Monday, October 26, 2009

Riot Punch, Moonshine and Mint Tea

After hanging out in Hickory for several days I migrated northwest to the mountain town of Boone, North Carolina. I rode up there with a guy named Taylor who is obsessed with Appalachian State University and "It's Always Sunny in Philladelphia". So obsessed, in fact, that when one of the characters on that show went to a baseball game toting a drink called 'Riot Punch', he contacted the writers of the show, asked for the recipe, and then after getting a reply, made a gallon of the troublesome concoction and got thoroughly blitzed at the ASU game the following day. I have to say, Riot Punch is quite tasty and when I finally make it home, I'll make up a gallon for anyone who wants to try some.

While hanging with Taylor in the ASU parking lot, a group of tailgaters were building some wicked-awesome barbecue. I wasn't ashamed to snag a plate and devour it. I couldn't let it go to waste. Besides, I consider myself to be quality control and the food needed my stamp of approval. Before the game started and I made my way away from campus, a guy passed through, talked with us a bit, and after sampling the Riot Punch, he offered us some of his own drink, a mason jar full of Moonshine.

I'm not sure it's possible for any bacteria to grow in my body right now. That shit could strip the paint off an oil tanker. I think it cleaned my teeth.

After a little more time wandering the streets of Boone, which is an awesome little town surrounded by mountains, I ran into a girl I'd talked with online and she took me back to her llama farm where her and her boyfriend live... in a tee pee. yeah, you heard me right, a tee pee on a llama farm.

I've been kissed by a black llama named Cusco and squawked at by non-egg-laying chickens. It's a bit different than what I'm accustomed to. The tee pee is pretty cool, made from pine poles and stretched canvas. It has a flap that can be opened to let the smoke out and closed to prevent the rain from coming in. It has central heating (a wood burning stove in the center of the floor) and plumbing (a compost outhouse that's 40 feet away).

When I started this trip, I hadn't heard of Boone, had no interest in hanging with llamas (the ones near my house are plotting to kill me) and didn't think that anyone still lived in tee pees.

I found some mint plants growing on the farm and harvested a few leaves, took some water from a nearby stream, and made some mint tea on my alcohol stove. It was quite tasty, but I should have shredded the leaves more before making the tea (I'm just drinking all sorts of homemade things lately).

I'll be in the tee pee until Wednesday, then I'll be off again, running in some random direction. I'm not sure where I'll go once I leave Boone. I might just hitch for several days and go wherever the drivers will take me. If I make a decision, I'll be sure to let you guys know. If not, I'll let you know where I am when I get there... assuming I can figure it out.

Thanks for following along. It's been a blast so far and each day seems more exciting than the last. There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now.

8 comments:

Gracie said...

Wow, kissed by a llama. Hope there was a breath mint involved somewhere.

Enjoy the tepee and the llamas and have fun running to parts unknown.

-- Gracie

Akalina@unomaha.edu said...

What was the recipe to that Riot Punch??

www.yesrousselot.wordpress.com said...

http://www.recipezaar.com/Moroccan-Mint-Tea-55799

Best mint tea, and let it brew a long time. and if you want to add a little crunch, pine nuts are the best.

Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Glad u are having a good time exploring! Thanks for the updates! Stay safe! - Cassie

Anonymous said...

Hey whats that riot punch recipe? Thanks alot


posterboy_187@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Riot Punch is not so much a recipe, as it is more a state of mind. Well, that's what I found out at the game.

It's everclear and gatorade to taste. I used a blue colored gatorade and simply poured the bottle of everclear into the container and drank straight from the gallon.

WARNING: Shortly after Jason and I parted ways at the game, I was black-out drunk and have no recollection of anything that occured for the next 12 hours. So if you're intent on doing it, just understand that it will put you on your ass. You have been warned.

Unknown said...

Lol...you're having some interesting adventures. No one can deny that! At least we know after the moonshine, you won't catch anything too nasty!

Theatre Geek said...

Kissed by a Llama!