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South Carolina

After watching Taste The Nation with Padma Lakshmi – The Gullah Way, the kids and I all wanted to try Gullah food and especially the red rice. We learned about how the Gullah Geechee people were descendants of West Africans, brought to America against their will and enslaved on southern plantations. We learned a little about their language, how there’s not a "t" sound in West African languages, and similarly, it reminded me of how there’s not a real “r” sound in Korean or a “v” sound in Mandarin Chinese. How they turned the treacherous swamps of South Carolina to productive rice fields, and how the Gullah Geechee people still live along the coastal areas from North Carolina to north Florida with Charleston, SC being the unofficial capital of the Gullah nation. We had hoped to visit a museum or a specific location to learn more about Gullah Geechee history and cultural heritage, but learned that the Gullah Geechee Corridor is not a specific location, but it's comprised of many places that are historically and culturally significance to the Gullah Geechee people.

We first checked out Angel Oak Tree which we learned from a National Geographic book that it shades an area of 3.5 basketball courts! The tree is estimated to be 400 years old and expected to live 900 years. The gift shop also had a sweetgrass basket maker selling handmade baskets and handicrafts. 

We had wanted to go to Gullah Grub (a restaurant featured on Taste of A Nation) but after learning it’s about 1.5 hours drive from the airport, we looked for a closer restaurant to Charleston. I’m not sure how authentic and if any of the founders of Bertha’s Kitchen were Gullah, but I found the restaurant on this list where we could try Gullah cuisine in Charleston. Bertha’s Kitchen is a no frills type place with limited seating and no menu in sight, but oh was the food good - so good. We got fried chicken, bbq chicken, okra soup, lima beans, collard greens, red rice, mac and cheese, and cornbread. Everything was good (well except the mac and cheese which was more of the eggy casserole kind instead of the creamy, cheesy kind). But the kids and I especially enjoyed the red rice which was so flavorful, and my personal favorite was the okra soup. It’s no wonder why they won the James Beard award in 2017.

Our flight ended up being delayed (there was a fire at the parking deck with several fire trucks and police at the airport) so we spent quite a bit of time at the CHS Club airport lounge. It’s the nicest Club lounge we’ve ever been to with the most offerings including chicken gumbo and chicken tikka masala along with a variety of appetizers, snacks, and desserts. It’s the only lounge we've been to that’s not just self service, but a server brought out our orders. I think the kids had a sugar rush from all the sweet treats!

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