I appreciate all the comments and kind words, but I’m going to turn off the comments. There’s nothing more to add to this post. My photos and follow-ups will come in a future post.

As our fine Chazen has said this event is a Kiddush Hashem and one of the reasons that ASBEE is now my family’s spiritual home, after having grown up at the Reform Temple here. Of the 40 teams, well over a third come from families and organizations outside the Orthodox community. But, everyone learns about Kashrut and it is such a community unifying event. Craig, don’t worry, there are plenty of folks who speak like you, but down here in the south, we welcome you in spite of that. It’s the Southern Hospitality, we get it, and try and spread the “love”. And just to make sure no one gets the wrong idea, for however modern our Shul may be, men and women sit seperately and don’t dance together, we don’t have a microphone in the sanctuary and the parking lot is closed on Shabbos and Yom Tovs.

But, then again, it’s all about the “que”. And there was some spectacular food cooked up on Sunday, by some ratehr diverse groups. From the Haddassah Honey’s to Japeth, Shem, No Ham to Kosher’s Eleven to the Moo-sic City Machers. Everyone had a fabulous time, and got to eat samples from the participants and concessions from the Sisterhood’s Cowsher Cafe. We here at The Anshei just hope that many more of you from far and wide venture next year to the home of The Blues, Southern Hospitialty and the one and only 20th Annual ASBEE-Kroger Kosher Barbeque Contest. As Granny Clampett would say “Y’all Come Back Now, Ya Hear.”

Aryeh, had the second set of photos been released with the first, my gaffe might have never seen the light of day, and half the posts on this thread might have been eliminated. Black velvet kippot are something that would never have been seen in the Louisville of my teens. And the photos and newscast do show a fun time was had by all, a tribute to the planners and participents of the event.

Not Impt, it’s a matter of style. I speak directly, and I don’t beat around the bush, and I don’t mince words, I’m not diplomatic. Such a writing style (as well as a speaking style) has always resulted in a certain amount of backlash and animosity on the part of others, due either to misunderstanding of what I’ve written or said, or due to perfect understanding of what I’ve written or said. It’s a style that seems to run in my family, especially the bull males, and its a style that has garnered my father obm, my uncle obm and I both respect and detractors. Perhaps such directness is a bit antisocial, but what the heck.

Jon, thanks. I’ll note in passing that Louisville has had its own share of kashrus/food problems recently. My mom tells me that the snack bar at the JCC closed down, and reopened again only after many families signed a contract that they would commit no less than $50/month towards food from there, or forfeit the balance- that was the only way to guarantee a working profit, which has the only way to perpetuate the only kosher restaurant in Louisville. Then my mom said it was made milchig, limiting the desirability of eating in a kosher restaurant (I note that fleishig restaurants are almost always more popular than milchig in the Jewish world), but now the people are locked in contractually. Do I understand the situation correctly? Such are the trials and tribulations of trying to get Judaism going in the South.

Also, here’s a link to see the local Memphis news reporting from the BBQ.

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/mediacenter/local.aspx

Then scroll down to “Mid-South Kosher BBQ Contest”