Name That City!

So here we are enjoying our wonderful reputation as the number 2 tourist destination city in the country - not to mention a wonderful place to live. Movie and TV crews visit our city often, showing off its beautiful architecture, great restaurants, and gorgeous natural landscape. So it was no surprise to hear that the Today Show would be filming here this week. What did come as a surprise was that, when the show actually aired showing footage of our Holy City, the narrator was talking about Charleston, West Virginia! No kidding! Apparently, the story was about cities which had maintained a steady housing market in these tough economic times. True, our own Charleston has weathered the storm better than many, but certainly not to the degree the "other" Charleston has. Apparently, that gives the capital of West Virginia a leg up on our town. The mystery remains why footage from our Charleston was shown while telling about the other city - I guess the reporters and producers of the show must've been wishing they were here instead!

What's in a Name?

I was planning to continue writing about food, but I decided to take a side trip to talk about the names of certain places. Recently there was an article in the Post and Courier (our hometown newspaper) about the renovations at the bandstand at the Battery. It prompted me to write a letter to the editor crediting the newspaper for using the correct nickname for the structure - a "bandstand." It seems that everyone who sees it these days calls it a "gazebo." I also mused in my letter about how the paper could be helpful in reminding (or informing) folks of the names of other locales which seem to have had their monikers changes inadvertantly as of late. Call me a typical Charlestonian - I'd like to hang on to some of the past when it comes to certain things. After all, that is what makes this city stand out from the rest.

You Eat What????

In my previous blog, I mentioned food and that "Lowcountry cuisine" has become a big tourist draw. Some visitors actually come to Charleston for the restaurants themselves! Chefs these days are taking some of our old staple recipes and creating dishes for the 21st century palate. That's all fine and good for an evening out. But at home (or at an oyster roast), give me the old-fashioned Frogmore Stew rather than "Lowcountry Boil." And I'll reserve my heapin' helpin' of Hoppin' John for New Year's Day!

Moving On to Other Subjects

So the rest is history, as they say. So now in your Charleston 101 course, we'll move on to another topic: food! These days, one of the main draws to the area is the proliferation of wonderful restaurants. Back in the old days, when I was young, eating out was rare. There were about three good places to eat in the downtown area. And they would never dream of serving up some of the Lowcountry cuisine that today has become renown in restaurants. Dishes like shrimp and grits, red rice, Frogmore stew (aka lowcountry boil) and hoppin' john were the meals for the common man - which you got away from if you went out to eat. It's amusing - and amazing - to see that folks from away are discovering these foods and finding them to be special enough to get dressed up and go out for!

Try, Try Again

The British had to rethink this whole "taking Charles Town" plan. They had tried twice over three years and had failed both times - once by sea and once by land. For their third act, they ended up landing troops west of the city and having them hop over to the "neck" of the peninsula (just north of the city). From there, the Brits shelled the American troops as well as the citizens of Charles Town over a 42-day period - making this the longest siege of any city during the war. With the civilians and military deprived of food and needed supplies, the city surrendered. By taking the South's largest city and seaport, the British had won their biggest victory of the war.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Three years after the British had tried unsuccessfully to enter Charles Town by sea, they returned to try again - but this time by land. They marched to the city's gates in May 1779. At the urging of wealthy citizens who feared economic losses from a lengthy military altercation, the "president" of South Carolina (now a sovereign entity) proposed a surrender of all of South Carolina if the British troops would refrain from attacking Charles Town. But General William Moultrie, the American military commander in Charles Town, opposed the plan and insisted that his men were ready to defend the city. The British officers explained they did not have the authority to make such a pact and withdrew without firing even a shot. Moultrie had called their bluff with his threat of a lengthy engagement, and the city once again had turned back the British.

The Swamp Fox and the Gamecock

No, this is not the name of a tale from Aesop's Fables. These are two men who became heroes in the Revolutionary War as it played out in South Carolina. Francis Marion supposedly got his nickname from British officer, Lt. Col. Banastre (Bloody) Tarleton, who became disgusted after pursuing Marion for eight hours on a thirty-five mile chase through the swamps of the Lowcountry. Tarleton called off the hunt for "this damned old fox." Thomas Sumter was nicknamed "the fighting gamecock" by Tarleton because of his fierce fighting tactics.