Alton Brown – Feasting On Asphalt

Alton Brown of Good Eats fame presents this 4 part series.Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feasting_on_Asphalt”Slashfood” wrote:Feasting on asphaltAlton Brown is hitting the highway in 2006 to bring the food network a new show, Feasting on Asphalt. The show will chronicle Alton’s road trip across the US on Route 66. According to the Food Network, he will be riding his motorcycle and stopping by “secret hamburger hideaways” and “delicious truck stop diners.” By adding Alton as the headlining food celebrity on yet another non-cooking travel show, perhaps the Food Network is trying to convert some of his Good Eats fans to the new network format. Personally, while the food at some of these places might be good, I don’t think that the “culinary heritage of America” will be found there. With a good dictionary, the network might discover that “heritage” means an inheritance or tradition passed down through the generations. It seems unlikely that the country, having been around far longer than biker bars, would have gotten the bulk of its “good eats” from them.Episode 1 Alton and his team begin their cross-country venture on the Isle of Palms in South Carolina where he lays out the rules of the road and introduces viewers to his crew and fellow travelers. With a rev of his motorcycle engine, the road warriors head to Jack’s Cosmic Dogs in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., for hot dogs and insight into what makes a perfect roadside restaurant. Then it’s off to the nearby Pitt Street Pharmacy for a chocolate shake, an egg salad sandwich and a quick lesson on the soda fountain’s place in road food history. Other stops along the journey include: The Biscuit Place in Washington, Ga., for a real Southern breakfast and a lesson in authentic biscuit making, the Streamliner Diner in Savannah, Ga., and Shirley’s Soul Food Cafe in Toccoa, Ga. In addition, Alton swings by the Hobo Hollar, a vegetable stand off Hwy 11 in South Carolina, to taste watermelon and finishes up the episode at the South 21 Drive In in Charlotte, N.C.Episode 2 picks up with pork aplenty in North Carolina. From there Alton and his crew ride a sampling of the best motorcycle roads in the Smoky Mountains. In Corbin, Ky., Alton examines the roots and legacy of Colonel Harlan Sanders, the Elvis of fast food and in Bowling Green, Ky., Alton learns that Duncan Hines is more than a cake mix.  After a taste of Monroe County BBQ, Alton moves on to Evansville, Ind., for a meal of burgoo and brain sandwich. The show ends with a late night, long distance dash to the cathedral of frozen custard, Ted Drewe’s in St Louis. Episode 3 begins with breakfast in a RV and moves to the site of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Alton talks to a food history expert about food myths and facts surrounding the fair before continuing his ride on route 66. During the weekend, he visits the small town of Florence, Kans., for a look at the history of Harvey House restaurants and to buy every cake auctioned at a Spring Fling fundraiser. After running out of gas and spending the night alone in East Colorado, a snow ball challenges Alton’s efforts to make coffee at 14, 000 feet and everybody gets a swinging steak in Mexican Hat, Utah.Episode 4 Alton cooks fry bread and mutton with a Navajo family celebrating the birth of their son’s baby. Outside Las Vegas, his motorcycle falls in heavy gravel requiring a visit to the hospital and a bowl of jello.  Bruised and broken, Alton continues his journey to the coast in the back of a rented SUV. Undaunted, he cooks pea and ham soup in his 12 volt crock pot while traveling, spends the night in a wigwam and talks about the state of the union of road food with those who know it best, long distance truckers. The show ends with a movable feast through the streets of Los Angeles courtesy of the Hawthorne Police department.See small txt files for codec info.