The Inadvertent Hipster

A couple of Saturdays ago, Chloe and I were stopped at the light at Tillman and Summer, just like we are any number of days a week. And as always, I eyed the "HOT TAMALES SMOKED TENDER TURKEY LEGS" sign at DJ's Custom Welding longingly. I've always wanted to come get food from DJ's, but quite frankly I've never had the balls. Do you just walk inside and ask for food? What is even happening here- it's a welding shop! But good lord, they have smoked turkey legs. What am I waiting for?

A few months ago, Kerry stopped for some tamales and her review didn't exactly inspire me to run right over. It did give me enough information to help me wrap my head around possibly stopping there someday, though. And this day seemed like the day. "How would you like to stop for turkey legs after ballet?" I asked the ballerina in the backseat. "Heck yes!" she replied, never one to turn down meat. Now that the idea was in her head, I wasn't going to be able to back out.

So an hour later, there we were, loitering in a parking lot on Summer Avenue- just a regular soccer mom and her toothless, tutu-ed daughter. The man who greeted us was suitably amused. We requested turkey legs, and he went to find someone to help me. So wait- does he even work here? Who knows. I waited by the grills, mouth watering, while Chloe spied some fruit punch and lemonade and started adding to our order. Since I was intensely focused on the turkey legs, I didn't even think to walk over to the menu and see what else they had. (Pork sandwiches, slabs of ribs, tamales, sodas, and some other things. Maybe something about a party platter? I'll leave it to Stacey to follow up with an "official" visit that will surely include pictures of menu, discussions with the owner about how they prepare foods, and a complaint about the lack of a changing table.) A nice woman came out and got us two huge turkey wings, then grabbed a cup to prepare our fruit punch. I thought we'd just get what was sitting out, but she said it was still a bit frozen and went to the back to get some. She said it was already made up, but it took a few minutes, which made me feel guilty. But then she brought back a huge cup of fruit punch that was made the way my Mia used to make Tang- as sugary and intense as is humanly possible- and I was glad I had made her work. And it was topped off with slices of strawberry and peach! YUM. Chloe declared that it tasted like heaven and then we fought over sips of it until it was gone.

Our feast of two turkey legs and a fruit punch cost a mere $12. Really- $5 turkey legs? OMG. We paid (cash) and then raced home, dying to tear into those bad boys. By the time we got home, my car and our clothes smelled like we had been sitting around a campfire. We got in and opened the foil, and the meat was literally falling off the bone. Chloe and I snuck a quick bite and immediately declared, "THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE ONE AT THE DELTA FAIR!" Then the three of us couldn't even finish the two turkey legs. (We made turkey salad with the leftovers the next day. WINNING.) It was so much food, and so good! I immediately wanted to tell everyone I know that they should go there, but at the same time I was worried that if I told everyone I'd gone there, they'd think I was just trying to be cool by stopping at the welding shop for food. And really I was just being fat, not pretentious. Chloe, Chip and I just have a weakness for turkey legs!

Later that day, at the Rock n Romp, I did test out the douchiness of this story by telling a few of my good friends that they needed to stop over there for turkey legs, but that I wasn't going to write about it or anything. One person declared that I should anyway, if the food warranted the praise. Then another told me that I was an "inadvertent hipster" for my ironic purchase of food in a welding shop parking lot. THANKS. But all in all, those turkey legs were the bomb and I think we're going to get them at least once a month for the rest of our lives, if not twice a month. So I did have to share it with you. Go get a five dollar turkey leg and some fruit punch- you won't be sorry!