Hey folks, Lindsey here. Ahhh, it does feel good to get back on the Fridge Magnet blog after a week and a half away. I’ve missed all the banter and brainstorming that goes along with it. Thanks again to Nona, who kept us entertained and informed while I was away. Without her, I’d have had to put the blog on a temporary hiatus in order to fill in for my editor.

Of course, just because I wasn’t blogging doesn’t mean I wasn’t eating! In fact, I experienced a very exciting opportunity on Sept. 20, when I got to judge the rib cook-off at the Big Lick Blues Festival at Elmwood Park in Roanoke. I’ve been dying to tell you guys about it.

This is only the second time I’ve judged food since I became the food writer for The Roanoke Times. The first was a chocolate contest. You might be surprised to learn that I would much rather make myself sick on pork ribs than cookies and fudge.

These judging experiences are rather interesting; the rules all depend on the particular contest. At the chocolate festival, I was allowed to chat as much as I wanted with the other judges. So we found ourselves talking about such things as the subtle hints of cinnamon and chile pepper in a piece of fudge. At the rib cook-off, no talking was allowed. So much for me advising my co-worker, music writer Tad Dickens, who said he knows way more about the blues than the bbq.

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