Maxim loves all my favorite sandwiches

From the department of "Why didn't anyone tell me about this months ago?" (and Ilan) comes this article from the January 2009 UVA Arts & Sciences Online, which looks curiously like a retread of this article from The Hook back in August. I can't understand why The University waited until now to publicize this, but nonetheless I'm feeling a great sense of pride today knowing that the man who used to personally deliver pulled pork barbecue sandwiches to the frat house for dinner every Thursday is now finally being recognized nationally for his boss hog.

This summer James “Jinx” Kern (MA Art History ’84, BA Art History ’76), whose Jinx’s Pit’s Top Barbecue is a Charlottesville landmark, won accolades for his Kentucky-style barbecue from both—you can’t make this stuff up—The Wall Street Journal and the men’s magazine Maxim, which named his the nation’s best pulled-pork sandwich.

The pictures give a small idea, but really don't even begin to illustrate the disaster area that is Jinx's tiny 12-seat barbecue pit stop. They do, however, fairly accurately illustrate the oddball that is Jinx in his apparent signature pose: short shorts with legs crossed and high socks with docksiders. As a very satisfied customer, I can attest to the greatness of this man's pork. I have met him a few times, so I had an idea of how strange a character Jinx is, but I have to say that the article really drove it home. If you've ever had barbecue from Jinx, you'll read choice quotes like these with an uneasy feeling of, "Yea, that sounds about right:"

“Living at home at age 35 without a job is not a good thing to do”
“I had made the mistake of going out to California with a woman I’d met at a wedding to see if we could work it out, but we couldn’t”

And of course, who hasn't felt like this?

Regret: My significant other is a 20-pound cat.

Awwwww, poor Mr. Jinx. He's like Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka, a misunderstood mad scientist, unyieldingly driven to perfect his creation, spiritually unfulfilled in the name of pork progress. Well take heart, master of swine. The world has recognized your greatness. Frame the Maxim article and cram it amongst the rest of the "decor," and keep on living the dream.