Edgehill, Virginia: Big Pig (Gone)

There are now two big pigs at that location: the black-and-white piggy on the sign and a big pink pig in front of the restaurant.

In a visual shorthand often found in the American southeast, nothing squeals smoky, barbecued, good eats better than a fat pig on a pole.

We found this one perched atop a sign on the northeastern edge of Virginia. Unlike the inexplicably joyous cartoon pigs that are typically seen on food packaging, this one has a somber expression. Perhaps it knows what awaits it at Crazy Ray's. It also has a circle around its right eye, an unusual detail to those of us unschooled in the rural sciences, which reminded us of the Little Rascals' dog Petey, who had his own set of problems.