My Meat and Three Definition

Saw a blog post earlier today - http://www.michellesmiles.com/?p=115 - where Michelle wondered aloud about the term, "meat and three". I entered a comment to provide her with some thoughts on the subject.

That got me to thinking that maybe it would make sense to include my definition on this blog, given the fact that I am the one who created the MEATandTHREE.com web site. While I do have a page on the site that provides my "official" definition of a "meat and three": http://www.meatandthree.com/definition.html, you can read it here, too.

meat and three n.

1. A menu option consisting of one meat and three sides. The sides are often vegetables, although other foods may be included in the list of available sides. Either a roll or a piece of cornbread is almost always included with the meal, and a drink is sometimes included in the "meat-and-three" price. The drink is usually "sweet tea".


2. A dining establishment offering meals consisting of one meat and three vegetables.


3. Any cafe, restaurant, or diner (usually non-chain), generally in Southern locales and generally owned by single proprietors, that provides food at reasonable prices to all types of clientele from blue collar to business professionals and politicians, with a typical plate that consists of one meat, at least three vegetables (sometimes two), and either a home-made biscuit, roll or cornbread. A drink, such as Sweet Tea, is often included in the "Meat and Three" price. Daily specials and combo's can be found on typical laminated menu's; on chalkboards hanging on the wall; or even on plain handwritten or copied pieces of paper. Business hours can start early, where the "Meat and Three" also offers breakfast, and can go to an early-afternoon close just after the lunch crowd; while some stay open from early in the morning until late in the evening; and others are open for just a few hours during lunch.

--Plural. meat and threes. --Alternate forms. meat-and-three; meat-n-three; meat'n'three.

Well, that's it. I am sure it could probably be "tightened up" a bit, but I think you probably get the idea. There are tons of these great little places. So, get out there and try one today!

Southern Living 2007 Readers' Choice Awards

You may not have seen anything yet about the Southern Living 2007 Readers' Choice Awards, but you should check it out for a couple of reasons.

First, there is a great prize that you could possibly win: a weekend trip for two to Kiawah Island, South Carolina ($4,700 value). The trip includes a stay at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, golf, tennis, spa visit, a meal certificate, and a carriage tour of Charleston. Just enter the contest for a chance to win. You can click this link to go right to the entry page.

Second, there is a section at the bottom of the entry form for entrants to record their "Southern Favorites". One of those 'favorites' is the category, "Family Restaurants", and the recommendation says the following: "no chains; only those with one location, please".

This is an open invitation for me, you and many others to do their part in making sure that a meat and three restaurant is the winner. Makes sense to me, and I hope you agree. If you are a real champion of the "meat and three", I hope you will take part in this contest and vote for your favorite, email friends and family who also love them, and maybe post this entry on your blog or write your own similar post to help get the word out.

Sure, there are plenty of great single location restaurants here in the South, and many of them are not meat and threes. However, there are some mighty good meat and threes that could really be contenders. I (selfishly) am hoping that a meat-and-three restaurant will come out on top, which will help these great places to get even more publicity and recognition than they are already getting.

Some say they are a dying breed, but I am seeing and hearing about more and more of them almost every day. My goal is to really get the word out about these wonderful places. I want this genre of dining to find its way into more of the mainstream. It certainly would not hurt the effort, were a meat and three restaurant to achieve the top place in a contest such as this Southern Living one.

So, please don't leave this message without linking over to the contest and voting (click here to go right to the entry form). Also, brainstorm with me about other ways to get more meat and three lovers to vote for their favorite: comment on this post with your ideas; email me personally (see my profile) if you've got an idea you want to "chat about" privately; or create radio and tv promotions for all major markets in the U.S. (just kidding, I guess, unless your name is Donald Trump or Oprah). Of course, Oprah is from Nashville, you know, and Nashville is really the mecca of meat and threes. Hmmm...maybe I'm on to something there.

In any event, thank you for reading, and thanks for your interest in "meat and threes".

Don't forget to vote!

Phil Roberson (mn3guy)
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