Lived in NC from 1979 to 1990 - mostly Coastal Plain (Laurinburg - which is right on the border with South Carolina, and Greenville, Home of East Carolina University - the THIRD largest university in the state (bigger than Duke - bigger than Wake Forest) )
I also favor the Pulled Pork with the vinegar-based sauce of Eastern NC. WITH Coleslaw on my sandwich, thank you very much. I have a friend who ships me a couple of pounds on occasion.
Snow in April? Never when I lived there. We played golf on Christmas Day, and spent more time swinging at mosquitoes and gnats than we did at the golf balls. Summer - think 95 degrees, with 90% humidity - and NO CLOUDS. The Carolinas both tend to benefit from the summer Bernuda High, which tends to keep much of the severe weather away (except, of course, for the occasional hurricane)
And the ten hour debate? From Manteo NC (Outer Banks - about as far East as you can get) to Murphy NC (in the mountains, extreme western NC) is about 545 miles. Mapquest estimates 9 hours, 15 minutes to do the drive.
Besides, everybody knows that UGA was the first chartered state university. Granted, UNC managed to teach a class first, but only after we got the difficult & ground-breaking part out of the way.
You know, that joke makes a lot more sense when it isn’t used completely out of context. Vanderbilt & Tulane grads tell it about UT & LSU. To use it about a school that is ranked higher than yours by every objective source is just silly.
You would make a good NC State fan, then: “anybody but Carolina”.
Everyone else has pretty much summed it up. I’m currently living near Raleigh, though I work in Rocky Mount. The shopping, entertainment, and attitudes are a bit better near a larger city, IMO.
Regarding food, I’m very surprised that no one has mentioned Brunswick Stew – a yummy, must-have side dish for your (vinegar-based) barbeque.
Hey - is OT’s Barbecue still open? I remember it was near Apex. We used to pop out there for lunch from time to time when I worked in RTP. Good Brunswick stew, and very unusual hushpuppies (light and fluffy, as opposed to the really dense ones that, if badly made, could be used as weapons).
Transplanted Yankee here, who was lured to NC by an online friend who promised me that if I ever came done to visit her she would show me what real BBQ was. Well, I did, and she did, and I kept coming back until I finally decided that when I retired I would move there.
I believe that the place she took me to first was Bullock’s in Durham, which she said had the best Brunswick Stew. One of the places we go to a lot now is Jim’s BBQ in Chapel Hill, since it’s near where I live.
I’m not familiar with OT’s Barbeque. I like Parker’s in Wilson; very tasty food (though their cornsticks are weapon-like) and old-school atmosphere. Ooo, and don’t forget the sweet tea.
If you live near CH, then you need to get yourself to Allen & Sons on Hwy 86. They are one of the very few places left that still cooks exclusively with Hickory wood. Unbelievable pork, and one of the last true 4-star barbeque joints in all of North Carolina.
I’ll suggest that to my friend. I don’t drive, so anywhere that’s not within walking distance of public transit we do together. Which is fine, because I prefer company when I’m eating out.
Which is another reason I settled in at Chapel Hill; reasonably accessible bus service to just about anywhere I need to go. I can even get to the airport for my occasional trips back to Chicago.
Just make sure you don’t go to the Allen & Sons that is between CH & Pittsboro. Not the same thing at all, and not nearly as good. They cook with propane.
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