April 1, 1999

The Arkansas Garbecue Initiative was formally inaugurated. “Garbecue” is a catch-all term for a trend in aquatic-themed barbecue that was promoted by Arkansas tourism officials in the late 1990s. At the time, in addition to promoting healthier eating, state boosters were hoping to hype a distinctive Arkansas barbecue culture. Arkansas had long been influenced by the more prominent barbecue traditions in neighboring states, and state leaders were at a loss as to how to compete with these regional culinary hubs. State leaders landed on the idea of creating a whole new field of barbecue that centered upon the smoking of fish and other aquatic creatures. The attempt to sell the state’s consumers on barbecued fish failed spectacularly, although it did inspire the opening of one later barbecue chain, in addition to leading indirectly to a hit single by Meghan Trainor.