It's early, but thus far Florida has a commanding lead over Alabama in the Great Barbecue Wars. Tonight, I ate at the Barbecue House, the oldest barbecue joint in Auburn, Alabama.

It came highly reccommended, and I was quivering with hungry excitement. The first sign something was wrong was when they told me they were out of chicken. How can you call yourself a barbecue joint and be out of chicken at 6 p.m.? The pulled pork was bland, the barbecued cole slaw (which I'd never had and was feverishly anticipating) was bland and even the baked beans were tasteless. The best thing on the platter was the white bread.

Give me Sonny's with their great barbecued chicken and all-time, world-class baked beans. Give me Bono's. Give me Ken's even. The decor was pretty stark, too, just a counter with a few tables and chairs. Maybe they have different barbecue taste buds here.

Bama's behind, but it's only the first quarter and the game isn't over yet. Plenty of barbecue to come.

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