The Tale of Tray Jammer (A BBQ Odyssey) LbNA #32757
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jun 24, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Gladstone |
| County: | Clay |
| State: | Missouri |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | Chieftain  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Patience4 |
| Last found: | Sep 27, 2008 |
| Status: | FFFFFa |
| Last edited: | Jun 24, 2007 |
***CHECK SITE STATUS UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE***
This is the second in a series of letterboxes commemorating Kansas City’s outstanding BBQ heritage. Following the clues to this and subsequent letterboxes will regale you with some tales of BBQ lore, present you with the opportunity to avail yourself of some mighty righteous “Q” and participate in a fun taste test comparison. Oh, and find some humble letterboxes too, of course! Let’s get started.
A BBQ TALE!!!
As you read in the “Good to the Bone” letterbox narrative, our Hallmark department would regularly visit Arthur Bryant’s in the 70’s and 80’s for lunch. One of the interesting sidelights of those trips was observing the exploits of a fellow we affectionately dubbed “Tray Jammer”.
Tray Jammer was the bus boy (or man) at Bryant’s back then. He may have been the only one; can’t recall another. Heck, he may have been the Senior Vice President of Dining Room Sanitation for all we knew. But TJ was a joy to watch. TJ would stand in a corner of the dining rooms with a stoic, focused stare on his face. Never smiling or acknowledging your existence, his attention was riveted on the many tables in his domain not unlike a hungry lion stalks its victim (or perhaps more like a vulture observing a carcass waiting for the moment to make its move and claim it for its own)! Yes, that’s probably the best simile; an unthreatening but determined human “vulture” watching each table to see when the last gasp of movement was elicited from the dishes, glasses and scraps heaped upon it. When the original predators (we customers) had abandoned the “kill” and made our way to the parking lot, TJ would quickly swoop down on the woeful remains and begin his work.
And what a display it was! Enveloping the unsuspecting table of refuse, TJ would be “all a**holes and elbows” (as the former Hallmark Topeka plant manager was fond of saying) upon his task. TJ would literally THROW the dishes and trash at breakneck pace and velocity into his bus tray with no concern to the resulting “splash back” or its impact on those unfortunate to be within range! It was nothing personal, it was just TJ being TJ; a man on a clean-up mission. Regular patrons such as us learned early on to yield to TJ when he was at work the way you avoided a semi packed with dynamite barreling down the I-70 entrance ramp immediately to your right!
And thus was born Tray Jammer’s nickname and his legend and awesome powers were spread far and wide among Hallmark BBQ fans.
It came to pass one day that a large number of our group made their way to the periodic gathering at AB’s altar of protein bliss. It’s hard to recall so many years later but I’m guessing the crew included me, and likely Blaine, Rich, Lisa, “Curley”, Jim, Win, Ted, Terri, Deidre and Chris among others. Well, as it played out, I was the first one to our table (not being a fool and being a slow eater, I would get into line quickly to stake a claim on the reject burnt end chunks available for scavenge through the order window) and so I settled in to await the arrival of my colleagues. Across from us, another group of corporate BBQ junkies walked in, and by way of preemptively staking their claim on an empty table, draped their suit coats across the backs of the chairs and waddled off to the ordering line. As the Governator would say; “BEEG MISTAKE!”
Unfortunately for them, the table beyond theirs was quickly vacated by its former residents, now swollen and satisfied from their BBQ gluttony. Standing in his corner sentry post, TJ coolly noted their retreat and set upon his attack with a fierce determination in his eyes! As he thundered toward the emptied table, tray in hand, I watched his approach but had no worries as he would pass me on the next aisle over. But as he came to the table of the guys who had just left their coats and joined the “feeding line”, one poor soul had made the fatal error of leaving his chair partially in the aisle, blocking TJ’s path. As we knew, nothing deters TJ in the execution of his responsibilities. In one brisk motion, TJ placed his hand on the offending obstacle and scooted it back under the table and proceeded to his destination.
However, to my horror and amusement, when he pulled his hand back from the back of the suit coat hanging on the chair, a HUGE red hand print was left indelibly impressed in BBQ sauce on the fabric!!! Unbelievable! This was like something Bill Murray would do at the Olympia Café on "Saturday Night Live" but no one could have written a script to equal this!!
Needless to say, when my cohorts made their way back to our table and I showed them TJ’s unintended handiwork and shared the story, this became the source of hours of laughter and wove its way into our department’s cherished BBQ history. Truth is indeed often better than fiction!
I haven’t been to Arthur’s for years. Is TJ still there? I don’t know but I DO care. Wherever you are, TJ, live well and ultimately rest in peace!
THE SECRET CLUES!!!
To start you on the second branch of the BBQ trail, drive yourself (and your appetite, once again) to the City Market parking lot at the northwest corner of Fifth & Main. As before, if you are so inclined, try a little “Q” at Winslow’s but not too much; save room for the goodies at your pending destination (what happened to the original founder of Winslow’s?).*
Now having nibbled a little at Winslow’s again, get back in your car and head east on Fifth. Proceed 0.1 miles to the intersection of Main & “1,000” Boulevard. Turn left and head north for 0.1 miles. At the intersection of “1,000” Boulevard and Third Street, turn right. Follow Third for 0.2 miles until you reach the north-bound entrance ramp to the HOA Bridge (how long did it take to construct this bridge?).** Proceed 2.8 miles north and at the base of the far-north river bluff the street you are on heads up the hill and changes names to “Oak” (in BBQ lore, what is Oak known as?)***. Now continue north for 3.8 miles watching street numbers as they increment. Just short of reaching “2 To The 6th Power” Street (OK, yet MORE math; I bet you wished you had stayed awake in Freshman Algebra now!) Look for a restaurant on your left by the name of "My Kitchen" (if you lived south of our border). Turn in here and proceed to the back of the parking lot.
Near the southwest corner of the lot will be a lone wooden light pole. Being careful to not draw undue attention, get out and walking north about 17 paces from the pole, go behind the small clump of bushes and a young tree bordering the lot where a short path has been mowed behind the vegetation just described. There, on the uphill side of the path hidden in more foliage you will find “The Tale of Tray Jammer” resting beneath two large pieces of rotten wood.
NOW THE TRUE FUN (#2)!!!
Having completed your letterboxing chores, walk back to your vehicle and look to the northeast end of the parking lot you are in. There you will see (and hopefully smell) a second restaurant; this one still open and happily churning out some very tasty “Q”.
As stated in the “Good to the Bone” letterbox clues, this is the other BBQ joint worshipped for the succulence of their beans. Go in, have another great meal and make sure you try the beans and make mental notes about their qualities.
Now take your clues to “Good to the Bone” (if you haven’t already found it), find the box, eat at that restaurant and sample the other “best beans ever”.
Once you’ve tried both, cast YOUR vote for best BBQ beans and spread the word!
ANSWERS TO TRIVIA…
* Sadly, Don Winslow unexpectedly passed away in 1994, as I recall, of a stroke
** Seven; that’s right, SEVEN years (and you thought the pyramids took too long!)
*** The “Queen” of smoking woods (hickory is “King”)
*****STATUS UPDATE - OCTOBER 17, 2010*****
VISIT TO THE SITE SHOWS THAT A GOOD DEAL OF BRUSH HAS BEEN CUT AND PILED ON THE SHORT PATH BEHIND THE SMALL TREE AND BUSHES. YOU NEED TO GO TO THE OTHER END OF THIS PATH (NORTH SIDE) AND ENTER FROM THERE. THE BOX IS STILL HIDING AS DESCRIBED UNDER A LARGE PIECE OF BARK.
This is the second in a series of letterboxes commemorating Kansas City’s outstanding BBQ heritage. Following the clues to this and subsequent letterboxes will regale you with some tales of BBQ lore, present you with the opportunity to avail yourself of some mighty righteous “Q” and participate in a fun taste test comparison. Oh, and find some humble letterboxes too, of course! Let’s get started.
A BBQ TALE!!!
As you read in the “Good to the Bone” letterbox narrative, our Hallmark department would regularly visit Arthur Bryant’s in the 70’s and 80’s for lunch. One of the interesting sidelights of those trips was observing the exploits of a fellow we affectionately dubbed “Tray Jammer”.
Tray Jammer was the bus boy (or man) at Bryant’s back then. He may have been the only one; can’t recall another. Heck, he may have been the Senior Vice President of Dining Room Sanitation for all we knew. But TJ was a joy to watch. TJ would stand in a corner of the dining rooms with a stoic, focused stare on his face. Never smiling or acknowledging your existence, his attention was riveted on the many tables in his domain not unlike a hungry lion stalks its victim (or perhaps more like a vulture observing a carcass waiting for the moment to make its move and claim it for its own)! Yes, that’s probably the best simile; an unthreatening but determined human “vulture” watching each table to see when the last gasp of movement was elicited from the dishes, glasses and scraps heaped upon it. When the original predators (we customers) had abandoned the “kill” and made our way to the parking lot, TJ would quickly swoop down on the woeful remains and begin his work.
And what a display it was! Enveloping the unsuspecting table of refuse, TJ would be “all a**holes and elbows” (as the former Hallmark Topeka plant manager was fond of saying) upon his task. TJ would literally THROW the dishes and trash at breakneck pace and velocity into his bus tray with no concern to the resulting “splash back” or its impact on those unfortunate to be within range! It was nothing personal, it was just TJ being TJ; a man on a clean-up mission. Regular patrons such as us learned early on to yield to TJ when he was at work the way you avoided a semi packed with dynamite barreling down the I-70 entrance ramp immediately to your right!
And thus was born Tray Jammer’s nickname and his legend and awesome powers were spread far and wide among Hallmark BBQ fans.
It came to pass one day that a large number of our group made their way to the periodic gathering at AB’s altar of protein bliss. It’s hard to recall so many years later but I’m guessing the crew included me, and likely Blaine, Rich, Lisa, “Curley”, Jim, Win, Ted, Terri, Deidre and Chris among others. Well, as it played out, I was the first one to our table (not being a fool and being a slow eater, I would get into line quickly to stake a claim on the reject burnt end chunks available for scavenge through the order window) and so I settled in to await the arrival of my colleagues. Across from us, another group of corporate BBQ junkies walked in, and by way of preemptively staking their claim on an empty table, draped their suit coats across the backs of the chairs and waddled off to the ordering line. As the Governator would say; “BEEG MISTAKE!”
Unfortunately for them, the table beyond theirs was quickly vacated by its former residents, now swollen and satisfied from their BBQ gluttony. Standing in his corner sentry post, TJ coolly noted their retreat and set upon his attack with a fierce determination in his eyes! As he thundered toward the emptied table, tray in hand, I watched his approach but had no worries as he would pass me on the next aisle over. But as he came to the table of the guys who had just left their coats and joined the “feeding line”, one poor soul had made the fatal error of leaving his chair partially in the aisle, blocking TJ’s path. As we knew, nothing deters TJ in the execution of his responsibilities. In one brisk motion, TJ placed his hand on the offending obstacle and scooted it back under the table and proceeded to his destination.
However, to my horror and amusement, when he pulled his hand back from the back of the suit coat hanging on the chair, a HUGE red hand print was left indelibly impressed in BBQ sauce on the fabric!!! Unbelievable! This was like something Bill Murray would do at the Olympia Café on "Saturday Night Live" but no one could have written a script to equal this!!
Needless to say, when my cohorts made their way back to our table and I showed them TJ’s unintended handiwork and shared the story, this became the source of hours of laughter and wove its way into our department’s cherished BBQ history. Truth is indeed often better than fiction!
I haven’t been to Arthur’s for years. Is TJ still there? I don’t know but I DO care. Wherever you are, TJ, live well and ultimately rest in peace!
THE SECRET CLUES!!!
To start you on the second branch of the BBQ trail, drive yourself (and your appetite, once again) to the City Market parking lot at the northwest corner of Fifth & Main. As before, if you are so inclined, try a little “Q” at Winslow’s but not too much; save room for the goodies at your pending destination (what happened to the original founder of Winslow’s?).*
Now having nibbled a little at Winslow’s again, get back in your car and head east on Fifth. Proceed 0.1 miles to the intersection of Main & “1,000” Boulevard. Turn left and head north for 0.1 miles. At the intersection of “1,000” Boulevard and Third Street, turn right. Follow Third for 0.2 miles until you reach the north-bound entrance ramp to the HOA Bridge (how long did it take to construct this bridge?).** Proceed 2.8 miles north and at the base of the far-north river bluff the street you are on heads up the hill and changes names to “Oak” (in BBQ lore, what is Oak known as?)***. Now continue north for 3.8 miles watching street numbers as they increment. Just short of reaching “2 To The 6th Power” Street (OK, yet MORE math; I bet you wished you had stayed awake in Freshman Algebra now!) Look for a restaurant on your left by the name of "My Kitchen" (if you lived south of our border). Turn in here and proceed to the back of the parking lot.
Near the southwest corner of the lot will be a lone wooden light pole. Being careful to not draw undue attention, get out and walking north about 17 paces from the pole, go behind the small clump of bushes and a young tree bordering the lot where a short path has been mowed behind the vegetation just described. There, on the uphill side of the path hidden in more foliage you will find “The Tale of Tray Jammer” resting beneath two large pieces of rotten wood.
NOW THE TRUE FUN (#2)!!!
Having completed your letterboxing chores, walk back to your vehicle and look to the northeast end of the parking lot you are in. There you will see (and hopefully smell) a second restaurant; this one still open and happily churning out some very tasty “Q”.
As stated in the “Good to the Bone” letterbox clues, this is the other BBQ joint worshipped for the succulence of their beans. Go in, have another great meal and make sure you try the beans and make mental notes about their qualities.
Now take your clues to “Good to the Bone” (if you haven’t already found it), find the box, eat at that restaurant and sample the other “best beans ever”.
Once you’ve tried both, cast YOUR vote for best BBQ beans and spread the word!
ANSWERS TO TRIVIA…
* Sadly, Don Winslow unexpectedly passed away in 1994, as I recall, of a stroke
** Seven; that’s right, SEVEN years (and you thought the pyramids took too long!)
*** The “Queen” of smoking woods (hickory is “King”)
*****STATUS UPDATE - OCTOBER 17, 2010*****
VISIT TO THE SITE SHOWS THAT A GOOD DEAL OF BRUSH HAS BEEN CUT AND PILED ON THE SHORT PATH BEHIND THE SMALL TREE AND BUSHES. YOU NEED TO GO TO THE OTHER END OF THIS PATH (NORTH SIDE) AND ENTER FROM THERE. THE BOX IS STILL HIDING AS DESCRIBED UNDER A LARGE PIECE OF BARK.