Couldn’t keep any food down due to a hangover, but that didn’t stop me from trying. The day started with a simple little egg bake that our host Kate made for everybody. It was tasty, just eggs and I think bacon (I was realllllly hungover, so hungover in fact that I still feel hungover). I ate a piece of it and managed to keep it in my stomach for about 5 minutes.
We had about a 5-hour drive from Sarasota to Jacksonville. I spent most of that ride in a hangover induced coma, leaning on my pillow on the window. The one shining moment was when we stopped for gas and a stretch, and I found ice cream, soft serve vanilla awesomeness. I kept it down until our next pee break. It was totally worth it. Look at that happy face!
When we got to our venue for the night, it was BBQ Sunday, so they had free food laid out like crazy, and they wanted us to eat! So I tried. Damn, did I try. And the food was really good, that's the worst part. There were spiced, grilled burgers, fat and juicy, so good I didn't even use a bun. I have thought a lot about it, and I have to say that this was the best burger I had the entire length of the tour - it was spiced that well. I kept it down for all of five minutes.
Then I went back for some of the BBQ chicken. It was perfect! Charred skin, tons of sauce and flavor. The meat was tender and fully cooked. It practically fell off the bone. I kept it down just long enough to finish the piece I had, then had to make a run for the bathroom.
There was also a crockpot full of spicy tomato-based veggie soup, which included everything from corn to okra. I really like the soup the most, so I made at least three attempts at it. None of them succeeded. But the length I was able to keep each batch down made me hopeful. Keep in mind that we were still going to have to play a set that night, so I was really trying to get past this nausea and get myself somewhat in shape to play.
Then I went back for some of the BBQ chicken. It was perfect! Charred skin, tons of sauce and flavor. The meat was tender and fully cooked. It practically fell off the bone. I kept it down just long enough to finish the piece I had, then had to make a run for the bathroom.
There was also a crockpot full of spicy tomato-based veggie soup, which included everything from corn to okra. I really like the soup the most, so I made at least three attempts at it. None of them succeeded. But the length I was able to keep each batch down made me hopeful. Keep in mind that we were still going to have to play a set that night, so I was really trying to get past this nausea and get myself somewhat in shape to play.
Time came around to set up my drums. I did, but sloooowly. We finished up getting ready to play, did quick line checks, and and then we were given ten minutes to chill before we had to come back up and play. I had one last smoke and then, on my way back to the stage, I saw there was one piece of chicken left so I figured, "What the hell?" I picked it up and tore into it. It was slightly blackened and crisp on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, holding the spicing all the way through. I finished the roughly hamburger-sized piece on my trek to get behind the drums. My nausea had fallen away, and it took a couple of songs to get warmed up, but the set went really well and I didn't have to puke through any of it.
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Chestnut Growler plays drums for The Swaggerin' Growlers, a punk/folk band based in Boston, MA. He tours full time. This blog is about the food experienced on the road: the good, the bad, and homemade and the gas station sammiches. You can find the band here: The Swaggerin' Growlers
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