Where have I been?
Over the past several weeks I was traveling near and far across NC for work purposes.
I visited (not including places I passed through):
- Fayetteville
- Lumberton
- Wilson
- Asheville
- Marion
- Edenton
- Windsor
- Williamston
- Swan Quarter
- Washington
- Bath
- Louisburg
- Franklinton
- Chapel Hill
Here are some of the things I did/tried/saw:
- In Wilson I was forced to eat at Quizno's. Not exactly a local eatery. But it posed a challenge, and I am always up for a challenge. They didn't have the tomato soup they advertised, so I had to settle for chicken noodle. I didn't get a sandwich, but they do have smaller ones now, for those watching their portions. And you get to tell them what you do and don't want, which is one reason I like these types of places...you can easily leave off the mayo and high calorie extras without being high maintanence.
- In Asheville I ate at Universal Joint. It used to be a car repair shop! The menu had a great selection, including healthy, local and vegetarian options. They also had a nice selection of microbrews. I indulged in a local pumpkin ale.
- I didn't eat in Marion, but while driving on the back roads to get there, I saw many a farmer selling his wares. I really really wanted to get some apples, but had no cash.
- Edenton is a tiny town right on the water. It is very cute. I ate at the Nothing Fancy Cafe and got to have a plate of "sides" and homemade cornbread for $5. I got local greens, bean soup, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Yum!
- In Windsor, which is in Bertie County, I got to try Bertie county peanuts. They are grown, harvested, prepared and packaged in Bertie County. I went to a warehouse store where I had tons of flavors and styles to choose from. I got sea salt and pepper and a dark chocolate peanut bar. Soooooo yummy! Some of you might be gettin some nuts for Christmas this year!
- In Williamston I ate at The Hitchin Post. I was glad to see that even at such an establishment in a relatively rural area, the salad bar had mixed greens and spinach rather than just iceberg.
- I barely made it to Swan Quarter and back. Many of the roads into town were flooded due to last weeks storms. From what I saw, this is one of the tiniest towns I've ever seen. No restaurants, no grocery stores, no gas station, no stoplights. The person I was visiting told me she actually lives 25 minutes away. The grocery stores and Walmart are another 30 minutes away.
- I got to stay a little longer than planned in Washington or "little washington." The brakes in my state vehicle wore out and had to be replaced. But I still managed to see some sights and eat some food. I got to eat at a restaurant downtown on the water called Down on Main for two meals. For dinner I had shrimp and veggie kebabs. For lunch I had a grilled tuna steak sandwich. It never ceases to amaze me how many places located near water or the beach advertise fresh seafood but serve no such thing. My sandwich tasted ok, but it wasn't fresh fish. I was also surprised by the confusion I caused when I ordered soda water. I even clarified by calling it carbonated water or fizzy water. Neither the hostess who took our drink order or the server knew what I was talking about. Finally, I said, "the stuff that comes out of the drink machine but doesn't have syrup....ask the bartender, he might be able to show you." Finally I got what I ordered. LOL.
- To kill time I drove to Bath, the place where Blackbeard died. There was only two eateries in the small town. One was closed and the other was a little scary. So I kept driving before stopping for lunch. But the town was very cute. Many houses had pirate flags flying and the ABC store was called "Ye Olde ABC Store."
- After my meeting in Chapel Hill, I got to visit Maple View Farms for the first time. I've had their goods before, but never been. I bought milk, buttermilk for cornbread and fresh butter. I also had a kids size cup of fresh pumpkin ice cream for $1.25!
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