the pig roast at hollygrove

i am a vegetarian. been a vegetarian since i was 16. it was easy. the only thing i ate around that time which was remotely close to meat was ground beef. never had much of a relationship with beef either. at some point when my mom asked if i wanted her to make kofte, i said no and it was not brought up again.

easy. makes sense?

what did not make sense to many people was when i said i was going to a pig roast in mississippi hosted by my close friend alan huffman. if people knew alan they would flock to get to know him because he just is that kind a man that a person should have in their lives- inspirational, witty, honest and loving. just writing about him makes me want to be at hollygrove with the hundreds of others who will be there this weekend.


alan built hollygrove in 10 some years one piece at a time. hollygrove inhabits 2 incredible dogs- jack and truman, a mean and rotten snake that the dogs find at the creek near by and many many trees. hollygrove has the honor to host the annual pig roast in the fall where this huge pig is brought from this meat warehouse thing (i had my eyes closed while they brought it out), stuffed by a core group of friends who come earlier than the guests, and is then cooked in a slow fire pit for 24 hours. there are shifts, there are times to flip the pig, the fire is always under control, and alan is the head of this entire operation.

every year.

those who do not attend are invited the year after and if they do not show up again are promptly removed from "the list". no one messes with the pig roast. there are only 4- 5 people in the US who have pig roasts.

i went 2 years ago. i was not the only vegetarian. you see people do not come for the pig alone. everyone comes to see everyone else and to see alan. he draws friends all across the nation and the planet (me for example).


alan. he and i have travelled some together. my dream is to travel with him through a desert, does not have to be the sahara, it could be rajasthan for example. the first time we met was through a mutual friend and we had stayed at hollygrove. our actual friendship grew over the years especially after i came to turkey. alan's writing is awe- inspiring. i have known reporters but until i met alan i really did not know reporters who risked their lives to get to the bottom of something. what kind of belief is that that would lead one to risk everything?

alan's new book is coming alive soon (www.alanhuffman.com). he worked on it night and day, through his father's illness and passing, through the storms that hit the south, and here he is putting the pig roast together this weekend.

i would have liked to be there with you alan.