TrueSouth episode 2 review: Athens, GA
John T. Edge takes us through the alternative music scene in Athens, samples some ribs and citrus pollo, and shows us how to bridge our divide over a shared table.
By: Bossman Slim
In America today, we can live in close proximity to one another, yet feel like the gap between us could span an ocean. Political differences and categorization of people into this group or that group have left us forgetting our commonalities and impaired us from seeing one another for what we all are: people, sharing this land. In his college town of Athens, Georgia, John T. Edge takes us along for the ride as he helps to show us a bridge to our divides through food, conversation, history and people.
Athens was chosen as the site for Georgia’s flagship university in 1785, and the town was built up around the college. Today, it is home to roughly 115,000 people, which soars on Saturdays in the fall to pack Sanford Stadium and enjoy tailgates and Bulldogs’ gridiron glory. Make no mistake, black and red blood run deeply in this part of the country, as it does throughout much of the state. But as physics teaches us, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The action in Athens is football fervor, bordering on religion. We know it well, it’s the energy on which we founded Biscuits & SEC. The reaction? Athens becoming one of the hubs of alternative/indie music. The town has spawned multiple well-known bands such as R.E.M. (a favorite of my mom’s - sorry mom, they never did it for me), The B-52s, Widespread Panic, Drive-by Truckers and more.
A classic from Athens’ own R.E.M.
All that alternative stuff comes from downtown Athens in the bars and music venues. You don’t have to go far outside of the downtown center, only a few minutes before you encounter a more traditional southern experience. Backroads, rolling fields, barbecue joints and gas station fried chicken.
Take that quick drive out of town and you’ll find the hardest working people in America. Black folks, white folks, and immigrants from many different countries. All who know what it feels like to break a sweat in a day’s work. Many work two and sometimes three jobs.
That describes Larry and Billy Jean Scott, owners of Scott & BJ’s Bar-B-Q. Larry Scott has worked in a factory for more than 40 years. Smokin’ the best ribs in Athens is just his side job. He and Billy Jean started Scott’s Bar-B-Q years ago to earn some extra money since cash was tight and they had kids to feed and put through school. Along the way to make ends meet, they’ve become a staple in the community. Only clean plates are thrown away here. Places like Scott’s are what make America - and particularly the South - great.
I’ll gladly eat three of these plates at Scott’s. (Photo: BamaGrandslammer, Trip Advisor)
Another place that makes the South great, with its flavors you won’t typically find here? Polleria Pablo, just a stone’s throw from Scott’s Bar-B-Q. Drive too fast, don’t need gas, or just look the wrong way and you may miss it. But if you look past the gas station veneer, and wander to the back, you’ll find yourself in the middle of Peru...or Costa Rica...or Mexico, depending on the dish you order. And by the looks of it, they’ll all taste like you’re in Lima, San Jose or Mexico City. Just watching owner Pablo Rivandeneyra work for a few minutes in the episode, you can tell this is a good, hardworking man always seeking perfection of his craft. Rivandeneyra wants to serve the immigrant community in the area who work hard on many of the local farms. He wants to put a smile on their face and give them a reminder of their home, which is why he cooks foods from the different regions south of the U.S. border. By the looks of that Peruvian, citrus-marinated, spit-roasted chicken he’s serving up, he’s achieving both of his goals. His next goal to achieve: the American dream of opening his own restaurant and expanding his business.
It’s hard to find a great picture of the food at Polleria Pablo’s, but even a small picture makes my mouth water. (Photo: Jonathan P., Yelp)
Though Scott’s Bar-B-Q and Polleria Pablo are just up the road from each other, the divide may as well have been a canyon. Two different communities visit the two establishments, not really due to any prejudice, but more from comfort and preference. But at the end of the episode, the TrueSouth crew put together a wonderful TV segment. They hold a show wrap party at Polleria Pablo and invite those involved in the episode to attend, including the Scott’s. The Scott’s happily oblige, and a friendship is born with Pablo. People from two different worlds, from different sub-communities, crossing cultural lines to form a genuine connection over food and beverage. Before this episode, the divide was wide. But after...we’re now amongst friends.
The Scott’s enjoy a meal with John T. and Pablo Rivandeneyra, bridging communities in Athens. (Photo: as seen in Garden & Gun; SEC Network/Bluefoot Entertainment)
We could all learn a thing or two from this scene in Athens, couldn’t we?
You can visit Athens by watching this episode now on ESPN+ or set your DVR for the next airing on SEC Network. No announcement on a new episode for next week, so we’ll keep going in rewind, embarking on our final TrueSouth review of the offseason. When the next new episode is announced we’ll be right there to give it a review. Next Monday we’ll check out the inaugural episode of this show we love so much. We’ll be following John T. to Birmingham, Alabama, home of Michael Jordan’s baseball career. See you there next Monday in “The Magic City.”