The most common refrain at Wednesday’s I-40 Exit Strategy map launch party—attended exclusively by longtime Interstate 40 users—was, “I’ve never heard of these places.”
It’s no surprise that most drivers aren’t aware of the independent restaurants featured in The Food Section’s newest exit-by-exit eating guide. After all, it’s exceedingly expensive to purchase space on a Department of Transportation services sign, so travelers generally only see logos for billion-dollar corporations. It’s little wonder they assume the roadside meal situation is hopeless.
In other words: You can spend your time on I-40 in North Carolina ruing the homogenization of our nation’s dining landscape. Or you can spend 10 bucks for the cheerful certainty that every highway trip is a chance for new culinary discoveries.
If you haven’t already purchased a printed map, you can get a copy directly from Good Printed Things. But retailers are also beginning to stock the guide: If you live in Asheville, you can buy your map at Downtown Books & News, the fabulous used bookstore on Lexington Avenue that’s been furnishing the city’s creative class with out-there ideas and hard-to-find information since 1988.
On the other end of the state, Home Plate Provisions in Wilmington now carries the map too. The new shop’s devoted to “iconic products from across the U.S.,” so we figure the guide will fit in nicely.
And if you don’t live in either city, please consider asking your favorite independent bookseller (or another small goods store!) to offer it. Getting the map into wider circulation is a great way to support the highlighted small businesses, as well as this newsletter. We’d love to see the I-40 Exit Strategy guide on shelves, counters, and rotating racks throughout the Carolinas. Prospective purveyors can find more info here.
Finally, one last request for map owners, including the many food enthusiasts who joined us at Rosebud Cocktail Lounge on Wednesday evening for boozy Brazilian limeade and St. Roch pimento cheese: We’d love to hear about where this map takes you. The Food Section’s on Instagram at @readtfs; we can’t wait to see your summer road trip pix.
Happy travels!
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