When I was growing up my mother cooked dinner and we sat at the table and ate. My most memorable meal was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn and homemade yeast rolls. I always think of those days when I have that meal, even if I'm eating at KFC. (Mom's was better.) These days we call those kinds of meals comfort food. I know you all have one. It's a meal or a food that reminds you of good times. Somehow the flavors take your memory back to that time and you are comfortable.

You may be wondering what this has to do with motorcycling and bikers. Given that bikers like to eat, it's no wonder that they like to eat in a comfortable setting. This is a big reason why bar and grilles are host to many motorcycle events and of course of biker patronage. They're what we call "biker friendly". I can't speak for all riders but when I'm out on my bike, I like to stop and eat at places where I'll feel relaxed and comfortable. I also want to eat foods that I like such as burgers, hot wings, fries, nachos, and grilled chicken. Those of you paying attention will recognize these items as "bar food".

I've been to a couple of places where I didn't feel welcome. I wasn't asked to leave or anything, but I could tell from the looks of the people around me that they preferred I was somewhere else........like a bar. Some of you might remember the show "Cheers". There's a line in the theme song that says, "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came." That's how I feel when I'm out riding. I want to feel comfortable.

There is a stigma about bikers eating in bars though. People tend to think that we get falling down drunk and then get on our bikes. I'm not going to say we don't drink and I'll admit that there are some irresponsible people out there that fuel the bad assumptions. I will say this. I've only had to stop a rider once from getting on his bike because he had too much to drink. I've stopped a lot more people in cars.

So here is my response to the question from my last article concerning bikers stopping at bars. We do this because we are welcome there and we like the food usually served in such places. We also like the adult atmosphere devoid of misbehaving kids. (Chuck E Cheese drives me nuts.) And.........well.........they have beer. Please drink responsibly.