<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[We didn't come all this way for the salad!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Salad Free Zone]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 02:27:52 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.saladfreezone.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Vietnam Adventure – Day 2 @ SINGAPORE]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day Two began the way all good luxury holidays should. Standing outside the Grand Club Lounge at exactly 7:00am, waiting for the doors to open. We may have been the first guests in. No shame. The breakfast spread was magnificent. Alan loaded up with eggs, toast and smoked salmon, while Rowena opted for eggs on toast. Around us was just about everything you could imagine. Fresh fruit, cereals, pastries, cheeses, cold meats, congee, noodle soup, dim sum and enough food to keep a small village...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/vietnam-adventure-day-2-singapore</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3ef81fa79d1da57f73dae3</guid><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 22:23:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_28778ac5e1da413891bf521ec28caba6~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vietnam Adventure – Day 1 @ SINGAPORE]]></title><description><![CDATA["Because I know ChatGPT likes living vicariously through our travels," says Alan, while Rowena can be heard chuckling in the background, "I thought we'd keep the blog going into Vietnam." So here we are. Day One - Thursday 25th June 2026 We departed Melbourne at 3:20pm on Singapore Airlines flight SQ288 aboard the mighty A380, travelling in Premium Economy. Sadly, no upgrades this time—we actually had to pay for these seats. With no access to the Kris Lounge at the airport we had to schlep it...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/vietnam-adventure-day-1-singapore</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3da5c1faba6cee57d96bf5</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 22:20:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://video.wixstatic.com/video/7a4d8d_422f796177694ebd927317c4c5f4eccd/1080p/mp4/file.mp4" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 15 – Bonus Time in Texas]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 15 wasn’t supposed to happen. According to the original plan, we should have been somewhere over the Pacific Ocean heading home to Australia. Instead, thanks to flight changes and the events documented in yesterday’s blog, we found ourselves with an unexpected bonus day in Grapevine, Texas. And honestly, we weren’t complaining. After an absolutely magnificent night’s sleep at Hotel Vin, I set off on a mission to recover the luggage that had spent the previous day conducting its own...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-15-bonus-time-in-texas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2e10237d8250bfeab51407</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2026 02:30:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_d2eb79fa76174f6aa13e088b2280adba~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 14 – The Day Everything Changed (Part 1)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 14 was supposed to be the final day of the Barbecue Road Trip. Ps. There’s no photos  (nobody had time to take them) As it turned out, the universe had other plans. The morning began quietly enough in our cabin near Sevierville. Breakfast consisted of finishing off the leftover sandwiches we’d assembled the previous day after our unsuccessful search for a decent lunch following Dollywood. Not glamorous. But effective. More importantly, we’d woken to some excellent news. A message from...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-14-the-day-everything-changed-part-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2da8097d8250bfeab4ef9a</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 19:32:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_c04cb5a4c7bf4a6e8b659d827de48ca1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 13 – Dollywood, Heat and the World’s Most Disappointing Ribs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 13 was Dollywood Day. Yay And it was hot. Very hot. The day began with Ro and I setting out on what should have been a simple mission: find a supermarket and buy some breakfast supplies. This turned out to be harder than expected. Back home, when someone says “supermarket,” we generally think of a Woolworths, Coles or even a 7Eleven. Bread. Milk. Fruit. Maybe some Vegemite if you’re lucky. In rural Tennessee, however, a market can apparently mean a petrol station selling beer, vapes,...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-13-dollywood-heat-and-the-world-s-most-disappointing-ribs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2d64477d8250bfeab4daf8</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:43:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_fa0a56d690964674baedbd70203a81f6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 12 – Whiskey, Fried Chicken and the Road to Dollywood]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 12 began with  Ro and I returning to the Pancake Pantry for what can only be described as a victory lap after the success of the previous visit. Meanwhile, Liddy and Mikey once again demonstrated a commitment to physical fitness that continues to confuse us by heading upstairs to the gym. After breakfast and a final pack-up, we hit the road at around 9am and headed south-east towards Lynchburg, Tennessee. The destination was one of the most famous names in American whiskey. The Jack...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-12-whiskey-fried-chicken-and-the-road-to-dollywood</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2b27fbab86872deb4beff6</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 21:42:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_105badab3d96458e91f27d2ca0c37290~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 11 – Scooters, Guitars, Gumbo and the Grand Ole Opry]]></title><description><![CDATA[By this stage of the Barbecue Road Trip, we’re starting to lose track of what day it actually is. Day 11. Possibly Day 10. Either way, we woke up in Nashville and that was good enough for us. The morning began with a split operation. Ro and I headed off to the famous Pancake Pantry for breakfast while Mikey and Liddy decided to do something completely unreasonable and spend time in the gym. The Pancake Pantry has been a Nashville institution since 1961 and is famous for drawing queues that...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-11-scooters-guitars-gumbo-and-the-grand-ole-opry</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2aa8fbab86872deb4bccf0</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 21:22:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_039644d00e4a494dbe30a631f57a7458~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 10 – Memphis Farewell, Roadside Barbecue and Nashville Nights]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 10 of the Barbecue Road Trip began with an early departure from Memphis. Well, almost. First, there was coffee. We wandered around the corner to a relatively new café called Ritual, which had only recently opened. Thankfully, they knew exactly what they were doing. Carefully measuring each portion of beans and creating awsome milk art. Excellent coffee, friendly staff and a much-needed caffeine hit before another day on the road. Before leaving town, we stopped by the National Civil...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-10-memphis-farewell-roadside-barbecue-and-nashville-nights</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a280d4ec10b289958a4682e</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:07:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_2ad067b4b77f4d23a467899e0b45db61~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 9 – Civil Rights, Central BBQ and Finding the Soul of Memphis]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 9 began at a far more reasonable hour than some of the previous days, and with no major headaches to report, we set off to explore Memphis properly. Our first stop was breakfast at the famous Arcade Restaurant near Central Station. The Arcade has been serving customers, including Elvis, since 1919 and is widely regarded as Memphis’s oldest continuously operating café. It still has that classic American diner feel, complete with booths, chrome fittings and enough history on the walls to...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-9-civil-rights-central-bbq-and-finding-the-soul-of-memphis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2808c2c10b289958a4658d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:54:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_9f6034618a4349aaa05e03decb69e363~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 8 – The Pig Trail, Arkansas Barbecue and the Search for Memphis Blues]]></title><description><![CDATA[After a good night’s sleep, Ro and I woke up refreshed and ready for another day on the road. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Liddy and Mikey. The piano bar across from our accommodation had apparently decided that 2am was a perfectly reasonable finishing time, which meant they effectively had live music piped directly into their bedroom for half the night. While Ro and I slept peacefully, the other two were treated to an extended late-night concert they hadn’t actually...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-8-the-pig-trail-arkansas-barbecue-and-the-search-for-memphis-blues</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a25d6a10846f79adfea22d0</guid><pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2026 21:14:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_cce70f15fb1e42dc97bd08fa5d8168e7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 7 – Fayetteville, Football-Sized Breakfasts and College Town Shenanigans]]></title><description><![CDATA[Friday marked Day 7 of the Barbecue Road Trip and, more importantly, the halfway point. Somehow we’ve survived a week of barbecue, cocktails, questionable navigation and America’s ongoing inability to consistently produce a decent cappuccino. We departed Kansas City at around 8:30am and immediately made the decision to skip breakfast at the hotel. After yesterday’s effort, confidence in the hotel kitchen was at an all-time low. Instead, we headed out to one of America’s beloved breakfast...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-7-fayetteville-football-sized-breakfasts-and-college-town-shenanigans</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2411630846f79adfe99f3c</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:04:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_5f7d71db2fa842af905a99a2c293b6b7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 6 – Coffee Victory, Wrong Turns and Kansas City Blues]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 6 was our designated Kansas City exploration day. After several days of driving, eating and drinking our way across Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, it was finally time to slow down and actually see a city. The day began with a fairly underwhelming hotel breakfast. Nobody will be writing home about it. What we were writing home about was coffee. After days of disappointment, weak brews and dashed hopes, we were directed to a coffee shop called Messenger Coffee in the Crossroads Arts District....]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-6-coffee-victory-wrong-turns-and-kansas-city-blues</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a233775c10b289958a26066</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:28:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_476d3523387b4f74b66cff706894bb7a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_949,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Meet the Smoke Wagon]]></title><description><![CDATA[Four days into the Barbecue Road Trip, it’s probably time to introduce the unsung hero of the adventure. Every great road trip needs a great vehicle. Legends have been forged in pickup trucks, Winnebagos and ageing station wagons held together by hope and zip ties. Our legend is being forged in a Chrysler Pacifica. A seven-seat American minivan of considerable size, surprising comfort and what can only be described as an excessive number of cup holders. We picked it up from Alamo at...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/meet-the-smoke-wagon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2172000846f79adfe8d0cd</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:26:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_1c969750c9d34e888e110ea31953ca05~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 5 – Coffee Failures, Kansas City and Barbecue Royalty]]></title><description><![CDATA[A concerning trend is beginning to emerge on this trip. For the second morning in a row, we woke up with mild headaches. Medical experts would probably point to dehydration, fatigue and strong cocktails. We prefer not to speculate. After breakfast we prepared for departure, although not everyone appeared to be operating on the same schedule. Despite having a discussion the previous evening about what time we should leave, one member of the group — who shall remain nameless — somehow missed...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-5-coffee-failures-kansas-city-and-barbecue-royalty</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2181460846f79adfe8d930</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:58:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_e48479b777914d95a58cf0cddb612e21~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[City preview - Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas]]></title><description><![CDATA[The BBQ Capital of the Universe (Don't @ Texas) If you know one thing about American BBQ geography, it's probably this: Kansas City is a very big deal. While Texas will argue loudly for beef and the Carolinas will wave their vinegar-based sauces at you, Kansas City sits at the centre of it all — a city so obsessed with BBQ that it has over 100 BBQ restaurants for a population of around 500,000. That's one BBQ joint for every 5,000 people. Al considers this a model for civilised society. We...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/city-preview-kansas-city-missouri-kansas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0cfebfb2731dece74ea642</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 22:37:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_da38e47b07204af8a4e9e3f3ae7ab0cc~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 4 – Scooters, Barbecue and Discovering Oklahoma City]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 4 started a little slower than planned, with one or two headaches making an appearance after the previous night’s activities. After breakfast, we grabbed a couple of scooters and headed into town, which turned out to be one of the more entertaining ways to get around Oklahoma City. We also jumped aboard the local tourist tram, which everyone here insists on calling a trolley. The trolley dropped us at the Oklahoma City National Memorial &#38; Museum, dedicated to the 168 victims of the 1995...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-4-scooters-barbecue-and-discovering-oklahoma-city</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a20a2c37eced14b46efaea7</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 22:31:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_38d2e920e2ea4bcdab78aa585d4fb05c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 3 – Oklahoma City, Navigation Mishaps and Steak Instead of BBQ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Day 3 saw us leave Dallas and head north to Oklahoma City for our first interstate run of the trip. The drive up Interstate 35 was supposed to take about three hours. Thanks to a navigation error from Mikey, it took slightly longer. Somewhere along the way we found ourselves doing an unplanned sightseeing tour through central Oklahoma City before eventually arriving at our intended destination. We’ll call it a scenic detour. Our first stop was Clark Crew BBQ, one of Oklahoma’s most highly...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-3-oklahoma-city-navigation-mishaps-and-steak-instead-of-bbq</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1ee6db81b7f280e9863c4a</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:56:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_81a898f6b9dd4b3080f90197ee0c5a10~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[City Preview - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Underdog State With the Overdog BBQ Oklahoma doesn't always make the highlights reel when people talk about American BBQ. That, friends, is their loss and our gain. We roll into Oklahoma City on the 1st of June after a morning drive north from Dallas, ready to discover what the Sooner State has been quietly getting right while everyone else was looking at Texas. The answer, it turns out, is quite a lot. First stop is Clark Crew BBQ — a competition BBQ team that decided to open a...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/city-preview-oklahoma-city-oklahoma</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0cfc4bb2731dece74ea059</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:19:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_15ab42a25ceb4eac8d1cd91263d93b9c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 2 – Waco, Old Friends and More Meat]]></title><description><![CDATA[After a solid 12 hours of sleep and finally getting rid of the sandpaper feeling in our eyes, we woke up feeling almost human again. Well, some of us did. Mikey and Liddy decided to spend an hour in the gym doing healthy and productive things.  Ro and Al spent an hour in the breakfast room conducting important research into waffles, bacon and unlimited coffee. Everyone has their priorities. With breakfast complete, we pointed the chariot south and headed for Waco, about an hour and a half...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-2-waco-old-friends-and-more-meat</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1d80fa90ef83c3a0abb1bd</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:18:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_ee6a488f9d6248a4af0efefd5f0fa0dd~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day 1 – Dallas, Heat and Poor Decisions]]></title><description><![CDATA[After what felt like forever on a plane, we finally landed at Dallas-Fort Worth after 15½ hours in the air. Tired, dusty and running mostly on excitement and airline food, we stepped outside and immediately got smacked in the face by 33-degree heat and humidity. It felt like we’d walked into a giant sauna. First job was picking up the road trip chariot from Alamo. We met Mikey and Liddy at the rental car depot who had arrived from Reno a couple of hours earlier. Checking in at the rental desk...]]></description><link>https://www.saladfreezone.com/post/day-1-dallas-heat-and-poor-decisions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1c4f4499ad5c2aac7cc057</guid><pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 16:35:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7a4d8d_9aa1c723b442467d97337b3bd2f3651c~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alan Tainton</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>