# Tell me about South Carolina **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590 "2008-01-22T23:46:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/21 "2008-01-23T18:58:00Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] I spent a little time there with a very close friend who I grew up with but who has lived there for about 10 years, and our impressions as Yankees is that a Yankee can never, ever, be a South Carolinian. Oh, you can move there and you can vote there and raise a family there and have a job and pay taxes there and make friends there. But you will always be “That sweet Yankee girl on 4th Street,” if they like you and “That trashy Yankee bitch on 4th Street,” if they don’t. You will never, quite, feel like you fit in. [/QUOTE] A co-worker of mine says that she once had an irate patron demand to know who the library director was. (This was, um, before I was born, when he was new here.) She told the patron his name and they said, “Well, _I’ve_ never heard of him.” This is a very Old Columbia response. On the other hand, you can live in Columbia your whole _life_ and have no idea that “Old Columbia” exists. I assure you, it does. I went to high school with all the debutantes, although I myself was not invited to debut, as it were. My family’s money has not been purified with age and membership at the appropriate social clubs. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/22 "2008-01-23T21:11:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **WhyNot** > _When I was a kid, my dad took me to a Civil War museum in…I forget which town. Might have been Charleston. It took me a while to figure out what was so weird about the place. And then I noticed the happy smiling slaves on all the murals. The exhibits were definitely slanted in the “War of Northern Aggression” type verbiage. That was prob’ly 20 years ago, so I don’t know if that’s changed._ A couple of years ago, I visited the Charleston Museum and took in their Civil War exhibit. It was interestingly schizophrenic. Parts of the exhibit took great pains to discuss how slaves participated in the war and the impact of the war on the black community, but other, older parts of the exhibit referred to “The War Between the States” and completely glossed over the whole slavery issue. I think things have changed in the past 20 years, but not as quickly or completely as one might have hoped. Another thing to mention is that, as in much of the Southeast, there’s a growing Latino population in South Carolina. It’s not huge, but it’s definitely getting bigger. In some ways, Latino culture and traditional Southern culture (both white and black) seem to have a lot in common–very family-oriented, very church-oriented, tradition of military service, etc. (I know these are big generalizations.)It will be interesting to see how the cultures affect each other over the coming years. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/23 "2008-01-23T21:37:59Z")
I believe South Carolina actually has the fastest growing Hispanic population in the country. Not the largest, but the fastest growing. ---
**Author:** ![herownself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8baadc/32.png) [@herownself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herownself)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/24 "2008-01-23T21:45:50Z")
Now Honey, what Church do you go to? One of the first and most important questions you will be asked. (I myself only avoided it in Georgia by working for the Government and living in the lesbian part of town. No Church for me! But I got prayed for a LOT!) People may be poor, but the Church does a lot. Their Church, your Church, whatever. Folks take care of their own. It’s nice. You don’t have to have a church, but it helps. And after a few summers, you’ll be able to tell the difference between 98 degrees in the sun and 98 degrees in the shade. Gosh that shade feels nice! And some summer afternoon you’ll just feel like going for a bike ride - it’s only a little warm out … And I’m originally from Chicago. Wisconsin? That’s where the hills are! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/25 "2008-01-23T22:44:56Z")
Some other interesting things about South Carolina: Delicious [peaches](http://www.scda.state.sc.us/relatedaglinks/associations/peach/consumerinformation/peachfacts.htm). Try the cobbler. Forget the Civil War stuff. Lots of _Revolutionary_ War history in SC. Much more than most people realize. Critical battles (and very nice visitor centers) at [Cowpens](http://www.nps.gov/cowp/) and [King’s Mountain](http://www.nps.gov/kimo/) and [Ninety Six](http://www.nps.gov/nisi/). Some of the best whitewater rafting and kayaking in the country on the [Chattooga River](http://www.chattooga-river.net/), which runs along the border between South Carolina and Georgia. [Possesses our nation’s coolest state flag.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/South_Carolina_state_flag.png) ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/26 "2008-01-23T23:41:32Z")
Garsh, I am overwhelmed by the responses! I haven’t been on in 24 hours and am amazed. My interests do include food and cooking. Though I try to eat healthy, and some of that eatn’ doesn’t sound too healthy. I love fresh seafood and haven’t had it in more than five years since my in-laws (living in Maine) became my “out-laws.” I am really interested in the characterization of low income, education, whatever else was mentioned (I’m sorry, I need to leave the house soon and don’t have time to look back). And incidentally, when I asked what other peoples’ impressions were of Wisconsin, I really was asking because we are largely regarded as a “hick” state, and I don’t find that to be true at all. And since I am asking about impressions/opinions of SC… I am a very friendly person and enjoy meeting people, so I might just enjoy some of those “covered dish” dinners. I live in a farming community not far from Madison and we call them “potlucks.” I will be back later tonight and I will be checking out **spoke** ’s links. Thanks for the distraction. Crappy day at work and all… ---
**Author:** ![MonaLizaT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@MonaLizaT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonaLizaT)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/27 "2008-01-24T01:29:59Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Forget the Civil War stuff. Lots of _Revolutionary_ War history in SC. Much more than most people realize. Critical battles (and very nice visitor centers) at [Cowpens](http://www.nps.gov/cowp/) and [King’s Mountain](http://www.nps.gov/kimo/) and [Ninety Six](http://www.nps.gov/nisi/). [/QUOTE] I’ve been to them all multiple times - my father dragged me to every Revolutionary War/Civil War historic site between Florida and Boston. Speaking of peaches, there was a stand in the vicinity of Cowpens that sold the best I’ve ever eaten. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/28 "2008-01-24T01:51:08Z")
I lived in Columbia while working on my doctorate. The city fathers kept on trying to build it up as a tourist destination, which was an uphill battle - while it’s got a few mildly touristy attractions, there really isn’t _that_ much. Columbia’s strength is that it can be a very pleasant place to live. It’s got a lot of good neighborhoods, there aren’t so many people that it’s impossible to get around by car, etc. > [@Rascal's Mom](#): > > May I be permitted to hijack my own post and ask what peoples’ impressions are of Wisconsin and its residents? Blessed are the cheesemakers! [/Life of Brian] The big strike against Columbia (and the Midlands in general) is that it’s hellishly hot in July and August. And I say this as someone who actually _likes_ Washington, D.C.-area summers. Summers in the Midlands are ratcheted up a notch from anything I’ve known anywhere else. The coastal areas and the Upstate don’t have it quite so bad. The coast’s summers are moderated by the ocean; the Upstate, by elevation. The Midlands doesn’t have either of those. ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/29 "2008-01-24T02:22:21Z")
Sigh. I miss the ocean as much as I miss the fresh seafood. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/30 "2008-01-24T02:24:57Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] Er? No food? South Carolina is the only state that has, natively, _all three_ kinds of barbeque. [/QUOTE] Sauce. All three kinds of barbeque _sauce_. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/31 "2008-01-24T02:26:32Z")
[QUOTE=Rascal’s Mom] **jtgain** , you made me chuckle. The idea of lying on a beach in February is so foreign to me… No, my friend just mentioned some picturesque scenes that are SO appealing in this Time O’Permafrost here. Thanks everyone, for your info, and **MoniLizaT** for the link. [/QUOTE] He he. Sorry. I’m just used to South Florida weather, where I not only lie on the beach in February, I also swim in the ocean. We pay for that with hotter than ten hells humid can’t breath without oxygen masks summers. I actually lived until age 10 in Myrtle Beach, so I know a few things about SC. On your way in, be sure to stop at Pedro’s South of the Border and buy a whole bunch of cheap, novelty stuff that you will throw away once you move in. Best of luck! ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/32 "2008-01-24T02:37:00Z")
Okay, so could someone explain the reference to barbecue, and three kinds of barbecue _sauce_? In these parts, barbecuing is known as either “grilling out” or barbecue sauce as Hunts, et al. I am just thinking I may need to pack my bags and head out to do me some learnin’. In a year and a half after my son graduates. ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/33 "2008-01-24T02:38:42Z")
Oh, and jtgain, Pedros here is Pedros Mexican Restorante, the source of the faux-est of the faux Mexican food. Your Pedros sounds funner. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/34 "2008-01-24T02:46:53Z")
[QUOTE=Rascal’s Mom] Okay, so could someone explain the reference to barbecue, and three kinds of barbecue _sauce_? In these parts, barbecuing is known as either “grilling out” or barbecue sauce as Hunts, et al. I am just thinking I may need to pack my bags and head out to do me some learnin’. In a year and a half after my son graduates. [/QUOTE] I’m going to try & keep this short: Barbecuing, or however the hell you want to spell it, refers to smoking a large piece of pork in the Carolinas (& most of the South). It is usually pulled pork, though chicken and ribs are commonly found there as well. It does not mean grilling, and a grill or smoker is not called “a barbeque” here. The three traditional sauces are mustard-based, vinegar-based, and tomato-based. Maybe Zsofia meant three kinds of meat, but I’ve never heard of brisket as a traditional barbeque meat anywhere other than Texas. I know you can find it in just about any state, but it isn’t traditional far outside of Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/35 "2008-01-24T02:51:04Z")
[QUOTE=Rascal’s Mom] Okay, so could someone explain the reference to barbecue, and three kinds of barbecue _sauce_? In these parts, barbecuing is known as either “grilling out” or barbecue sauce as Hunts, et al. I am just thinking I may need to pack my bags and head out to do me some learnin’. In a year and a half after my son graduates. [/QUOTE] Barbecue is a proud food group still that may include pork (in the Carolinas and other parts of the South), beef (think Texas), or sometimes chicken (a fill-in everywhere). BBQ sauce recipes are often coveted and forced to remain secret over generations. BBQ is taken very, very seriously in parts of the South and Midwest (Kansas City for example) There are semi-professional BBQ tournaments and contests with tons of experimentation between them. Good barbecue is sent straight from heaven. Some of the packaged sauces aren’t bad but they are a cheat. The main problem for the general public is that proper BBQ takes many hours to cook and may require smokers and other fancy things. Regular people don’t have the resources or time to cook great BBQ. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/36 "2008-01-24T03:06:51Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Regular people don’t have the resources or time to cook great BBQ. [/QUOTE] Bah. I can teach you how to cook a pork shoulder or butt in no time. Maybe this is fuel for another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/37 "2008-01-24T03:10:29Z")
Recipes, I need recipes. And please provide details of the necessary equipment. And I will invite you ALL up to taste. Provided you want to walk on 12 inches of snow and ice and have your skin shrivel up to 75-year-old three-pack-a-day smoker proportions. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/38 "2008-01-24T03:24:31Z")
[QUOTE=Rascal’s Mom] Recipes, I need recipes. And please provide details of the necessary equipment. And I will invite you ALL up to taste. Provided you want to walk on 12 inches of snow and ice and have your skin shrivel up to 75-year-old three-pack-a-day smoker proportions. [/QUOTE] Well, if you don’t want to run out and buy a smoker, [here](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_23019,00.html) is one way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/39 "2008-01-24T03:30:47Z")
[QUOTE=Labrador Deceiver] Well, if you don’t want to run out and buy a smoker, [here](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_23019,00.html) is one way to do it. [/QUOTE] Sorry, here is the design for his [homemade smoker](http://www.twothirds.org/2005/09/26/smoking-pot-a-cheap-terracotta-flower-pot-smoker-ala-alton-brown/). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590/40 "2008-01-24T03:39:31Z")
I apologize - I thought everybody knew that barbeque is _always_ pulled pork shoulder, and that “kinds” of barbeque are obviously very sacred and emotionally important sauces. Vinegar-based, mustard-based, and tomato-based. (hides under table from Texans and Memphiseans and such degenerates) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-south-carolina/434590.md?page=3)