Road Food Please!
About five or so years ago, I drove to Bowie, Texas to visit the Bowie Trade Days.
This market is held the weekend preceding the second Monday of every month. It is the usual flea market/trade day that traces its history back to simpler times in rural America when money was scarce and the barter system thrived.
There were stalls indoors and out displaying everything from household goods to farm implements; tools, dishes, books, clothes, old mason jars, knick-knacks, cast iron frying pans, furniture; well, I could keep going on here.
Sprinkled around the grounds are road food and beverage vendors.
They work to keep us fed and happy as we hand over hard-earned cash for that rusty treasure that will grace the patio back home.
You can always find hot dogs, burgers, corn dogs and such at these venues.
One of my great pleasures on these trips is to walk along, while viewing the tables full of stuff, with a piping hot, hand-dipped corn dog dripping mustard before my steps.
While the deep-fried goodies are always a treat, I usually try to seek out food vendors who are doing something different. True, barbecue isn’t anything unusual in Texas, but a place where hand-held food is being offered, a brisket sandwich stands out.
I had been wandering around the grounds for an hour and a half and was ready for some road food and home.
Home at that time was Denton, Texas. With an hour’s drive ahead of me, I decided to get something to go. I needed some road food. That barbecue truck I had walked past a couple of times sounded like the way to please my hungry stomach. So I headed straight for Klemm’s Smoke Haus. Smiling, friendly faces greeted me as I walked up to the window to place my order. “I need some road food, please. I’m heading back to Denton.”
“Oh, you’re from Denton? I went to school there”.
And, the conversation began.
John and Jan Clem introduced themselves and their son J. J. They spoke of their mission to deliver German sausage and barbecue to the public, as well as a homemade mustard. My ears perked up at this. Not one to miss an opportunity to promote my spice business, I gave Jan one of my cards. I told her I could provide them with some outstanding mustard seeds; organic, even.
We could have talked longer, but another hungry soul had stepped up behind me. By now, J. J. had delivered exactly what I had ordered: Road Food. The brisket sandwich was dressed with sauce, but not too much, so as not to be drippy. It was wrapped in foil and placed on top of a nest of fresh-cut French fries in a paper boat. He then wrapped all in foil It was a neat package of food to place on the console of the car. “There”, he said, “Road Food”. Jan handed me an ice cold soda, and off I went, lunch in hand.
Before leaving the parking lot, I unwrapped and arranged my tidy and tasty road food on the console.
Popping the top on the soda I hit the open road. All was consumed before I made Decatur, about halfway home. Road Food, Yeah!
Klemm’s Smoke Haus seems to keep their food truck up here in Texomaland.
Their base camp is in Edmond, Oklahoma. These days, I am not sure how often they come this far south. So, whenever you are traveling up this way, check out their schedule on their website, http://klemmssmokehaus.com or Facebook and swing by if possible. These are a bunch of friendly, happy people who make you glad you stopped by their truck for a meal.