As a freshman in college with no car, the dining hall became my home away from home. This meant that every day, my tastebuds were blessed with the wonderful aroma of mystery meat, overcooked rice, mushy vegetables and whatever else they served. Now I’m not exactly complaining about my Suwannee fine-dining experience, but sometimes, I crave a meal that’s a bit more mouth-watering. Thankfully, my prayers were answered when my friends called me up one Sunday afternoon, asking me if I wanted to take a quick beach trip up to Alligator Point. Eager to get some sun, I immediately packed a bag before we crammed into the car and voyaged to the coast. Given the name, I half-expected Alligator Point to be infested with man-eating alligators, so it was a pleasant surprise when the sand was bleach-blonde and the waves were crystal blue.
The sun was out, our buns were out, and everything seemed like it was working out just fine… until we realized that we hadn’t packed any snacks. But that’s okay, we all voted on eating my friend Charley if it ever came to it.
I’m kidding. That was a joke, I swear.
Seriously though, when you take a bunch of starving teenage girls to the beach without any food, well, you can imagine that it starts to go downhill really fast. We left shortly after sunset, clutching our growling stomachs as we made our way back to the car. We unsuccessfully tried finding a nearby fast-food place, but we were kinda in the middle of nowhere. So, in desperation, we sped down the windy road in pursuit of finding some morsel of food along the way.
I didn’t know heaven could be shaped in the form of a barbeque hole-in-the-wall restaurant, but let me tell you, the food was practically crafted by God himself. When we saw the sun-weathered sign that read “Hamaknockers B-B-Q,” the car screeched to a halt before veering a sharp turn into the small parking lot. I was drooling while scanning the menu, and I finally decided on a pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, and a side of mac-and-cheese. It was the best pulled pork sandwich I had ever had in my entire life. Like, if I were hypothetically on death row, my last meal would be from Hamaknockers B-B-Q. I know it’s impossible to achieve perfection, but that pulled pork sandwich was perfection – which was written all over my barbeque-smeared face. All I’m saying is that if you live in Tallahassee, grabbing a bite from this place is one hundred percent worth it. My mouth is starting to water just writing about it.
Although it’s a little bit of a drive for most students who live in Tallahassee, wolfing down freshly cooked barbeque after a sunny day at the beach surprisingly goes hand-in-hand. And if you don’t believe me, then go on over to Hamaknockers and try it for yourself. I promise, your tastebuds won’t be disappointed!
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