After classes, about 4 in the Afternoon.

As a consumate explorer, Aggie liked to think she was open-minded when it came to other cultures cuisine. Once, several years ago, her grandmother had bought foods from all over the world and hosted a multi-cultural feast, and Aggie had tried everything. Even chocolate covered crickets. She found exploring other cultures exhilarating and educational, and was proud of her ability to enjoy something different than her own little world, something many of her countrymen couldn't do. But it was getting more and more apparent that Aggie wasn't as experienced and knowledgable as she thought. After months of being in Scotland, she was finding herself desperate for some good, old fashioned American food. Not that the elves didn't try very hard to provide foods they were used to. Poor things did their best, but it just wasn't the same. Aggie wanted something that tasted like home, just for one night.

Then Migs had a brilliant idea to host a BBQ... something nice for all the homesick SWIM students and perhaps an offer of friendship towards the other schools. While they didn't make a big deal out of it, lest the entire population of Hogwarts showed up and they ran out of food, they did hint that any non-SWIM student was more than welcome to join and mingle. It wouldn't be a true American BBQ if someone was turned away hungry.

It had been easier to set up than she thought. Most of the teachers seemed as eager to have a taste of home as the students and the elves in the kitchens were able to provide most of the supplies. The rest had been sent by supportive families, hoping to help their children get a little taste of home. Really, the hardest part was setting the scene. Since it was so chilly outside, they had to set up a large tent, the enchanted kind that seemed bigger on the inside than the out. It was not only much warmer, but it was made to look like they were eating in a sunny field with a beautiful blue sky, dotted here and there with fluffy white clouds. It would remain bright and warm well into the night.

There were 4 one tables set up, each with their own grills and smoker sitting behind them, all festooned with red, white and blue table cloths. There were several checkered blankets laid out in the center of the ring of tables, large enough to sit at least 4 or 5 people each. The delicious smell of bar-b-que sauce from several different regions mixed together and wafted around on the mysterious summer breeze that flowed gently around the tent. Aggie breathed it in deeply, savoring the taste of home, before putting her wand to her throat and letting out a booming shout "All right, Everyone! Here's what we got: If you are looking for something vinegary or tangy, check out the North Carolina grill to the east... Spicy and bigger than life Texas BBQ to the south and for all you weirdos out there that like avocado on your burgers, California to the west...And yes, we have Vegan meals there too, you hippies you..." The grin on her face and the jovial sarcasm in her tone made it clear that she was only teasing her California classmates. They were a laid-back bunch, they could take a joke.

With a swoop of her hand, she motioned to the table behind her "And if you want some REAL, Honest to goodness, mouth-watering, TRUE BLUE BBQ, than please visit me over here at the Kansas City table... We got it all folks..." And then, because they were American and that apparently meant they had to compete for everything, she added "Don't forget to vote for your favorites, folks, the winners get bragging rights as the best BBQ in the nation!" Jumping down from her perch, she looked around to see where Migs had ran off to. He was the guy with the idea, he should be over here, with her, celebrating a job well done.

The Hogwarts elves had graciously provided a lot of supplies and food but Migs was a purist when it came to such things.  Such things as fire and meat.  With his great aunt's help, he'd had some proper wood charcoal sent over from home along with a healthy supply of good, thick, bison steaks.  The bison had come from their own herd and the steaks had been well-aged in their farm's cellars. 

He left the commandeering to Aggie.  She was doing an excellent job - sounded like an announcer at a county fair.  It was a shame they didn't have a cotton candy drum and a couple greased pigs to ride. 

Migs glanced up from his fire to find Aggie pointedly scanning all those in the vicinity until her gaze settled on him.  He left the charcoal to continue catching and crossed the tent towards the fellow midwesterner (though from a much more southern portion of the midwest). 

"We should have a map," Migs suggested as he neared Aggie.  "Bet half these folks don't know where most of these places are."  The US was big.  Anyone that looked at a map or globe knew that.  But, it wasn't really apparent how spread out they were until Migs had compared it to the much more cramped British Isles.  Massachusetts had felt cramped to him, after having grow up out on the vast, empty expanses of North Dakota.  Aggie and Migs were, theoretically, from the same region but they were still a thousand miles apart.  Though, in all fairness, Migs wasn't sure he'd know how to find half of the places the Durmstang students were from.

"They have barbecue," Migs clarified, pointing between Aggie and the other grillers.  "Some of us stick with more ancient art.  No sauce needed.  Just meat, fire and you." 

Kayla had been awfully homesick these last couple of months, and hankering for home food was only one of the symptoms. Even at Salem she was at least in the same culture, and she'd known she could see her family at holidays. Here, though, would they go home at Christmas? It was so awfully far away, and probably a lot of hassle. She did love Hogwarts and its inhabitant, she loved learning about magic in the UK, she liked trying new foods and meeting new people, but it just wasn't the same. She'd been so excited when a barbecue cookout was announced, thinking of summer and heat and home even here in this drafty castle.

She hadn't realized quite how bad it was 'til she'd come into the big tent full of sunshine and blue skies and checkered blankets and nearly started to tear up just from how pretty everything looked. Quickly she'd hurried to her station, a big flag of North Carolina hung up over her assigned grill. She'd had to start way earlier in the morning, before classes even, smoking her meat. By the time she showed up again, all she had to do was chop the pork, mix in some more of the sauce, break out the coleslaw and the hamburger buns, arrange the watermelon slices bobbing happily in a cooler behind her on a platter (thank goodness for those house elves), dump some chips in a bowl, and ta-daaa! Fine eating from her home state!

Well. "All." Like that wasn't enough!

She'd had to make the sweet tea earlier in the day too, but, what was a celebration of eating in the South without sweet tea? A spell from her wand kept it chilly, perspiration forming on the cool sides of the half-dozen pitchers. Kayla was prepared. And she was happy - the pork had turned out nice and tender, and when she tasted the final BBQ product, it had too. She'd never smoked anything on her own before, but her dad had sent instructions. He'd teased her about how for BBQ she really needed baked beans, but Kayla wasn't a fan and so she hadn't made any. No one would notice... she hoped.

When Aggie stepped up and announced the food as ready, Kayla raised her arms in the air and cheered so everyone would know exactly where to go first. "Anyone planning to work their way through the whole US, start here!" she called. "You can go coast to coat." She grinned over at Elle in her California booth, wondering if the other girl was going to counter with some hollering about going "left to right." Kayla herself hoped for an opportunity to leave her station at some point to try all the different flavors. She hadn't yet decided if she wanted to skip out on the avocado.

Over the course of her life, Taryn had heard the 'Everything is bigger in Texas' joke many, many times. For once, it applied to more than just her. The Texas grill had been engorged to a good three times bigger than the others, partially to accommodate its primary cook, partially to accommodate its primary cook's appetite, and partially to keep the four distinct flavors of sweet, spicy Texas barbecue separate enough to cook over their own woods.

"Soup's on, everybody!" she crowed as soon as Aggie and Migs wrapped up. She rubbed her hands together eagerly, shifting  the first batch of fresh meat from fire to platter. She sure as hell was no French chef, but when it came to barbecue -- real, Texan barbecue -- she was queen.

"Four corners'a Texas, folks, right here! We gotcher fallin'-right-off-the-bone, melt-in-yer-mouth Eastern hickory-wood; yer pecan-roasted, spicy Central fun-on-a-bun; yer good-ol' cowboy-style Western mesquite; and o'course yer extra-hot Southern barbacoa." She beamed, piling tray after tray of beef and pork, brisket and ribs, sausage and even a couple of pork chops. The Central and Eastern varieties had the biggest showing, since they were what most people favored, but Taryn had a soft spot for the slightly-bitter Western style, so it had a fair showing too.

Over the heads of the crowd, Taryn caught Kayla's and Migs's eye in turn. Her grin widened and she leaned over conspirituality over the table. "Don't listen to a word the rest of 'em say. Any Texas cowboy'll tell you that makin' good barbecue's like makin' a good wand -- it's all in the wood.

"And, of course, yeh can't have a good barbecue without the perfect sauce. Standard stuff's all well, right at the end there, but right here --" She gestured to the top of the Texas table, where a line of bottles waited rather like loaded guns. "-- we got the good stuff. This here's yer Anaheim, yer Tabasco, yer Habanero, all lined up by heat. But if you want it really hot -- and I mean really hot -- then I got somethin' special right here, if you've got the stones for it."

Chuckling evilly, she pulled a bottle of violently red sauce from under the table, holding it up for everyone to see. The bottle was small, compared to the others, but Taryn held it like it might explode if dropped. "This here's made from nothing but the one-and-only Naga Bhut Jolokia, hottest chili pepper in the world. Four hundred times stronger than tabasco. Folks call it the ghost pepper, 'cause that's what you'll be after yeh bite one.

"So whattya'll say, folks? Any takers?"