[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20337]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF SERVICE AT MELEAR'S BARBECUE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LYNN A. WESTMORELAND

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2007

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, the Representatives in these hallowed 
halls of Congress come from every corner of the United States, and our 
pallets and diets are as varied as our accents.
  When I say ``barbecue'' here in Washington that means something 
totally different to people from different parts of this country. In 
Texas, barbecue is beef. To others, barbecue is pretty much anything 
cooked on a grill. But in my home State of Georgia and in surrounding 
southern States, barbecue means only one thing: pit-cooked pork.
  Americans concerned about the ``McDonald's-ization'' of this Nation 
need only come down South for some fine barbecue cuisine. While pork is 
always at the base of southern barbecue, the secret is in the sauce and 
in the sides. Drive a hundred-mile radius from any barbecue joint in 
the South and the meal and preparation will probably be totally 
different. In parts of the Carolinas, you're more likely to get 
mustard-based sauce while pretty much throughout Georgia the sauce of 
choice is vinegar-based. In east Georgia, your side might be hash and 
rice; in west Georgia where I live, you'll probably get a side of 
Brunswick stew.
  One thing that's always the same: No matter where you go in the 
South, the locals think their brand of barbecue beats out the rest.
  Residents of Fayette County in Georgia's Third Congressional District 
have dined on pork barbecue and Brunswick stew and sweet tea at 
Melear's Barbecue for 50 years this month. Restaurants make their 
profits pennies on the plate and they have to sell a lot of plates to 
stay in business. The majority of eateries go out of business within 2 
years of opening. To survive for 25 times that long testifies to the 
Melear family's good business sense, yes, but also to their good 
barbecue.
  The fine Southern cuisine isn't Melear's only draw; it's also a 
neighborhood gathering spot for the people of Fayetteville. It's where 
local city council members, county commissioners and sheriff's deputies 
meet up to plot plans, and it's where aspiring politicians running 
statewide in Georgia head to shake hands with the community's leaders.
  Melear's is a special barbecue restaurant in that it's open for 
breakfast, lunch and dinner. I confess that as a longtime homebuilder 
in Fayette County, there was a time when I started every day off right 
with a heaping breakfast served up by Kenny Melear.
  The people of Fayette County and I personally am thankful for 50 
years of fine meals and good company at Melear's. I congratulate Kenny 
and his family for a half-century of success and send best wishes for a 
half-century more. And with those best wishes, I'd like a barbecue 
plate with Brunswick stew and a big glass of sweet tea.

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