I realized that the majority of people who I connect with over the internet, through skating, or through work are NOT from North Carolina. With the exception of a few months in 1980 when I was an exchange student in Plymouth, England and the two years in the late 80's when I lived in Florida, I have lived my whole life in North Carolina. Because you may be unfamiliar with the Tarheel State, I thought I would share a few facts (well, mostly factual) about this State of Mine (pun intended):
Here the word BARBEQUE is a noun. It is not a verb like what you do with an outdoor grill but it is cooked outdoors (mostly) or in the ground like in certain parts of Eastern North Carolina. It is mostly pork. This state is the second largest producer of pork and pork products (read: spam) in the country behind Iowa. Way to go, Iowa!! ………….. It can also be chicken. North Carolina is the third largest producer of poultry products (read: chicken nuggets, spam…"parts is parts") in the US. See a pattern here?
DUPLIN COUNTY in Eastern North Carolina (a long way from where I live) has more pigs than people. Matter of fact, they have 46 pigs per person! What are they doing with all those pigs?.......... To get a visual, the next time you are on the city sidewalk with other people imagine they all, including yourself, have 46 little pigs following behind each of you……………….Then imagine now all those pigs are ready for market (read: ready to be made into bacon). That is a bunch of (fill in the blank with the modifier or modifiers of your choice) pigs!!!!!
There is a wine called DUPLIN WINE. It is made in Rose Hill, Duplin County, North Carolina. You know, the place with all the pigs? Their most popular wine is made from SCUPPERNONGS. What's a "scuppernong"? It's a greenish, or bronze, version of the MUSCADINE. Oh, a "muscadine"? Well, it's basically a native American grape. …just a little bigger, and great to throw at people (read: other kids in my neighborhood when I was a kid) when they are not fully ripe. Forgive me Mr. McKee for wasting a bunch of your muscadines on Ricky….but, hey, he deserved it!....................................THE YADKIN RIVER VALLEY, near where I live is fast becoming a large wine region in this country, with new vineyards and wineries opening every year over the last several. They call it the "Napa Valley of the East."………………..Well, I made that up but that sounded cool, huh? It's not up to that standard but to hear the North Carolina Wine Makers Association's press releases they are getting close. ….Of course, they are paid to say that stuff………………..I'm not a big vine snob but my favorite is called RAGAPPLE LASSIE. It's fairly pedestrian (read: tastes like Boones Farm) but what a killer name…..Ragapple Lassie! ….Beats the heck out of other wine names like "Goats Do Roam" (South Africa vineyard) and "Toad Hollow Cacophony Zinfindel (Sonoma, CA)…..But I like "Riunite On Ice" so what do I know?
Speaking of GOATS, North Carolina is the fourth largest producer of goats in the country.……… Ok. I made that one up too, but the pork and poultry numbers are real.
The flagship soft drink of the second largest soft drink mega company in the Universe, Pepsi Co., was invented in Eastern North Carolina in a town called New Bern (the town my wife grew up in. I don't think she likes Pepsi….not sure). PEPSI was invented by a pharmacist named Caleb Bradham in 1893 in one of the local drug stores there that is now the "Birthplace of Pepsi Museum and Gift Store." They sell everything "Pepsi"…well, that and some Mt. Dew crap. I'm not much of a Pepsi drinker so that's about all I know about the cola.
Over time I will educate you "foreigners" on North Carolina some more. We've been talking mostly about Eastern North Carolina. I live in the Western part of the state. I know a great deal more about this end. Stuff like where they hung the REAL TOM DOOLEY (sing: Hang down your head Tom Dooley, Hang down your head and cry. Hang down your head, Tom Dooley, poor boy you're bound to die). Matter of fact, I have attended meetings of various civic organizations that I am a member of in the train depot practically weekly where he was hung on May 1st, 1868 for the murder of his fiancé Laura Foster. Tom Dula (the correct spelling but still pronounced "dooley") was from the Yadkin River Valley. You know, the place they make Ragapple Lassie?
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