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.
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.
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!
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 and King’s Mountain and Ninety Six.
Some of the best whitewater rafting and kayaking in the country on the Chattooga River, which runs along the border between South Carolina and Georgia.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
