Truck dining – Good food, easy entertainment and cruise control

Blue Highways by Tee Gentry I love my truck. I love the freedom it affords me. I love that I can hop in and, at the drop of a  hat, explore the small towns and hidden gems that surround us. It's more than merely transportation - it's a gateway to the places and people that make the South so interesting.  It's also a dining room.  I love truck dining. There is real appeal to a parking lot, a little fast food, and a few minutes of solitude.  Think about it. There is no one to bother you, maybe a podcast while you eat the big burger you overpaid for and there is nobody to judge. It’s just you, the podcast, and part of the cow.  I have parking lot rules. They must be very big. Walmart is great. Target is not. You may get judged if someone sees you eating in the Target parking lot. It is a lot more bougie. At Walmart, anything goes - even pajamas and no shoes while carrying a small pet raccoon and eating the pork rinds you just picked up in aisle three.   I may have seen that.  My go-to for truck dining is Chick-fil-A or Wendy’s. They are conveniently located next to the North Augusta Dairy Queen. I have been known to eat lunch and then hit the DQ for a Heath Blizzard dessert. My favorite used to be the Puppy Chow Blizzard, but Dairy Queen discontinued that. I imagine it was because the Queen thought I was slowing killing myself eating them as often as I did.  RIP Puppy Chow Blizzard. A moment of silence please.  I have also been known to chow down in the world’s busiest parking lot, Buc-ee’s. I was lured to this convenience store on steroids by the I-95 billboards in North Carolina.   Buc-ee’s was building the billboard hype before the store opened - “Beavers Working.” A couple of other favorites: “You Can Hold It 147 Miles” and “Potty Like a Rockstar.” They sure are proud of their restrooms.  I digress.  Eating in the Buc-ee’s parking lot is people watching at its best. It’s kind of like Walmart without the raccoons. Of course, they do have a beaver.  Bon Appetit.