#simpsmemories

My memories of Simp's are short, few, and far between.  I just remember always getting a pulled BBQ sandwich, squashed down flat, wrapped in wax paper.  I can remember what it felt like as I bit into it and what it tasted like.  The sandwich was so warm, soft, vinegary, smoky, and a hint of spice.  For most of my earlier years, that was basically the only BBQ that I ever ate, so to me, Simp's BBQ was the only BBQ.  I think that's why I clearly remember how it tasted, and I'm sure that it will always be my baseline for how I judge BBQ from other restaurants.  So far, no other restaurant has met my standards.

I didn't like coleslaw when I was younger, but I grew to love it and eventually started ordering my BBQ sandwich with slaw.  We often got BBQ by the pound to take to the Outer Banks, or to take home.  Although, it never tasted as good reheated as it did fresh.

My dad was convinced that the people working there always laughed at him when he went in.  Maybe it had something to do with Rachel Simpson thinking he was a famous politician in Raleigh.  When she asked him this, he assured her that was just a regular guy.

I don't specifically remember how I learned that it was closed, but I remember being very sad and disappointed.  For a few years, we kept driving by just to make sure they hadn't reopened.  Every time we passed by the old building, my heart sank a little further.

I hadn't been by there in years, and when I stopped there last weekend, I think I finally let go of that tiny bit of hope I'd been clinging onto for so long.  It felt almost like visiting the gravestone of a loved one.