My last Food Friday in South Carolina has come, and here we are. Food riches abound here in the Lowcountry. I could do a “food” post every day. And so, today, I tack on a Food Friday II because I have three food-themed-things I don’t want to forget about July 2014:
1. This is the summer that my Meera fell in love with shrimp. She suddenly, the summer she was six, loved shrimp — fried shrimp, Lowcountry Shrimp Boil (aka peel-and-eat shrimp “cocktail”), shrimp scampi — she loved it all! {note: yes, princesses dining with us in two of the three photos below.}
2. We discovered “The Hot Dog Man” at Hunting Island’s South Beach this year. Actually, only K & O call him “The Hot Dog Man,” his business is actually officially called “Sea Side Hot Dogs.” He’s been there in the past, but we’d never given it a go. But we went for it this summer, and it was love at first bite for K & O. They swear that The Hot Dog Man’s hot dogs are 2nd only to hot dogs at Fenway Park (whoa, if you know my boys you know that this is a huge statement!). They quickly became The Hot Dog Man’s two biggest fans (and I think this guy became as much a fan of K & O as they were of him). This was a fun summer lunch for us this year and I know that K & O will want to visit The Hot Dog Man for as long as we are spending July in South Carolina, and as long as Sea Side Hot Dogs stays in business.
3. July in the South Carolina Lowcountry is an embarrassing abundance of riches where food is concerned. I adore cooking here. And even shopping for food here is a pleasure (the roadside produce stands! the seafood sold right from the dock! the Publix grocery store that I absolutely love!). Growing up, I lived at a summer camp and ate “camp food” all summer long every summer. I think that might be partly why southern summer cooking is such a joy for me. I don’t want to forget the absolute joy I found in these days of cooking for my little family of five. We savor every moment of these gorgeous spreads and we never take this beauty for granted. I know I’m spoiling my kids with this — and I can’t imagine what sort of food lives they’ll have down the road — but I cannot help it: feeding them is a big part of how I do my love for them. It is an expression for me. I am always surprised when I go through the camera cards and discover what Braydon has documented — so often, it is food. He takes pictures of it. Which says something to me. I know he feels the love and appreciates every morsel. Which is what makes all of it oh so worth it.
Never get tired of your foodie pics! Brings back many wonderful memories of growing up in the South!