Heaping piles of chicken bog are a festival highlight

Chicken Bog

They say that chicken bog is to South Carolina what Brunswick stew is to North Carolina, which is to say, an intricate part of lowcountry life. Dating back to 17th century Charleston, chicken bog is a savory stew of chicken, rice, onions and sausage spiced with lots and lots of black pepper. The name is supposed to refer to either the lowcountry swamp bogs that the rice grew in or the fact that the dish is bogged down in rice. Read More »

Charleston, South Carolina

Although I live in Florida now, I was born and raised in the Midwest.  I never considered myself a “northerner” or a “yankee” or anything referencing Civil War history.

Until I spent a weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.

First let me say that Charleston is a beautiful place to visit.  I have a soft spot in my heart for old, beautiful architecture and Charleston is teeming with amazing buildings that date back to the earliest days of our country.

And the people of Charlestons are gentile and polite and oozing Southern Hospitality.  Even if they do make you eat southern food that you later regret.

But they are also Southerners.  And I was reminded of that fact over and over again during my weekend in Charleston.

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