Getting fat in the South

What’s that old saying, “you can’t go home again.” Turns out, on the surface, you can. But a deeper meaning of it is, if you do, nothing will be the same. Things change, people change, times change and so on. As far as the South goes, most of it is half truths. Sure some things are different, but then a number of them are the same as I remember and they’ve always been (current political situations included).

If you follow me on any of my other social media (see upper right hand corner if you don’t! And why not?!) then you have properly surmised I have migrated from San Francisco back to North Carolina. That’s right, I’m back in the South where gravy is a beverage and butter is condiment!

To say the last few years have been a challenge is an understatement. And while SF is manageable as a couple, when you a single it can be difficult. Particularly when you reach a certain age (cough, cough) and begin to wonder what you are doing with your life when the only housing you can afford also includes two, three and maybe more roommates. You reach a point where so much of what has gone on has just worn you down and you just don’t have the verve to do it anymore. Of course, losing ones last emotional base doesn’t really help as the city itself becomes a myriad of ghosts of both things that once were and things that might have been. While this might not be a totally fresh start, it is at least something different to refigure things out.

I can’t say it was an easy decision and many sleepless nights of thought went into it. I mean, let’s face it, a persons hometown also carries lots of baggage too. Though this time was somewhat different since at this point, sans one friend from high school, I no longer had any immediate family here as they too have all passed, as I’ve covered in this blog over the years. Still, once I made the decision, time lurched forward rather quickly and logistics all came together and one U-Haul ride across the country with what was left of my stuff, my one old school friend from childhood Ms. M and here I am.

It’s been a few months at this time and it has been an “adjustment” for sure. Definitely a challenge re-establishing oneself in a place you both know and don’t know anymore. Plus the heat and humidity haven’t exactly helped. I think no matter how long I’m here I will not get used to it. And as for how long I will be here, that remains to be decided, but I did sign a year lease, so there is that.

While I’ve been here reaquainting myself with the ways of Southerners (and yeeessss they have their ways!) I have also been eating and figuring out a refocus on the food I write about. There is a sort of a breadth of options but I would say that has more to do with the fact there is more square area to cover than SF and its 49 square miles. Much like the Bay Area encompasses several cities, the Triangle Area does also. But since I had no car in SF my mobility and eating choices, for the most part, were what I could walk or MUNI to. Here, you gotta have a car and have car will travel. Plus, if you ask anybody, it seems everything is “just down the road.” This is one of those Southern things, colloquialisms, whatever you want to call it. Down the road could literally be anything from a few blocks to 30 miles or more. People are just used to jumping in their vehicles and going somewhere. Not going to say it explains much about weight control here, but…..it is going to lead to what I will call The Fattening.

Yes, I will most likely be putting on a pound or two or three based on some of the things I’ve been noshing on since my arrival. If you can deep fry it, you can buy it. Then there is the barbecue, mostly pork, though ribs and brisket seem to be making inroads since I originally moved away nearly 30(!) years ago. There are also every chain you can think of, and also some I have not heard of before. Plus it seems, some of the new fangled things that have recently made a stir in SF like H Mart and Bonchon have had locations here for several years. I think my friend Ms. O summed it well by saying here they don’t have the restrictions on chains like there and there are so many places and opportunities and less red tape to open something, the chain options are going to be plentiful. It is like they are begging me to try them. Here are some of the things you can look forward to.

**combination bbq plate with all the fixins’**

Giant plates of barbecued meat that always seem to be served with white bread for no real reason considering this also came with hush puppies because—more bread! I guess if you are gluten sensitive you skip the bread and go for the pure corn meal puppies?

Sure, you see veggies but the spinach was creamed and the okra was deep fried because it really is just a slimy vegetable any other way. Though my grandmother loved it stewed with tomatoes, something I remember viscerally with a shudder because of the taste texture.

And did I say deep fried? Seafood is quite plentiful here and also not SF expensive. I believe this plate of fried catfish and shrimp with two sides ran about $11. Here it is called Calabash style which pretty much means lightly breaded and deep fried. As a kid I also took it to mean a heaping plate of it. Sure you can get it broiled or boiled healthier but, no shock, there is an upcharge for that and it comes dripping in butter. Ugh, the trade-offs. I’m going to be dipping it into a bowl of tartar sauce anyway so whatever health benefits from broil happen and just going to disappear anyway. Beans were predictably cooked with bacon and you can get collards turnip greens as a side pretty much everywhere so I can still get the veg fix with the grease fix.

**fried chicken sandwich with tater tots**

And yes, fried chicken is also on offer with waffles (of course) and on sandwiches like the above with came with tots all again for about $11. Take that $10 or more SF sandwiches with NO SIDES! And speaking of fried chicken sandwiches, I plan to wade into the fried chicken sandwich wars with gusto no matter how late to the party I am. I’m currently making my way through several big names and few names you may not know since there are chains here that are not there. And you may be in for some surprises.

But it is not to say this area isn’t full of “trendy” little restaurants and bakeries that draws in all the hipster college millennials that do populate this part fo the country too (THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!) like the Monuts, the funky fun donut, eatery, bakeshop just “down the road” from where I live. Actually, it really is only a couple blocks over. Think apple cider donuts, blueberry pancake donuts, key lime pie donuts, etc.

Though, it is also the home state of Krispy Kreme which originated in Winston Salem before wreaking havoc on the waistlines across America. Here there are stores in every city and you can even get them in grocery stores and Walmarts. They are ubiquitous and too easily accessible, but I’m mostly resisting—for now.

**chicken fried steak, egg and cheese biscuit**

Lest I forget, there are also the biscuits. I mean real biscuits, made from scratch, buttery, flaky, yummy and filled with all sorts of fried, meat and cheesy things. It seems everyone here does biscuits. There is even a local chain called Biscuitville devoted to just biscuits. And they are only open till 2 or 3pm because no good Southerner eats biscuits as a meal after that I assume. As a bread side, sure, a meal? Why you must be a Yankee!

My goal is to cover as much as I can and as per my schtick in SF, I am keeping it all on the affordable side. Sure, I might splurge every now and then, I know I did a lot before, but here, it won’t be nearly as much as I did there because it is so easy to eat cheaply here. The balance will be between the many artery hardening choices and the somewhat better and healthy choices. One does outweigh the other and in the beginning you might see many of tannish brown deep fried thing or two making appearances. I am trying to keep up the running to offset all the eatin’ I’mma bout to be doin’! But yikes! It is hot and humid and running in it is a slog. Which is why I may say this will be The Fattening in somewhat jest, but time will tell what my waistline and metabolism can handle. Alas, these are things I suffer to try and bring the food to the people. Someone has to do it right? I freely take up the mantle and sacrifice to make it happen! I know, I know, I know….I’m such a giver!

Wait?! Did I mention pimento cheese? No? Well, get ready to spread it on thick, it’s a thing and it’s on everything.