Another of the Bessinger family, Maurice, runs his barbeque empire from this location in West Columbia, where you can buy not only his barbeque sandwiches, but plenty of the family's sauce to take home, even the gallon jugs. There's also lots of literature, if you can call it that, most of which flaunts the confederate flag. Not sure if I agree with that philosophy, but you're free to do so (or not) as you desire.
The Bessinger family has had a firm grasp on South Carolina barbeque for half a century, and Bessinger's Barbeque on Savannah Highway in Charleston is the place to go if you want to get the best of the best. Here the chopped pork is slow-simmered in the mustard-based sauce until it's tender and juicy. No need for slaw or even adding extra sauce, though it's always provided (you can even buy some to take home).
Headed to Folly Beach, keep your eyes open for a slightly dated and heavily worn sign that points the way down a road that isn't all that well maintained (and then isn't maintained at all, and turns into a dirt road). At the end of this road it just turns into a parking lot and then you have arrived at the best seafood in the area.
I had heard good things about this place, and I'm always up for trying a local place, but I have to say I was disappointed. The first problem was that it's small. That in itself isn't a big deal, but apparently lots of other folks also had high hopes, and it means you have to wait. When you wait, it's not a huge problem, but it better be worth the wait. This wasn't.
The third week's challenge takes place at the Fort at West Point. General Kosciuszko, patriot and close friend of Jefferson, designed many of the fortifications that helped decide the revolution, most notably the one West Point that serves as the focus for this week's challenge. This particular stronghold was once Fort Benedict Arnold, however the name changed when we discovered he was selling out to the British.
Last year, Charlotte put on a Fourth of July spectacular, attracting some 80 thousand revelers and creating a melee of about 2,000 afterwards. Not a good site, apparently. I was actually out of town, so I missed out. Out of this crowd, some 20 were arrested, and one person was shot in the hand. So one-fortieth of the crowd fought, and one out of a thousand involved in the melee were arrested.
I've always thought the idea of an amendment to ban the burning of flags was a bit idiotic, since you're actually supposed to burn flags in order to appropriately destroy them. But Scott Adams (the creator of Dilbert, don't you know) stepped up to the plate recently to set forth why it really makes little sense. Perhaps our "dedicated public servants have finally solved the problems of crime, drugs, war, poverty, terrorism, healthcare, immigration, and the mystery of why our children are such idiots compared to Norwegians". Yay!
Today I came across a wonderful new, uh, thing. Standing at the counter at the local McDonald's, I saw their latest collection of toys for kids. One of them was simply amazing. Crammed into a pirate-themed skull (complete with do-rag and flip-up eye patch) was (what I believe to be) an octahedron (you can just make it out in the picture).
Perhaps not the best part of town, but definitely one of the largest buffets you are ever likely to see. In actuality, they have six (seven) of them, each with a load of food. You can find Chinese, of course, but you'll also find pizza, macaroni, meat loaf, and other foods as well.
I moved to Charlotte about 10 years ago and there were somewhere around 10 locations at the time. Now there are about 20. Probably more. I can't keep track.
They serve burgers, mostly on pitas but also on buns if you order that type. They also serve chicken and they serve gyros as well. They advertise the "world's best fish sandwich" or something similar to that, but I've never tried it, so I can't speak to the veracity of the claim.
The fourth challenge takes place in two locations. Opening the phone provides the first clue from Laird: The photograph you are looking at is called a stereograph. This particular one is of a union navy patrol boat on the James River in Virginia. Stationed aboard was a young inventor. It is his place with the Muckers that will find you your next clue. The second location will come up as we proceed.
This is one of three China House locations in Charlotte, and so far as I can tell, they are all related to one another. This is actually a bit strange, as they really share very little other than signage - the interiors don't look much alike, and the food isn't very similar, except for it is Chinese. Even the service varies widely between the three locations.
