I'm not a big fan of NPR's This I Believe segment. Usually I can't change the channel fast enough. But today, coming back from the grocery store with an incredibly thick new york strip, something was different. The speaker's chosen topic wasn't preachy or sanctimonious, it was... about BBQ!

There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Barbecue

"I believe in barbecue. As soul food and comfort food and health food, as a cuisine of both solace and celebration. When I'm feeling good, I want barbecue. And when I'm feeling bad, I just want barbecue more. I believe in barbecue in all its regional derivations, in its ethnic translations, in forms that range from white-tablecloth presentations of cunningly sauced costillas, to Chinese take-out spareribs that stain your fingers red, to the most authentic product of the tarpaper rib shacks of the Deep South. I believe that like sunshine and great sex, no day is bad that has barbecue in it."

Jason Sheehan, James Beard Award-winning restaurant critic for Denver's Westword newspaper, nailed it, big time. Listen to or read the whole essay here. Unfortunately, NPR doesn't offer podcast versions of these segments, but you can listen via Real or Windows Media.