A walking tour with a 7th generation Charlestonian today. (His wife, he said, dates her family history in the city back for 11 generations!) He is a retired math and science teacher with definite opinions and wide-ranging knowledge. I can say for sure that his comments about the North’s “War of Aggression” had a different slant from the Civil War history I’ve read. Several of the Yankee guests pointed out (under their breath) that the South had fired the first shot at Fort Sumpter, but I do not think their version would have changed his mind. He was enthusiastic (and all of the Dot.Calm crew were aghast) about the city’s restrictive zoning policies. Exterior paint colors require hard-to-get approvals and it is completely verboten to take down interior walls or even break through them even to add air conditioning. So while Charleston residents may not be cool, they do have a lovely city to show for it. We learned that SOB has an entirely different and snooty meaning here — South of Broad, where the truly rich live in fabulous 17th and 18th century homes. Later we saw a restaurant, north of Broad, that capitalized (literally) on this local geographic distinction: South (Nearly) of Broad, otherwise known as S.N.O.B. We lunched at chef Sean Brock’s Husk, his original restaurant renowned for its local, Southern ingredient focus. I had some sort of rebel whisky concoction that went down way too easily! If you haven’t tried pigs ears, I’d say go for it if you get the chance!
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