The Collard Green Festival in Ayden, North Carolina

I realize that there are a substantial number of people in America who have never tasted collard greens and who even look at collard greens (or smell them) and can't imagine anyone ever eating them. I suppose those people are much like me in my aversion to eating seafood since, well, seafood creatures spend their entire lives inside their own toilet. Call it a matter of taste; but I guarantee you that the first time you taste collard greens cooked right will not be your last. I just wish I could give everyone who has never tasted collard greens a plate filled with collards cooked by my mother: you would beg for seconds, I tell you what.

Ayden, North Carolina is home to America's most famous and popular Collard Green Festival every September. Like many of these types of festivals, with the notable exception of that Frog Festival in Rayne, Louisiana, the primary method of making merry at Ayden's Collard Green Festival is the ingestion and digestion of food, in this case collard greens. (For you Yankees, consider collards to be something along the lines of a leafier, tougher and better tasting kind of spinach.) Of course, that is not to say that the frogs do not get eaten at that festival in Cajun country, but Ayden's Collard Green festival could not exist if the bulk of people were not interested in eating the titular subject. Let us hope that is not the case with Rayne's Frog Festival.

The Collard Green Festival in Ayden features a collard greens cooking contest which, truth be told, my mom could win hands-down if wanted to make the trip. There is also collard green eating constant which, truth be told, I could win quite easily if I were allowed to pour Tabasco over the greens. And what kind of festival would this be if there were the crowning of a Collard Green Queen? The 2008 Collard Queen was high school cheerleader and volunteer extraordinaire Kathryn Tyner. Interestingly enough, Kathryn Tyner was the runner-up to the 2007 Collard Queen, Alison Scott. So, you know, never say die to your dreams, Mitt Romney. There's always 2016.

In addition to eating collard greens and beauty pageants for high school girls, the Ayden Collard Green Festival there's also music, rides and a foot race. But let's face it: collard greens are the real draw here and if your life thus far is incomplete by virtue of never having eaten collards, then there is nothing else that could possibly exist that would be enough to call you like a siren singing her seductive song.

Source:

http://www.aydencollardfestival.com/