# Speaking of being unduly critical of Southerners... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 26, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308 "2008-06-26T14:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/21 "2008-06-26T18:08:49Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] And it’s okra. [/QUOTE] Yes! Tempura okra with sweet and sour sauce. Okra marinaded in olive oil and garlic cooked on the grill. Tiny pods steamed for a few minutes with the stew. Yum. It _is_ rather warm today, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/22 "2008-06-26T18:08:55Z")
It’s actually spelled Hibiscus esculentus. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/23 "2008-06-26T18:24:59Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] It’s actually spelled Hibiscus esculentus. [/QUOTE] It does have those large blooms, doesn’t it? AKA [Ladyfingers.](http://www.tropilab.com/lady-fin.html) Perhaps Mrs. Plant will eat it if I call it “Ladyfingers.” I forgot pickled okra. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/24 "2008-06-26T18:36:08Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] Yeah, there aren’t really a lot of great Southern breakfast places [/QUOTE] Unless it’s a college town. Seems like students are always looking for a substitute for Mama’s cookin’. I agree with **spoke-** about the Cracker Barrel. Shoney’s is not too bad either; and the Popeyes on High Street (not the one on County Line Road!) in Jackson makes a melt-in-your-mouth biscuit. _Almost_ as good as mine. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/25 "2008-06-26T18:39:21Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] I’ll second Weaver D’s in Athens. I just ate there: two fried pork chops, collards, mac’n’cheese, and lemonade. Please excuse me as I doze off… [/QUOTE] Oh! Oh! Have you been to Peaches? It’s incredible! The guy that cooks hot dogs in front of Baldwin Hall on campus works there. I swear, I’m on the verge of finding my shoes and driving out to Athens right now. I want a biscuit! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/26 "2008-06-26T18:40:59Z")
Here’s an interesting resource: [Meat and Three Restaurants](http://www.meatandthree.com/) And (for the OP) [their listings for North Carolina](http://www.meatandthree.com/nc/index.html). (Hmm. I need to email them some info on other good meat-and-threes in Georgia.) ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/27 "2008-06-26T18:51:32Z")
hmmmm Peaches and D’s and Wilson’s and JB’s these are a few of my favorite things. I went to Detroit to work for a week and was amazed at what the people there ate. Crapola! I can’t go two days without some tacoes. This gets intermingled with the soul food. Say what you will, but there some good eatin’s down hyah! And **carnivorousplant** , the pickled okras are good, but breaded and fried can’t be beat. They’re easy to grow in the heat in a sunny spot. Try Clemson Spineless, one of the least aggravating types to pick. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/28 "2008-06-26T19:00:55Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] but breaded and fried can’t be beat. [/QUOTE] I bread them with a tempura batter I was given here on the board. You are probably speaking of the traditional corn meal breading used for something else Mrs. Plant won’t eat, fried green tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/29 "2008-06-26T19:03:14Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] I went to Detroit to work for a week and was amazed at what the people there ate. [/QUOTE] Now, there are plenty of places to get Southern food in Detroit, only they don’t call it Southern there - it’s [‘soul food’](http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=soul+food+restaurant&near=Detroit,+MI&fb=1&view=text&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=1&ct=more-results&cd=1). Especially in Detroit proper, many little neighborhood joints that are diner-style rather than buffet line/cafeteria. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/30 "2008-06-26T19:13:39Z")
[QUOTE=Nawth Chucka] Now, there are plenty of places to get Southern food in Detroit, only they don’t call it Southern there - it’s [‘soul food’](http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=soul+food+restaurant&near=Detroit,+MI&fb=1&view=text&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=1&ct=more-results&cd=1). Especially in Detroit proper, many little neighborhood joints that are diner-style rather than buffet line/cafeteria. [/QUOTE] I knew there was good food somwhere… I was stuck out near the Rouge factory and damn well starving to death. It wasn’t until we hit the Mexican part of town that I finally felt happy. I was amazed that two of the girls did not know anyhting on the menu and their entire Mexican food experience was a few trips to Taco Bell. One of them couldn’t work the next day as she experienced… gastrointestinal excitements. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/31 "2008-06-26T19:23:11Z")
I did a quick search here in Atlanta and found the 2007 [Best Meat and Three](http://atlanta.citysearch.com/bestof/winners/meat_'n_three) winners as decided by Citysearch Atlanta. I’ve been to a couple and found them to be delicious AND inexpensive. There are hole in the wall miracles in some neighborhoods here. Good stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/32 "2008-06-26T19:26:44Z")
Looks like my next trip to the big city is gonna be tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/33 "2008-06-26T19:32:21Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] I knew there was good food somwhere… I was stuck out near the Rouge factory and damn well starving to death. It wasn’t until we hit the Mexican part of town that I finally felt happy. I was amazed that two of the girls did not know anyhting on the menu and their entire Mexican food experience was a few trips to Taco Bell. One of them couldn’t work the next day as she experienced… gastrointestinal excitements. [/QUOTE] They have Southern food in Dearborn…Southern _Lebanon_. You could have eaten yourself to death on some of the best Middle Eastern fare in these United States a scant few blocks from the Rouge, all up and down Michigan Ave. ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/34 "2008-06-26T20:18:04Z")
Oh, man, I lived in Albany, Georgia when I was a kid until we moved to Texas a few months before I turned 15. Boiled peanuts were my favourite treat, and I haven’t had any since leaving Albany. And we used to go pick wild plums that my mother would turn into jam (about the only thing she could cook well). When I’m craving that style food, I’ll either cook it myself or go to Cracker Barrel. If you’re into cooking, see if you can find a copy of _Mrs. Wilkes’ Boardinghouse Cookbook_. It’s got recipes for all the good southern cooking that I grew up on. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/35 "2008-06-26T20:31:03Z")
[QUOTE=Justine Thyme] Oh, man, I lived in Albany, Georgia when I was a kid until we moved to Texas a few months before I turned 15. Boiled peanuts were my favourite treat, and I haven’t had any since leaving Albany. And we used to go pick wild plums that my mother would turn into jam (about the only thing she could cook well). When I’m craving that style food, I’ll either cook it myself or go to Cracker Barrel. If you’re into cooking, see if you can find a copy of _Mrs. Wilkes’ Boardinghouse Cookbook_. It’s got recipes for all the good southern cooking that I grew up on. [/QUOTE] You’re assuming that I can cook 😛 Cracker Barrel is alright…but it isn’t the SAME…not even close. It makes me miss it even more by going there. Oh..and that’s Alllllbeeeeennnny, not Albany. (I’d actually be corrected if I said Albany). I remember seeing the boiled peanuts the first time and cracked up some locals by asking how to eat them. Like sunflower seeds they said…and it worked. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/36 "2008-06-26T20:43:46Z")
[QUOTE=jali] I did a quick search here in Atlanta and found the 2007 [Best Meat and Three](http://atlanta.citysearch.com/bestof/winners/meat_'n_three) winners as decided by Citysearch Atlanta. I’ve been to a couple and found them to be delicious AND inexpensive. There are hole in the wall miracles in some neighborhoods here. Good stuff! [/QUOTE] Looking at that list, I’ve always considered _Mary Mac’s_ to be overrated. (It’s not bad. Good enough for _tourists_, I guess.) _Thelma’s_ used to be awesome in its old location on Luckie Street and was still very good when it moved to Marietta Street. The location on Auburn Avenue, though, is such a dank dive that it’s hard to get past the atmosphere and enjoy the food. _OK Cafe_ is not really a meat-and-three, at least not a traditional one. (It wasn’t the last time I went there, anyway.) It’s a bit more _nouveau_. _Son’s Place_ is just mediocre. Not great. _The Colonnade_ has by far the best food, but it keeps monkeying with its hours and cutting them back to the point that I never know when it’s open. I think it’s only open on weekends now. I will have to try some of the others on the list. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/37 "2008-06-26T20:57:43Z")
Mrs. Plant moved to the South from New Hampshire. One of her new friends pointed out to her that we were living in sin if she did not have a deviled egg plate. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/38 "2008-06-26T21:19:49Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Mrs. Plant moved to the South from New Hampshire. One of her new friends pointed out to her that we were living in sin if she did not have a deviled egg plate. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Heh, I believe that’s true. You also need a Tupperware Cake Taker. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/39 "2008-06-27T00:44:26Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Who says truckers know all the best places? [/QUOTE] No one. Truckers just know the places that are easy to pull in to/out of from the highway. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308/40 "2008-06-27T00:51:11Z")
[QUOTE=BlinkingDuck] Charlotte/Asheville. [/QUOTE] All is explained. You asked transplants, not Real Southerners. You want good Southern cooking? Go find someone with an Old Southern Grandma. Get her to make you breakfast. Either that or you’ll have to go to Waffle House. As immortalized in the song [QUOTE=MST3K] Goin’ down the road Lookin’ for a Waffle House Drinkin’ lots of Wiiiild Turkey! [/QUOTE] SpazCat, whose family is from 'round those parts for several generations back and is therefore a Real Southerner. Who misses her grandma’s biscuits. **Edit:** I forgot Biscuitville. I always go there when I visit my sisters in the Triad. I believe there are a few left farther down I-85. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-being-unduly-critical-of-southerners/454308.md?page=3)