Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: What's up, guys? Welcome back to the Bama Balance. Real stories about college students, mental health.
This is a little different for us.
[00:00:48] Speaker C: So different, isn't it?
[00:00:50] Speaker B: Those that are listening, you're probably going to hear some fryers going off. Yeah. Maybe some old creaky doors being opened. But we're pretty excited for this episode. We're in a legendary Tuscaloosa spot, so.
[00:01:04] Speaker C: Absolutely. Do you want to let us let them know where we are?
[00:01:07] Speaker B: Rama Jamas, baby.
Awesome. I'm literally looking at the stadium right now.
[00:01:13] Speaker C: It is an amazing place to be.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Very cool place. A lot of cool stuff on the walls.
Just a really. This is true Tuscaloosa, right here.
[00:01:23] Speaker C: It is. It is such a landmark. You know, we're. So we're recording it on the eve of our game against Tennessee.
And one of the things that is also remarkable is this.
Is this piece of the.
I guess it's the flag. Is that what it is from. I can't remember what it is, but it moved from high top tower crane. Anyway, it looks like it was flown above Bryant Denny during one of the games here.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Tennessee orange, too.
[00:01:48] Speaker C: That's right. It's that pumpkin.
[00:01:50] Speaker D: Glad we tore that down.
[00:01:51] Speaker C: I know it's that pumpkin kind of.
[00:01:53] Speaker D: Yeah. Inside of a pumpkin.
[00:01:55] Speaker C: Peacock orange.
[00:01:57] Speaker D: Isn't this is kind of surreal because isn't there like a post game radio show that happens here?
[00:02:02] Speaker C: There might be.
[00:02:03] Speaker D: I'm pretty sure there is.
[00:02:04] Speaker C: I don't know.
[00:02:05] Speaker D: I think it's like the Todd 109.
[00:02:08] Speaker C: Oh, there could be like. They do. They do.
[00:02:10] Speaker D: Hey, coach at Baumhowers. But I'm pretty sure they're post game.
They do From Rama Jams.
[00:02:14] Speaker C: Yeah. Could very well be.
[00:02:16] Speaker B: Sweet.
[00:02:16] Speaker C: Yeah. It's so good to be here. We want to thank everybody here at Rama Jammies for. For having us here and we're very excited to be here. You know, particularly shout out to Michael Hebron. Hopefully he'll be able to join us here later as part of the podcast.
And there's just a lot of a Lot of things we could talk about as I. As I look around. All the different memorabilia and things of that sort.
Just so much to be able to talk about. This is our first go at being remote.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: Yeah. We're taking this thing on the road.
[00:02:54] Speaker C: I know, I know.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: May need to do it again.
[00:02:56] Speaker C: I'd love to do it again. Absolutely. Well, I talked to somebody about this earlier and they suggested in the student center, just right in the middle, like. And you know where Big Al is? That Tupiary.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:09] Speaker C: Doing it right there.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: Yeah. Now that'd be interesting.
[00:03:12] Speaker C: That'd be kind of fun.
Or the quad would be really good. Yeah, that'd be very good.
[00:03:17] Speaker D: There's some good ambiance there.
[00:03:19] Speaker C: Yes. Yeah. Get a couple quad squirrels, maybe, to join us.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: Yeah, they're nice enough. They'll just come right.
[00:03:25] Speaker D: You'll come right up to you.
[00:03:26] Speaker C: We can have a bowl of peanuts right there for them.
[00:03:28] Speaker B: Yeah, no doubt.
[00:03:28] Speaker C: So we can do that big, big
[00:03:30] Speaker B: game this weekend, I guess. This will release next week.
[00:03:33] Speaker C: This will release next week, so. Yeah, so it'll release.
So it'll. Folks will be able to hear it after the game and then in prep for whatever our next home game is. That's homecoming.
[00:03:43] Speaker B: A and M. Yeah.
[00:03:44] Speaker C: So we are also pre. For. Pre. Homecoming.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Right now a lot of stuff happening.
[00:03:49] Speaker C: So much.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: Gotta win some football games.
[00:03:51] Speaker D: Isn't that the truth?
[00:03:52] Speaker C: Gosh.
I mean, I haven't even. We haven't even talked about the last game, the Georgia game.
[00:04:00] Speaker D: I'm still mad about it.
[00:04:01] Speaker C: I don't know if there's much more to say about it other than, you know, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
[00:04:07] Speaker D: True. I don't think we looked bad.
[00:04:08] Speaker C: No, I don't think so either. I don't think so either.
[00:04:10] Speaker B: I think we did not play to the best of our ability by any means.
And they played pretty well.
And we were. We were right there in it. George Barry and George.
[00:04:23] Speaker C: George is a dang good team, let me tell you. And I'm convinced that we were the best team they faced so far.
[00:04:30] Speaker B: Did you happen to hear Kirby's pregame speech?
[00:04:33] Speaker C: No, I didn't.
[00:04:34] Speaker B: They got leaked and he's not happy about it. But you've got to listen.
[00:04:38] Speaker C: What does that mean? So he's.
[00:04:40] Speaker B: Somebody took a video of it in the locker room and, like, posted it. Basically really public. But you should. You should look it up when you get in your car.
Really very sabanesque.
[00:04:52] Speaker C: Interesting.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: Definitely kids do not need to listen
[00:04:55] Speaker D: to it, but okay.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: It was Epic. Like, I loved it.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:04:59] Speaker B: It was what the game's about.
[00:05:01] Speaker C: Wow. So I look forward to it. Very cool.
Speaking of which, a whole different subject before we transition.
Have you started watching the ESPN special docu series?
[00:05:16] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:05:17] Speaker C: What do you. What are you thinking about?
[00:05:18] Speaker B: That intro was awesome. Stones playing. Yes.
[00:05:21] Speaker C: That was.
[00:05:22] Speaker B: That was epic.
[00:05:23] Speaker C: Fantastic.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: I think it's a good depiction of him, too.
[00:05:27] Speaker C: It's so good.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: And I think a lot of people do, outside of Alabama, fans think, oh, that guy was such a butthole. Like, just not nice.
[00:05:35] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:36] Speaker B: Which he wasn't.
[00:05:37] Speaker C: Right. They see that one side of him.
[00:05:39] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: But. But he meant. He meant it in a greater way than just yelling at a bunch of kids.
[00:05:43] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:05:44] Speaker B: And that's what made him so good.
[00:05:46] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:46] Speaker B: So. So.
[00:05:46] Speaker C: So it's such a great series. Have you seen it yet, Edward?
[00:05:49] Speaker D: I. I'm. I have not started it yet.
[00:05:51] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:05:52] Speaker D: I. I want to be able to kind of watch it in pretty much one sitting, and I haven't had enough time.
[00:05:57] Speaker C: I think that's a great idea.
[00:05:58] Speaker D: Kind of set aside eight hours. Yes.
[00:06:01] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:02] Speaker D: Or I think that's what, an hour an episode?
[00:06:03] Speaker B: Eight episodes.
[00:06:04] Speaker C: Something like that. Or maybe six.
[00:06:05] Speaker D: Or maybe six or six episodes. Either way, I want to kind of digest it all at once. So I'm waiting to have a little bit of time right up to Knoxville.
[00:06:15] Speaker C: Yeah, I know. It's. Yeah, Yeah, I.
That's right. That's right. Yeah. I can't wait to get to the next couple episodes, but I'd like to see it again all in one sitting.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: No doubt.
Well, we're super excited to be here. Epic location, legendary place in Tuscaloosa.
Means a lot to a lot of people, especially the people of this town, so. And get a pretty good view right now.
[00:06:40] Speaker C: Great view, isn't it? And some good smells coming out of the.
[00:06:42] Speaker B: Yeah, no doubt. I'm about to get hungry over here, so.
But no, this was great. Intro segment. We'll be back here with segment one. This is the Bam Balance.
Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa.
[00:07:11] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest Emergency room.
[00:07:53] Speaker C: Welcome back, everybody, to the Bama Balance on our first segment. And again, it's such a great feeling being here at. At the one and only Rama Jamas. You know, looking around, there's so much history, so much memorabilia here.
It's amazing. It's almost. It like floods the senses.
[00:08:09] Speaker D: Like, I'm not. That's. I'm not. I was about to say, like, I keep looking around just because I feel like I'm seeing a new thing every time I turn because there's so much cool stuff in here.
[00:08:16] Speaker C: Yeah, it's so amazing.
And I remember this series, too. Right? ESPN's Taste of the Town with Top Blacklidge. Again, just classic, classic stuff. And it feels. Feels great to. To be here to kind of do our. Our podcast and what. And one of the things. So as I was talking to Michael Hebron, and he's been so gracious to let us come here and record our podcast today. And as I was talking with him, one of the things that he really emphasized in supporting us doing this is his openness to, you know, supporting universities, supporting students, and making this a real community spot, because that's what it is, you know. Such a community spot.
[00:09:05] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:09:06] Speaker C: Do you. Do you remember when you first came here to Ramajan's, like, your first game?
[00:09:12] Speaker B: Or do you Remember we're gate 28 with my dad's seats? So, like, this was always.
It was always fun to look over here because there's one, always a ton of people here.
[00:09:23] Speaker C: Right.
[00:09:24] Speaker B: Two, you've got the big, like, T shirt vendor and all that sets up right outside of here on game days.
[00:09:31] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:32] Speaker B: But the first time eating here, I was super young.
But I do remember I get being a really cool place. I was with my dad, my granddad, my grandmother. And of course, my granddad's a Alabama guru, so, you know, he can. He could stay in here and look around for hours and not get tired.
[00:09:50] Speaker C: So that's amazing.
[00:09:52] Speaker B: It was pretty cool, though.
[00:09:53] Speaker C: That's very cool. How about for you?
[00:09:55] Speaker D: I did not eat here for the first time until I got to school.
[00:09:59] Speaker C: Oh, really? Okay.
[00:10:00] Speaker D: When I would. Every time I come up Tuscalooza for a game or for anything my dad would take, there was three places we went. It was if we had breakfast, we were going to Waysider. If we had lunch, we were going to City Cafe. And then dinner, we were going to Dreamland.
[00:10:13] Speaker C: Yeah, well, you know, can't argue.
[00:10:15] Speaker D: So we didn't do anything. So I. We never ate here until I had come to school. But I Mean, I had seen it plenty of times, but I remember the first time I ate here, I just went here with a friend, and it was for breakfast, and it was so good, and I just. It's such a fun community spot, and I think it is cool having this really cool area right next to the stadium, this neon sign.
This looks like it's been here for 100 years.
[00:10:45] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh, it's so cool.
[00:10:46] Speaker D: I mean, it is very much so a spot that is. Even if you're. Even if you don't go, I mean, kind of like what you said, just like walking by it and seeing it is awesome. And you get to be a part of the. Just the pageantry of it all.
[00:11:02] Speaker C: I love it. And, you know, Gareth is our producer for this show, and so, Gareth. We apologize in advance for the ambient noise, but I think it's what makes.
Really comes alive. I think, you know, we can tell there's so much energy and so many memories here at Rama Jammins. As you know, as I was talking with Michael, one of the things that he was invested in is making sure that this was a community spot where people could gather, and that, you know, that really speaks to the whole notion of a sense of belonging and social connectedness.
[00:11:36] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:36] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:11:37] Speaker C: And sometimes it's hard to find that on a campus because either for lack of a tradition or lack of something, but Ramajans has been here for such a long time that it is.
It's an institution. It's its own tradition. It's so much a part of the university community in the city of Tuscaloosa. That's been great.
One of the things we also talked about is this notion of not just
[00:12:04] Speaker B: how
[00:12:06] Speaker C: a business or place can bring people together, but also this notion of sharing food and building community around food.
And so much of what Rama Jammas is, is food and bringing people together. It is so good.
[00:12:22] Speaker B: When's the last time you've been to an event or like a gathering of people that you have not had food there? But that's been like, the main thing you focus on.
[00:12:32] Speaker C: I can't. I can't think of a one that hasn't had food or something like that.
You know, some sort of nourishment or.
[00:12:41] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:12:41] Speaker C: You know, Food, drinks or something. Yeah. Available.
I don't. I think it's difficult to have a gathering, particularly with friends or family, without some sort of food, because, you know, it's not just food, but it's kind of nourishment. It's connection. How do you.
And how you relate to each other around that.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: And I think, like, sitting around a table is awesome.
[00:13:06] Speaker C: It is.
[00:13:07] Speaker B: I can just. Because. Because then you're forced to, you know, talk to people.
[00:13:11] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:12] Speaker B: My parents, when I was little, they made sure that I did not ever have my phone. Phone at the table. That was like a number one rule.
[00:13:20] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: And I guess this was not when I was little, but more is when I was a teenager and stuff.
[00:13:25] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:13:25] Speaker B: And now I'm so, like, pet peeve of it. Like, my friends do it. It drives me nuts.
Like, we can. We can sit here and have a conversation for an hour and a half.
[00:13:35] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: And be fine without our phones.
[00:13:37] Speaker C: Yes, that's right.
[00:13:38] Speaker B: The day age that we're in, you know, people think they need it or have to be on it at the time.
[00:13:44] Speaker D: You ever made people do, like, a phone stack?
[00:13:47] Speaker B: No, I've never done that. You talking about like, where whoever grabs it first?
[00:13:51] Speaker D: No, you just say everyone puts their phone. Like everyone put your phone in the middle, and you just stack all the phones up on top of each other. And then, you know, it's easy to keep someone from grabbing their phone just because it's like, it's so obvious what you're trying to do and you're like, stop doing that. And it discourages. Just because, you know, it's not like, in your pocket. You can't just, like, check it. You're.
[00:14:10] Speaker B: I have seen, like, people put their phones in like a circle and like, the first one to get a notification that, like, they want to look at and grab it, like they have to pay for the first round of drinks or whatever. I think that's a great idea.
[00:14:24] Speaker C: Yeah, that's not a bad idea.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: That's pretty funny, too.
[00:14:28] Speaker C: That's really cool. Edward. What?
When was last time you were here or the first time you came here to Ramos?
[00:14:35] Speaker D: It was in. I was in school.
[00:14:36] Speaker C: When you're in school, do you remember what you had or what the occasion was?
[00:14:38] Speaker D: First breakfast.
[00:14:39] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:14:39] Speaker D: Yeah, I was getting breakfast with a friend.
[00:14:41] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:14:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:42] Speaker C: Okay.
It's, it's. It's. It's. It's something to be able to kind of share a meal and all that. I think most of my.
I think most of the connections that. That I make, you know, particularly, it's the first time it's over coffee or over a meal. Sometimes it's in the office. Well, you know me, I'm meeting students out for coffee or lunch or something like that.
[00:15:07] Speaker B: Yeah, you're always on the.
[00:15:08] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. And so it's. It Just feels like that's a natural way for me and a. And a less intimidating, I think, way to connect with others. You know, if it's over a cup of coffee, how do you. How can you be intimidated over that or.
[00:15:26] Speaker B: I think a lot of the students that meet with you, us included, you know, we like that.
I think students like that sort of thing.
Sometimes when you go, like, not necessarily like in your office, like I feel like, but like anytime you're. You're walking into Rose administration to meet, you know, with somebody that may be on the higher end of things, like, you know, that's kind of nerve wracking.
Like a restaurant kind of puts you on, like an even playing field.
[00:15:52] Speaker C: Yes. Yeah.
[00:15:54] Speaker B: And like we said, food's great to gather around.
[00:15:57] Speaker C: Kind of breaks down some barriers and stuff like that.
Do you now how, how often do you think, like your friends or your family even spend that sort of dedicated or intentional time to share a meal or to connect over you?
[00:16:19] Speaker D: Pretty much anytime we're all together.
[00:16:20] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:16:21] Speaker D: We try to have a meal together. I know like a few weeks ago, my sister, she just. She's doing grad school in England in Cambridge, so we. Before she flew out of Birmingham and the night before, we all. They made sure, like, we were all there and we had, even if it's something like we just did, like take out pizza and brought it out of my sister's house. But it was still, I mean, it was making sure that we were eating together and having conversations. I think that is what kind of.
That has always been a priority in my family, I think, is that anytime we're together, at least for one meal, we're gonna try to eat together.
[00:16:57] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:16:57] Speaker D: Even if it's not dinner, just to
[00:16:59] Speaker C: be able to sit and connect and be with each other. So as you were talking about that, Edward, I'm. I had a smile on my face because somehow I'm imagining, you know, all the fountains at one table with that. With a couple gallons of fresh milk, the raw milk, the good stuff, you know, let's. Let's break out the good stuff. The kids are home.
[00:17:22] Speaker D: I mean, that's pretty much what happens.
[00:17:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
I love it. I love it over you, Bruxy.
[00:17:30] Speaker B: You know, it's a little different for me just because I was the only child, so.
But we.
If it was during the week, like we were eating dinner together, of course, unless stuff got tough and, you know, maybe we had an away game or something.
[00:17:46] Speaker C: Right.
[00:17:46] Speaker B: It just didn't work out with baseball or football.
But as far as like extended family, grandparents go. We always ate Sunday dinner at my grandmother's. And that was. That was a lot of fun because, you know, the cousins come and it's everybody kind of under one roof and of course good food.
[00:18:06] Speaker C: There's great gathering.
[00:18:07] Speaker B: That's some good stuff right there. But yeah, I mean, we tried to every opportunity we got and still do. But it's a lot tougher, you know, when you're going home.
[00:18:18] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: Maybe people are all over the place.
[00:18:21] Speaker C: Folks have got their own lives now and it is tough to bring folks and family together and have to be very intentional about it. Do you notice or what do you notice about being here at the university? Is there that same kind of either attempt or do you have opportunities to
[00:18:41] Speaker D: do that, like with my family or just with friends?
[00:18:44] Speaker C: Yeah, with other friends. Yeah.
[00:18:45] Speaker D: I mean, I think there a couple. I've seen it a couple times, like with people I've lived with, especially this year. I mean, like trying to make like every now and then being like, let's all go get dinner or let's make dinner or something. But just, you know.
[00:18:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:59] Speaker D: So that we are all acting kind of, I guess like a unit in that way.
[00:19:04] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:19:06] Speaker D: Especially with. And I think, I think it is different with people you're living with versus, I mean, you can just go get dinner with anyone. But I mean, especially with my roommates, like being good friends with them. I think it's important because you can forget when you're seeing someone all the time, you forget to kind of make some of that time personal as opposed to just you're just seeing your roommate, whether you're like in the kitchen or they're doing whatever, making sure like there is intentional time where you're still fostering that relationship.
[00:19:35] Speaker C: I'm a few person.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: I got, I mean, yet again got kind of lucky all four years being at the house, eating. I know you've been a few, which
[00:19:43] Speaker C: is a great atmosphere for that.
[00:19:45] Speaker B: I mean, I mean, yeah, literally every day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever. Whatever it is.
[00:19:49] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:19:51] Speaker B: You're going to have somebody that's going to sit at that table. Table with you and eat, which was great because you know, the off times that let's say, you know, there's only two or three of us in there. You know, you may be getting mixed up with a freshman and a sophomore as a senior, rather than sitting with just seniors.
[00:20:10] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: So it's been a little bit tougher, you know, this. This year just because there's three of us living together and we've got a lot different schedules, but, you know, we try to all eat in the living room if we're, if we're eating that way we can at least just talk to people, you know, when they walk in and out.
[00:20:30] Speaker C: So that that sense of community and communal connection really, I think is. Is a crucial part of connecting with others. And it may have been, you know, not sacrifice, but compromise because of, you know, we were talking about earlier, our cell phones and just the need to, you know, check on everything or fear of missing out on a message or a phone call. And, you know, my thought is that if it's. That if something is that important, you know, the phone will ring more than once or the message will come through more than once or twice. And so I know I try to be intentional with, you know, with when I'm having a meal with friends or, you know, someone to, to pour that time and energy into that moment and into that connection.
But again, I think it's, it's.
It's a value that is not missing. But we need to get back to.
[00:21:33] Speaker B: I agree.
[00:21:34] Speaker C: Right. That sense of community and connecting. And what better way to do that than over a meal?
There's a lot more to talk about, particularly as we think about the contents of the meal and what might be some of our memorable meals or memorable dishes. But we will maybe talk about that in the next segment. We'll be right back. This is the BAMA Balance.
[00:22:13] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:22:15] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:22:56] Speaker D: Hello, y'.
[00:22:57] Speaker A: All.
[00:22:57] Speaker D: Welcome back to the BAMA Balance podcast. Real stories about college students, mental health. And yeah, we've just been having a good conversation about food and belonging and meals and what that means to share meal with someone and what, you know, ways that that is good for our brains and probably our. Definitely our mental health too, and ways in which we can kind of break out of the cycle of that. That dang phone that they keep telling us about.
But in the break Brooks mentioned, you have story for us? Something like that.
[00:23:29] Speaker B: Oh, yes.
[00:23:29] Speaker D: Are you saving this for later?
[00:23:31] Speaker B: Yeah, which I Guess. I mean, if we're gonna get into stories, I guess I can weed it off. So my granddad takes me, my older cousin, and we're all two years apart. So me, my older cousin, my little cousin, we go camping one day, this campground on Lake Eufaula.
And we go with my. My granddad's brother, who is a. Is a trip. Absolute nut.
You know, he's. He served in the military for a long time. I mean, he's just a fool. Well, I mean, the weather gets like super bad. So like, we're hiding out raining or like cold. Like the, the craziest rain storm I can remember as like a little kid.
[00:24:16] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:16] Speaker B: So we're all like piled up in one truck.
You know, this rain's coming down when the rain finally stops and we are, at this point, we are starving, me and my old cousins. Like it's probably nine o' clock at night now. Well, all we had brought was a fryer and we had some fish.
And my granddad and uncle start dropping this fish down in the fryer and we are, we are eating them hot out of the. I mean, just tearing them up. Well, you know, it comes to the end of the end of the bag of fish and there is none left. My granddad and uncle hadn't eaten. Oh no, we just got so hungry, we were tearing up. But my granddad and uncle still talk about that to this day. Say it was one of the best. Yeah, like just things they've ever seen.
And of course they didn't eat. I guess they just enjoyed watching us eat. I mean, we were tearing it up.
I remember it being amazing. It was probably okay, but I thought it was the greatest thing on the earth.
[00:25:18] Speaker C: That's such a great memory.
[00:25:19] Speaker D: That is so weird though, how there'll be situations where in any other normal situation, like some kind of food or something wouldn't be like out of this world. But like, if you're like, maybe a little more hungry than you usually are or. Yeah, some things are just like way better given the circumstance. Like there's like. I don't think I've ever had better food or water than getting done with like a hike.
[00:25:44] Speaker C: Oh, for sure.
[00:25:45] Speaker D: Like if you. There's like places in like my family, we'd go hiking in, in North Georgia, North Carolina.
And then like we go hike these mountains and go back and go to Asheville or something. And there's just like so many fun restaurants. And there's this one place like a candy store called Kill Wins. They do like chocolate fudge. And stuff. It's like after a hike, you get a candied apple and you. And I'm not like, I don't eat those normally, but for whatever reason, it's just like the moment makes it so much better than it normally would be. That's what that was reminding me of.
[00:26:17] Speaker C: It is so good. You know, I'm thinking back on two things. The first one is, you know, during Christmas time, our family would host a Christmas Eve, like, open house.
And when. I meant, when I say open house, I mean, it was like lines of cars up and down, not just our driveway, but the street.
So much so that one year, police had to knock on our door and say, could you ask your guests to move their cars because they're blocking other people's driveways? Oh, gosh, it's a lot. But it was so much fun. And so our family was known for that Christmas Eve open house. But there was so much food, food that was a part of that that folks would bring.
Bring in. You know, my, you know, my mom and my grandmother was there at the time, would help cook and just prepare. And it was a lot. It was so much fun because, you know, it's the holidays. You know, we'd have our. Our bar open. We'd have all the food and buffet going, and you could just, like, meander around the house. You know, when my friends came over, we just meandered downstairs stairs and find a corner in the den and just sit and catch up. But it was all about this notion of welcoming everybody into your home. It was such a great memory.
I never forget it to this day. And one year, I remember my dad had been in the hospital and recovered from the procedure, returned home.
And that, that Christmas, we thought, well, you know, we'll just kind of take it easy. Because the AD was still recovering. So we didn't have the.
The open house that year.
But what we notice is folks still driving by our house trying to check out. Oh, I wonder.
I guess we just forgotten to tell everybody. You know, folks knew that dad was in the hospital, he was recovering at home, but. But it was still funny to see cars coming by the house. And we, we kind of wonder, what are, you know, are they looking at Christmas lights? But we also thought, oh, you know, I recognize that car. They're looking for the open house. We just.
[00:28:24] Speaker B: That's hilarious.
[00:28:24] Speaker C: It's so much fun. But. But it's one of those events that. That means a lot to people that connect and, and have a great time eating and stuff like that. The other one Is my best friend Michael and his family lived on a farm in Virginia and they would do an annual July 4th, maybe pig picking. Have you ever been to a pig picking before?
Do you know, do you all know what that is?
[00:28:48] Speaker B: If I had to guess. Let me guess.
[00:28:50] Speaker C: Go ahead.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: I think we both have to give guesses.
[00:28:52] Speaker D: You said a pig.
[00:28:53] Speaker C: A pig picking.
[00:28:54] Speaker B: We've got a pig that's roasted over an open fire.
Full pig.
[00:28:59] Speaker C: Yes, sir.
[00:29:00] Speaker B: And everybody just comes and grabs.
[00:29:03] Speaker C: That is about it.
[00:29:04] Speaker D: I was about to say that. That's the most atmosphere. That's better than anybody.
[00:29:08] Speaker C: It is it. It is a whole hog that's spit roasted. That takes all day just to roast. And over an open fire. And you roast it, you baste it, and you have food out there for appetizers. You've got drinks going, Everybody comes.
So the, the whole day is eating from lunchtime till really when the pig is ready, you know, by dinner.
[00:29:31] Speaker B: Right.
[00:29:31] Speaker C: And so when that happens, you know, they take the pig off the spit, bring it to the table, and then just carve it up. And sometimes you can, you know, pig. I mean, you can pick whatever part of the pig you want and you know, put it on bun or if you want ribs, you can take some of that. The best part is the skin, which is really crispy.
[00:29:52] Speaker B: Oh, I bet.
[00:29:52] Speaker C: Oh, it's delicious. Yeah, it's so good. And you have different barbecue sauces that come with that. It's really, it's. It's so good. I remember one year, this was when I was a, a master's student in Boston. I can't remember remembering all this.
My roommates and I, we found 20 bucks on the street, you know, so we thought, well, what's the responsible thing to do?
So we put a sign in the, in the lobby of our apartment saying, hey, if anybody missing any money, you know, calls us number summer and let us know how much you're missing. Well, nobody called for about a week. So we claimed it and we thought, well, we need to throw a party.
And so what did we do? Well, we thought about different parties, but. But, and these are two friends who are from the Northeast. They never, they never heard of a pig picking before. So I talked to him about it. Yeah, so that's what we did. We got a smaller suckling pig. You know, we brought, brought it back and then kind of really greased it up because you've got to have it in the oven and kind of slow roasted in the oven. We invited some friends over who've never been to Pickpicking before, it was the best time. Oh, I bet it was so much fun. It was so.
[00:31:06] Speaker B: That would be fun.
[00:31:07] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:31:07] Speaker B: Heck, you know, I want to go to a pig picking.
[00:31:09] Speaker C: I know, I know.
[00:31:11] Speaker B: Maybe we should think about doing that somewhere.
[00:31:13] Speaker D: Bama balance.
[00:31:14] Speaker A: Pickpicking.
[00:31:15] Speaker C: Bama bounce.
[00:31:16] Speaker B: Is it against your HOA rule?
[00:31:19] Speaker C: You know, I don't not. I mean, I mean, sometimes it's easier to ask forgiveness later.
[00:31:24] Speaker B: I agree.
Stuff that, I mean, if it was in your backyard, you know, I think
[00:31:29] Speaker C: that might be okay. Yeah, that might be good. That might be good.
[00:31:32] Speaker B: We need to, we need to think about that. I think where we get a hog from.
[00:31:36] Speaker C: Got a hog from. Get a little pit going and just kind of spit roast it and kind of low and slow and just take the day and it's perfect for that kind of stuff.
[00:31:46] Speaker B: That's funny you say that.
Sadly, I have to give Auburn props a little bit here. Brooks, you know they played Florida earlier this year.
[00:31:56] Speaker C: Yes, they did.
[00:31:57] Speaker B: Well, a bunch of the fraternities were just cooking like whole full gators.
[00:32:02] Speaker C: It was awesome.
[00:32:03] Speaker D: I was like, that is.
[00:32:05] Speaker C: That was pretty something.
[00:32:06] Speaker D: That's fun.
[00:32:06] Speaker B: But I mean, like, I'm not sure, you know how that gets passed by health and safety or whatever. But awesome.
[00:32:14] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, must be farm raised gators. I don't know. But yeah, it is awesome. You ever had gator before?
[00:32:19] Speaker B: I have.
[00:32:19] Speaker C: It's pretty good. It's like chicken kind of.
[00:32:22] Speaker B: I think anything fried.
[00:32:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:32:24] Speaker D: Never had alligator.
[00:32:25] Speaker C: Oh yeah.
[00:32:26] Speaker B: It's litter. I mean it's probably closest to chicken.
[00:32:31] Speaker C: It's. It's a, it's a mild flavor that you can tell it's not chicken, but, but, but maybe like dark meat chicken
[00:32:38] Speaker D: or something like that.
[00:32:38] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:32:39] Speaker B: It's good though.
[00:32:41] Speaker C: Yeah, it's pretty good.
[00:32:42] Speaker B: You got to think it's a little chewy. They're. They're pretty strong. Muscular.
[00:32:45] Speaker D: That's. That's sort of my thought process would be, is that they would be a little tender. Chewy.
[00:32:49] Speaker B: Yeah. It's a little bit more chewier than
[00:32:51] Speaker C: chicken, I'd say probably, but good nonetheless. What's the most adventurous food you've had.
Other than a gator?
[00:33:03] Speaker B: Not really.
[00:33:03] Speaker D: I mean, yeah, probably some sort of fish. Yeah, I'm sure like there's a weird like sea creature that I've eaten that is not that crazy. I don't eat that many crazy things. Yeah, my granddad will eat anything. But I, I think seeing him do that growing up, I was like, I'm never like, probably gizzards I don't know. Yeah, yeah.
[00:33:28] Speaker C: I don't.
[00:33:28] Speaker D: Those are. Those are so hard to eat.
[00:33:30] Speaker C: I don't mean, like, they're kind of chewy.
[00:33:31] Speaker D: They're way too chewy.
[00:33:32] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're not necessarily an adventurous eater.
[00:33:37] Speaker D: Yeah, but also, I don't seek it out. I will do it. Yeah, sometimes, but I will. I don't seek it out.
[00:33:42] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:33:43] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:33:44] Speaker C: Brooks.
[00:33:46] Speaker B: I've had gizzards, livers. Yeah.
[00:33:48] Speaker D: I have had living.
[00:33:49] Speaker B: Not bad.
Something like that. Like, you can't really get. Like. I've had fresh tuna on a boat that was caught like 10 minutes.
[00:34:02] Speaker C: That would be good.
[00:34:03] Speaker B: And it was amazing. But that's probably like. I don't know. I don't eat, like, a lot of cr. I'm kind of basic.
[00:34:08] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:34:09] Speaker B: And I've also never really been to, like, anywhere foreign.
[00:34:13] Speaker C: Right.
[00:34:14] Speaker B: Where I may get introduced to crazier foods. I've eaten some crickets and.
[00:34:19] Speaker C: Oh, sure. Yeah.
[00:34:20] Speaker B: Mexico.
[00:34:21] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like fried or chocolate covered or something like that.
[00:34:24] Speaker B: I think they're roasted, maybe.
[00:34:26] Speaker C: Maybe roasted. Yeah.
[00:34:27] Speaker B: Crickets, but.
[00:34:28] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:34:29] Speaker B: That's like the weirdest thing about me eating kind of.
[00:34:32] Speaker C: That's pretty adventurous.
[00:34:33] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm pretty basic.
[00:34:35] Speaker D: Give me a burger and some fries and you're.
[00:34:36] Speaker C: And you're good with that? The. The. The one place I've been lately, maybe a couple years ago, was in Denver. It's called the Buckhorn Exchange.
And you can order their. Their appetizer sampler platter that has a number of things like, you know, like they might have gizzards or liver and stuff like that. They also have something called mountain oysters. You've heard of that?
[00:35:00] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:35:01] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So mountain oysters.
[00:35:06] Speaker D: I'm aware. You're aware of the book, if it is. Yeah, it's exactly what I think it is.
[00:35:11] Speaker C: So what is it that you.
[00:35:12] Speaker D: That you think it is not? It is a.
Not actually an oyster.
[00:35:18] Speaker C: It's not. It's not. It's not an ocean oyster. No, no, it's not. It's. And it's a mountain oyster.
[00:35:22] Speaker D: Still round.
[00:35:23] Speaker C: Very. Yes. Yeah. It can be cow or.
[00:35:25] Speaker B: How does that.
[00:35:26] Speaker C: Cows or goat.
[00:35:28] Speaker D: It was.
[00:35:29] Speaker C: Yeah. So it's sliced thin and fried. So it's kind of like chicken, you know, Any.
[00:35:34] Speaker B: I'm telling you, anything fried.
[00:35:36] Speaker C: I mean, it's, you know, it's. It's, you know, it's. It was one for the books. The other thing that I've had were brains.
You ever had that?
Yeah, yeah.
He's looking at me like I'm crazy. Like.
Like pig brains fried.
[00:35:56] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:35:57] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:35:57] Speaker B: I.
[00:35:57] Speaker C: You know, it's more a texture thing. Not a whole lot of taste to it.
Anyway, it's a bunch of my buddies, Will.
And that's when they were little. Something. Yeah.
[00:36:11] Speaker B: Their parents got them to take a bite of a deer heart. They had just.
[00:36:14] Speaker C: Oh, sure.
[00:36:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:36:15] Speaker C: I've heard that.
[00:36:16] Speaker B: I could never really come around to doing that.
I'm not sure if I didn't as a kid. I was like, heck no.
[00:36:24] Speaker C: Yeah. But we're still kind of warm and.
[00:36:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:28] Speaker C: And.
[00:36:28] Speaker B: And they say it's not bad.
But like, I don't know.
[00:36:32] Speaker C: I. So I believe him because you can. There's a dish called beef carpaccio and it's just really. Slices of raw beef tastes like. And it's the freshest steak you will have ever tasted. It's. It's pretty good.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: I was talking to a few of my friends the other day.
Lebanese background.
[00:36:50] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:36:50] Speaker B: Have you ever had kibbe?
[00:36:53] Speaker C: What is it? Is it ground lamb or something?
[00:36:56] Speaker B: It's just like raw ground lamb. Raw ground lamb. I have pork.
[00:36:59] Speaker C: I have not.
[00:37:00] Speaker B: Whatever.
But they say it's really good. And one of my buddies, supposedly they have it every Christmas and I was like, I've got to try that.
[00:37:09] Speaker C: I think that's it.
[00:37:10] Speaker B: I would love for you to bring some back.
[00:37:12] Speaker C: Possible. Yeah.
[00:37:12] Speaker B: I think he is so.
[00:37:13] Speaker C: Oh, awesome.
[00:37:14] Speaker B: Pretty pumped for that.
[00:37:15] Speaker C: That's cool.
[00:37:16] Speaker B: Yeah. I've heard a lot of praise about it from a few of my buddies that, you know that have that background and eat it.
[00:37:22] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:37:23] Speaker B: Christmas and stuff like that. So that'll be my first. That would probably be my like, I guess just like not crazy, but not Alabama.
[00:37:35] Speaker C: Growing up kind of for into something.
[00:37:38] Speaker B: I'm pretty excited for that.
[00:37:39] Speaker C: That's awesome. That's awesome.
[00:37:40] Speaker D: Well, that sounds like fun.
Well, we are going to take another quick break and be back with our outro. But you've been listening to the Bama Balance.
[00:38:04] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:38:07] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we are. We encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:38:49] Speaker B: What's up, guys? We're back for the ending. Ending segment. Kind of sad. This has been. This has been awesome.
There's. For none of you that have been to Ramajamas, there's open windows everywhere in this room. We're sitting so we can see everybody. We can see into the kitchen right now.
Awesome. Great. People, we want to say thank you to Michael Hebrew and again.
[00:39:11] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:39:11] Speaker B: For having us and allowing us to do this.
[00:39:13] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: But I mean, it's just been. It's been amazing.
[00:39:17] Speaker C: It's been fantastic. Thank you to all the staff here too.
[00:39:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:39:20] Speaker C: Who've been patient with us and have worked around us and, you know, and. And every. All the customers here who are having a good time with their lunch and we're not wanting to bother them. Hope we're not bothering them, but no, I hope not. We're right in the midst of it, so.
[00:39:35] Speaker B: So I can't really tell how loud I'm talking. That's the only thing I've been worrying about this whole time.
[00:39:40] Speaker C: I know, I know, but it's been so. It's been so much fun and really, I think for me it just reiterated the importance of, you know, community.
How we need to maintain our social connections and however we need to do that is, is. Is. Is important. But how much food also plays a part, Part of it. There's something very common about how food brings us together. Everybody has to eat.
[00:40:08] Speaker B: Yeah, everybody's gotta eat.
[00:40:10] Speaker C: Right. So why not have a meal? Why not go have a snack somewhere or something, Take a break. Even if it's a coffee or something like that.
[00:40:18] Speaker D: Right.
[00:40:19] Speaker B: I also think it's awesome and you may be able to iterate on this a little bit, being from a. From a more older soul, you know, having your own house.
[00:40:32] Speaker C: But like.
[00:40:32] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I see so much joy when my dad, you know, is able to grill burgers for everybody. Like, yeah, he doesn't care about eating.
[00:40:40] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:40:41] Speaker B: Like, he could care less. He'll take the cold one, the last one. Like, he just likes to see other people. And I think part of that is having everybody together for that sense of community.
[00:40:52] Speaker C: Yep. I get that. That. I get that a whole lot. When I know last year my nephews would come by and for a game and in, I guess one year they brought up, I think brought friends. I can't remember now, but. But they would come over and, you know, I'd have something waiting for them for dinner when they came back.
And depending on what the game, you know, when game Time was we. If it was in the evening, we go out for lunch, or if it was an afternoon game, you might have breakfast, but then come back and grill something.
[00:41:28] Speaker B: Right.
[00:41:28] Speaker C: You know, outside the deck or have something in the smoker that would be going during the whole day and come back to it and. Yeah.
And it was just the best thing. Such. It's such a good feeling to be able to not just entertain, but serve and be with others and in that way. That way, I think.
[00:41:45] Speaker D: And it smells great.
[00:41:45] Speaker C: And it smells so good.
[00:41:46] Speaker D: It smells so good. I love when people cook, like do Boston Butts and.
[00:41:51] Speaker C: Yeah, it's so good. It is so good. You know, we've been here for a good maybe hour, so I know you guys are heading out to Knoxville for the game today, but I think after this, I'm getting hungry. I don't know about you guys. I'm getting. I'm getting hungry.
[00:42:06] Speaker B: Tell you what, smelling all this, I'm like, golly, Yeah.
[00:42:09] Speaker C: I was going to say if. If you guys are wanting to get some things to go, you're welcome to do that and make everybody else in.
Yeah, no, that'll be on the trip.
[00:42:21] Speaker B: But this has been great. Again, thank you to Rama Jammas for having us. Michael, the staff here, it's been very accommodating to us.
[00:42:29] Speaker C: What a great place.
[00:42:30] Speaker B: And I think we're gonna have to take the band balance on the road again.
[00:42:33] Speaker C: Agree.
[00:42:34] Speaker D: Yeah, 100% agree. This is so much fun.
[00:42:37] Speaker B: This was too good to be true.
[00:42:39] Speaker D: I'll get new batteries, though, so we can.
[00:42:42] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:42:43] Speaker D: This thing.
[00:42:44] Speaker B: Oh, we'll be good. But thank you again, Rama Jamas. Let's get a win this weekend.
[00:42:48] Speaker C: Yes, sir. Roll tied.
[00:42:50] Speaker B: Try to at least and own the homecoming. This will be the. Yeah, right before homecoming.
[00:42:55] Speaker C: Yeah. This will. This will. This will post the Wednesday of homecoming week. By then we'll have known.
How are Knoxville? You know how we did Knoxville and be looking forward to Texas A and
[00:43:08] Speaker D: M. We'll see if the city of Knoxville makes the podcast down to co hosts or not make it out of there live.
[00:43:14] Speaker C: But I'm counting on it. I'm counting on it.
I'm sure that you'll be back, but
[00:43:19] Speaker B: this has been great. Thank you all for listening.
Again, this is the Bama Balance.
[00:43:23] Speaker D: I'm Brooks Barbary at motor fountain.
[00:43:26] Speaker C: I'm Dr. Tony Perez and y' all
[00:43:28] Speaker B: have a good one.
[00:43:29] Speaker C: Roll Tide.
[00:43:29] Speaker D: Roll Tide.
[00:43:46] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:43:49] Speaker A: This show was not intended as a substitute for professional counseling. Further the views, opinions and conclusions expressed by the show hosts or their guests are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Alabama, its officers or trustees. Any views, opinions or conclusions shared on the show do not create a relationship between the host or any guest and any listener, and such a relationship should never be inferred. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, please contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to nearest emergency room.
