’s easy to jump to conclusions, and I have been guilty of this as well. Please watch the Instagram video below to gain another person’s understanding of these bills, which is better than my own.

Let’s better understand SB-3 and other anti-LGBT laws in Tennessee.

End of the Internet, Pt. 2

Last week I wrote about breaking news covering Gonzales v. Google. Tuesday, February 21, 2023 the case was formally brought in front of the Supreme Court of the United States of America. According to this Wired article, the Justices laughed nervously as questions concerning the Internet was brought up.

Renaldo Gonzales, whose daughter was killed in Paris, France by Isis in 2015, has fought YouTube to take down videos of his daughter’s death. It’s a confusing matter, a confusing sentence, and a confusing time to be a Supreme Court Justice! And more questions are forming around: Is Google responsible for content published by third party?

Questions like: Is Meta also responsible for egregious content posted by someone in Missouri? This would count toward Facebook and Instagram, since they are owned by the same parent company. This decision will also affect future social media sites. The potential restrictions set in place may not make a future social site worthwhile to explore. Even if you are a private company, an LLC may not be enough to combat this from 2023 on.

This may not be the end of the Internet. But if the Supreme Court favors Gonzales, there will be some strange ramifications put into action. And this will affect how other countries look at published content. Russia has already tightened their grip on content producers by forcing them to throw up disclaimers that they are “foreign agents.” You can find a video about that via this Johnny Harris video here.

If you think that this isn’t a big deal and it won’t affect you, I invite you to consider some leading questions…

  • What about the propaganda against the LGBTQ+ Community in Tennessee, Utah, and other states? The LGBT Community is constantly being silenced because of “religious freedoms.”

  • What if someone has a stalker and will not stop talking about them?

  • What if a woman is recently divorced from an abusive husband and he won’t stop sending open threats on Facebook?

  • What if my abused friends in Memphis can no longer vent about their past abusive relationships? They deserve a voice, too.

  • The black community has always been silenced since being shipped to the Americas hundreds of years ago. Why aren’t they (currently) allowed to voice their own opinions.

Wyrmwood Gaming Allegations, Pt. 1

On Thursday (2/23) I found out about some allegations about someone who was fired from Wyrmwood Gaming. While I know nothing about what transpired beyond the below, I will do my best to cover this story in more details as they are presented.

The long and short of it is this: it sounds like sexual harassment transpired, and someone was fired in bad faith. This was further complicated by covering it up; never a good move.

From what can be determined, both abuser and victim were fired, but this contradicts what Wyrmwood Gaming claims.

For the sake of full transparency on my part: I’ve seen various products made by Wyrmwood Gaming, but have never saved up enough for their expensive products.

Andy Morocco’s Statement 18 February 2023

Wyrmwood Gaming’s Statement

Color Coded Calendar

Each week I keep track of events so you don’t have to! This is amazing since I’m neurodivergent. But below are events that I really think you’ll enjoy…

Each week The New Parkway Theater in Oakland has a variety of events. The two that I love the most are Drinks & Dragons (Wednesdays) and Trivia (Thursdays) respectively. I am officially a new Game Master, and want to help make D&D more fun at the New Parkway. Check out The New Parkway website for further information on these and other events. You cannot go wrong no matter what day you show up.

Local Events

Silver Sprocket Comics is hosting an all-genre writing group on March 5th (Sunday) from 7-8.30pm.

Pop Culture

Each week I include media that I’ve enjoyed. If you’re a creator of any kind, please email me to be included in this list. I love discovering new artists; from singer-songwriters to upcoming directors, and beyond.

  • SF Gate covers a relic of the Bay’s past known as The Wooz.

  • An interesting Instagram Story.

  • Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania

Gay in the Bay | Vol. 2023, Issue 7

Queer Intro

Welcome to the Gay in the Bay Blog! I am Josie, a queer writer and videographer that loves to document what I see around me. This started out as a writing blog but has grown to include events that more people should know about.

This post is for the week of February 12 - 18.

Do you have a live event that needs filming? I’m a videographer! Please check out the Sweeney Media on your way to the About > Contact page. I look forward to working with you.

Writing

Broke Ass Stuart

Most of the writing done this week has been in preparation for a potential job. If you’ve lived in the Bay Area for any amount of time (which is about as long as I’ve lived here now), you have definitely heard of the sassy Broke Ass Stuart (BAS for short).

BAS made a call for a writer, part time. I made the most humorous cover letter I could write and sent it to the Editor In Cheap. The Almighty Editors (my name for whomever responded) answered me and gave me a deadline for this week. I’ve answered it.

I have become a Game Master!

Chaos ensued and I stepped up to the plate! This past Wednesday I became a GM (Dungeon Master if that’s more familiar to you) at the New Parkway Theater. The usual GM was unable to attend tonight’s session, and there were about 15 people joining. The backup GM asked me if I could be in charge of the other game. I was more than happy to oblige.

Queer Superhero Novel

While writing for my book has been sparse this week, I’ve still written something. Outlining has been necessary in order to make this superhero story feel like an introductory novel; not just focusing on the main character. Because of that, I’m learning what tropes are expected in order to make something feel like a “superhero" story. Some are obvious (like costumes, the need/want to save people, insane ideas for world domination, et al), while others less so.

I’m introducing other characters. It just makes sense to me to include more heroes while more villains appear in front of the main character. But it still requires more planning to make everything feel coherent.

The End of the Internet?

I just watched a video by Legal Eagle on YouTube that talks briefly (20 minutes is honestly brief for this particular lawyer) about a Supreme Court Case. One that can spell out disastrous things for normal social media things like sharing your next drag show event on Facebook.

He was as brief as he could be, and I have a link to his video. This case is pretty complicated, but I’ll attempt to summarize it here.

A case was brought to the United States Supreme Court. This case dealt with a question that has massive ramifications: is Google responsible for its content on YouTube? This is certainly something that will affect everyone to varying degrees. I will follow this and see where it leads.

Oakland City Hall in State of Emergency

The city of Oakland was hit by a malware attack on February 8th a couple of weeks ago. The police department and other public officials are being somewhat transparent about the issue. They are acknowledging that it happened, but not indicating in what way. This could be a tactic to minimize damage being caused, or to minimize public panic, another reason entirely, or some combination of both.

This story is progressing, as they are still fighting the malware. As much as I’m not a fan of any police force, the police department appears to be the most forthcoming on information.

Oakland Police Dept. on the malware attack.

Mind Ghirardelli Square’s Dust

Ghirardelli Square is a fixture of San Francisco. I finally got to visit on February 14th, where I discovered a lot of the shops are currently closed. There are signs stating they will open up in the Summer of 2023. In just a few months, we’ll get even more chocolate options and see what they’ve been working on!

Berkley Throws in their chef’s hat for Best Pizza

Berkeley claims to have the best pizza in the Bay Area. Is the SF Eater article correct? Please let me know, in the comments or on Instagram! I take this as a personal challenge to venture in the wilds of Berkeley and scavenge their pizza selections.

National News

USA Today continues coverage of the officers charged with the death of Tyre Nichols from January 2023. The most frustrating part right now is that the court system will not start proceedings until May 2023. Paul Hagerman is the lead prosecutor, and is urging the courts to do what is right. Whether the officers are allowed back to work until then remains unclear. They go on to include the defense attorney claiming there should be justice for Tadarrius Bean (one of the officers charged for Nichols’ murder).

This whole situation calls for a complete overhaul of the police department. It has been clear for years that the entire system is questionable at best, and corrupt in every level at worst. But Memphis and the rest of Tennessee would rather kick the can down the road and focus on budget cuts or a new stadium instead of focusing on human rights. Did Martin Luther King, JR die for nothing in Memphis? My former hometown can and should do better.

The New York Times tripped this week

Major backlash has started following a New York Times Op Ed by Pamela Paul called In Defense of JK Rowling. If you decide to read the opinion, go for it. But this is most professional gaslighting I have yet to read.

To quote Bo Burnham: “The backlash to the backlash to the thing that’s just begun/ There it is again/ That funny feeling/ That funny feeling.”

Table Top Ideas

And now for more positive news…

I recently hosted my own game of D&D and loved it! I’m now looking for resources to help make things even more fun. There’s a lot of discourse on what’s better: analog vs. digital content. In the wake of the OGL debacle, the flames of chaos have been fanned as more lovers of lore and character sheets debate on the best way to play a table top game.

Personally, I love digital content. That’s not to say that screens dominate the table during the game. It just keeps things less cluttered. The biggest bonus is that a map (among character sheets and other small details) can be printed out and drawn over a million times over!

The coolest find this week is a fantasy map maker. Inkarnate is a website that allows any Game Creator to create a map to their own specifications. The range is tremendous; from world maps to furniture decorating a building, it has it all. My first impression: this caters to the medieval setting that most are used to seeing in D&D. My hope is that they accommodate other map aesthetics as well.

Color Coded Calendar

Each week I keep track of events so you don’t have to! This is amazing since I’m neurodivergent. But below are events that I really think you’ll enjoy…

Each week The New Parkway Theater in Oakland has a variety of events. The two that I love the most are Drinks & Dragons (Wednesdays) and Trivia (Thursdays) respectively. Check out The New Parkway website for further information on these and other events. You cannot go wrong no matter what day you show up.

Monthly Stuff

OmNomNom Burlesque will perform at Amado’s in the Mission District. This month’s theme is Afro Futurism.

998 Valencia St.

February 25th at 8.30pm

Pop Culture

Each week I include media that I’ve enjoyed. If you’re a creator of any kind, please email me to be included in this list. I love discovering new artists; from singer-songwriters to upcoming directors, and beyond.

This week a special mention must be made to the video below. Tennessee has done a lot of questionable things lately. But something UNquestionable was Clyde Stubblefield and his contribution to Hip Hop, among other genres of music.

A short documentary about Clyde Stubblefield.

  • I love dogs. NYC banned dogs on subways. This beautiful mess happened.

  • I was hanging out with friends after Poetry Slime, and we started talking about bands we listen to. I’ve always enjoyed the more mainstream stuff, but I took notes. I’m in love with these new-to-me bands:

    • Plumander

    • Destroy Boys

    • Illuminati Hotties

    • Japanther

    • Amyl and the Sniffers

Review: Moving

if there’s one thing universally scowled at even more than deciding where to live, it’s moving one’s stuff there. Moving a large amount of furniture and Disney knick-knacks is never an easy task.

Do you move it? If so, how? Or is it best to let a professional take care of it? Are you a minimalist; hoarder; stuck with your deceased parents’ stuff; meaning to declutter? It’s all, quite frankly, overwhelming. And, also frankly, none of us feel like we should give a damn about moving stuff at all.

Author’s note: I like the Gone With the Wind joke “frankly I don’t give a damn” a bit too much. Not entirely sure why that is…

No joke, I moved into my new apartment in Oakland, California on April 1st. A sunny Friday where my biggest priority was to get every box out of my truck and into the new 600+ square feet studio apartment. Thankfully I quickly found an elevator that would allow me to bring my red little wagon up to the fifth floor and avoid stairs. But what about utilities? Where does everything go once brought in? Oh yeah, we don’t have shelves yet. Or the Prince Futon - another story for another day.

Now, where did I put… everything..?

I have never been able to afford a service, but maybe I will once I move out of this new apartment in a year’s time. The service is many hundreds of dollars, but those hunky dudes generally do a great job and get a big house of furniture cleared within hours. I’ve heard this takes a lot of pressure off of a homeowner’s shoulders. I have yet to experience this.

What’s great about trying to be a minimalist while on the road: everything stays packed up and you can forget about it. What’s not great: you now lack certain things like dishes, bowls, bookshelves, et al. But now you get to set everything up.

Oh, and don’t forget that the internet router must be confusing - also a review for another day.

I have yet to hear a story that I would consider truly positive. My own experience in a new city, in a new part of the United States isn’t technically a “nightmare” comparatively, but this still hasn’t appeared without its kinks. I give Moving one star. Or maybe one truck.

How to Find the Best BBQ in Memphis

How to Find Barbecue in Memphis

Look, good barbecue (ahem, BBQ) recommendations in Memphis is tricky. Especially as a tourist. Here’s a hot take: there is no best restaurant. BBQ joints here are a dime a dozen and there’s a reason for that. Quite a few restaurants have been established for decades. Others have only been around for a few years, but are still well established.

If you’re a first time visitor to Memphis and you want to check’em out, the list of places can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, there are ways to figure this out. Here is a guide to asking the right questions any time you visit Memphis.

Dry vs. Wet
How strong is the taste?
Do you like your meat cooked with or without sauce?
Do they have easily accessible sauces on the side?
How saucy should it get?
Questions like these should pop up when asking for a recommendation. This will

reveal what type of toppings each restaurant will carry. How much spice each sauce carries. It even tells you if they focus primarily on hot sauce or just spicy sauces.

Me, personally? I like sauce. Sauce is good. Especially if there’s more on the side of my plate. Plastic cups or ramekins, it doesn’t matter to me.

Hot or Mild

Growing up I always called myself a “wimp” when it comes to spicy sauces. That almost exclusively referred to bbq restaurants. But hot sauce is always about the Scoville units. Plenty of entrepreneurs have crafted their own sauces that are, indeed, spicy.

However, there is a focus on different flavors rather than how long that terrible feeling remains.

Atmosphere
What kind of place do you want to visit?
Do you want a history of the restaurant on the walls? Some, like Central BBQ, have

that. Others, like Tops, are pleasantly bare bones.
Do you want set dressing from all over? Rendezvous is the best place for that. To be honest, this isn’t something many bbq eaters think about. If you’re lucky

enough to meet someone who works at a restaurant, but they’re off the clock, then they are the best to ask.

Sometimes the menu might be ok, but others times the background vibe just... clicks with you. You feel like you could come here often and stay awhile. Let’s say you’re a solo traveler, bouncing around. So this may not matter. But if you have a family tagging along, it’s crucial for a good experience. When you ask around for a few different places, this can narrow down the options. Maybe you can do some recon before the whole family goes? Some restaurants may have fun art all over the walls, but it may be a hole-in-the- wall.

Cooking Method
How crispy do you like your pork cooked?
This is similar to the dry vs. wet questions mentioned above. Although that only asked

if you wanted sauce or not. This section goes beyond the saucy scope. What does a particular restaurant use to cook their meat? Two restaurants have amazing bbq and use two separate methods for producing their product.
Central BBQ uses oak and hickory wood where pork and ribs are slow-roasted in a pit

for fifteen hours each day. Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous uses a similar method (pit, time, et al), but uses charcoal instead of wood. Tops BBQ uses another method entirely.

Beer or Nah?

Does the restaurant have beer? Canned and/or on tap? What’s the variety? Can any of the employees pair a selection with something on the menu? This sounds like a “wine pairing,” but this is one reason why this is an important question. Even if you don’t drink alcohol, this can tell you if one restaurant carries Coke or Pepsi. My restaurant carried Pepsi, which constantly surprised customers.

Not all restaurants serve beer. At least, there are a few that I’ve noticed. But it has become popular for most restaurants to have their own beer menu, on top of the wide variety of meats and vegetables. In fact, beer on tap is becoming synonymous with BBQ restaurants. This may be in part because of the Memphis in May BBQ Fest held in May of each year.

I worked at Central BBQ (the original on Central Ave.) for two years. In that time I heard quite a few questions where I had to think of an answer, often on the spot. Some answers seemed obvious to me, but they often weren’t to the folks from out of town.

Ribs or nah?

This feels like a point of tension depending on which Memphian you ask. Do you want to try ribs? Or stick with a pork sandwich? Maybe you want to study the menu a bit more and look at other meat options, like turkey or beef. If this is your first time or trying a different spot on your fifth visit, you want to keep ribs as a separate question from pork or other meats. In fact, treat this as a completely different menu from the sandwiches.

Word to the wise: I’ll go ahead and say that Memphis bbq restaurants don’t know how to cook beef. Let Texas be the winner in that category.

Memphis BBQ is unparalleled. However, there are quite a few options and that gets overwhelming fast. When you visit some friends or family, start asking questions like the ones above and you’ll narrow down options fast. To rework an old saying: Break ribs instead of break. That’ll make more sense in the sense of BBQ. This way you can do what matters most: human interaction.