Further to the issue of barbecue sauce. This may really be my last Llano-related post for a while, but the sauce is important enough that it deserves its own marker.
Cooper's barbecue sauce is perfectly suited to my tastes. It's runny and tart, not particularly sweet. There's obvious pepper in it, but not so much that it's hot. My darling prefers sweet, clingy barbecue sauces. I don't. I collect and hoard the Cooper's and try to make it last until the next visit.
One day I asked a worker whether it was vinegar-based, and he said he thought so. That was at service time. The next day I went in early, before opening time, to see whether I could possibly get a recipe for my own use. I asked the workers first, and they referred me to the manager.
I poured on the charm. "Your barbecue sauce is THE BEST barbecue sauce I've ever had! As I'm sure you can hear, I'm not from around here. I'd suuure like to be able to make it for myself for those times when I'm away; we only pass through here twice a year."
He smiled.
"Any chance I could get the recipe for my own personal use?" I wheedled. "I promise not to share it."
Not a chance.
"Well, could you at least tell me the ingredients? A list? Rough proportions?"
Nope.
"Is it vinegar based?"
He politely explained that he couldn't even tell me that. There are franchisees who pay "big bucks" for that recipe, and it wouldn't be fair to share it with me. He couldn't even tell me the ingredients. But they sell it! By the bottle, by the gallon. And they ship!
I thanked him for his time and explanation, told them we were looking forward to seeing them all that evening, and left. Of course when I made my purchase that night I loaded up on the free sauce. But I did also buy a bottle.
The joke's on me! The first ingredient is ketchup! I never would have guessed that.
