Comments for Davidfarrow's Weblog

Comment on House Biography: 85 South Market by bchchk67

bchchk67 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:40:28 +0000

David Farrow at his finest here – Although I enjoy your political satire, this is your true calling…you entertain and enlighten us like no other in your delightful historical “romps” through old Charleston….this is truly where your calling lies – great work!

Comment on Duck With Rasberry Sauce by west_rhino

west_rhino — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:56:06 +0000

Though FNA (F’ North Area) establishments, Breck’s remains, though above Ashley Phosphate and Tom Portaro’s building last housed a uniform outlet.

Like the tour guide that offers a notion that this house belonged to Rhett Butler, Raspberries to the canards that are purely for la touristas (whom PT Barnum, Mr. Butler’s alleged neighbour, postulated were soon separated from their money). Nu?

Comment on Duck With Rasberry Sauce by wildassguy

wildassguy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:29:49 +0000

Actually, the best place was out Hwy 61. i can’t remember the name. They had a diving suit out in front. Back in the the ’70s, you could get a large or an extra-large platter of shrimp, oysters and flounder for $8.95.
The plate was large enough to feed a family in india for weeks.

Comment on Duck With Rasberry Sauce by Rue

Rue — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:16:23 +0000

BTW, the best flounder was Jimmy Dengates whole fried flounder where, usually, the oval platter was entirely obscured by the fish.

Comment on Duck With Rasberry Sauce by Rue

Rue — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:12:50 +0000

In my grandparents household downtown shrimp and “grits”, as you call it, was a Sunday evening affair with many a bourbon and soda to start. It was called shrimp and hominy, “grits” being a term of another caste, as I was taught. I use “grits” now because no one knows what hominy is.
But you are right, Charlestonians do not eat duck with rasberry sauce, and as I recall, really did not drink wine, having instead a cocktail “for the table”.

Comment on Duck With Rasberry Sauce by Jean

Jean — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:16:00 +0000

My how Charleston has progressed. Or have we? We’ve lost the “common touch” – the grand old restaurants (Henry’s; and that great Chinese restaurant on upper King Street where we all went after a night of heavy partying; then there were one or two on King Street – the names I cannot recall), and now we have so many restaurants it would take a year to visit all.

I like the days when Market Street had some strip joints where one could get a great steak dinner, gamble a bit, and we were all home town folks.

We didn’t give a rip if the cops were paid off – that made our visits to the clubs that much more exciting!

Remember the “Magic Lantern” on James Island? And the Patio Drive-In – those were the days my friend – and I shall never forget the best there ever was.

Gone are the good old days – Charleston has lost so much.

Comment on Fear and Loathing in 1969 Arden (Part 2) by Pinkney

Pinkney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:48:06 +0000

You flatter me and I thank you.

The trash can…. I don’t think it was me that walked into it, but it may have been. I thought it was very funny at the time although the noise scared the hell out me. It was a very dark night and a while after lights out. There wasn’t a glimmer anywhere and the thing was evidently balanced at the top of the stairs. It’s true, someone could have been hurt, but it was so unexpected and so loud that you couldn’t do anything but laugh about it when it quit bouncing and rolling.

When I lived in the 38 as a third former, my roomate was Sam Seashole – today a vet in Monks Corner specializing in reptiles – and he kept all kinds of creatures in out room. I woke up one morning with a lump in the bed and discovered I had rolled over on one of Sam’s chicks that he kept to feed the snake, the snake that later disappeared from the room. We thought it got out somehow, but in hindsite someone must have come and gotten it. Anyway, it was gone for several hours or a day. After lights out one night, the prefect, whose name escapes me, burst into the room with a wild look in his eye and, being closest to hand in the bottom bunk, he grabbed me out of bed and started to haul me off down the hall when he realized I wasn’t Sam and went back to get him. Sam went by being dragged by his feet, if I recall correctly.

There was a great deal of shouting and then silence and Sam cam back with the snake. Apparently, either in escaping or being placed as a booby trap, it had sought refuge under the prefect’s bed and said prefect had been looking for his laundry and pulled it out thinking it was a shoe. The snake wasn’t in great shape and neither was Sam, but both recovered. The snake, not being allowed on an airplane when Sam went home for Christmas, stayed in an aquarium in the lab over the holiday. The heat went off, the snake died and we buried it, wrapped in a really stiff mass of coils, behind the old shop. He kept a snapping turtle in a spackle bucket behind the door. He kept it until it began to stink up the place and then I think he took it back to the small pond from whence it came. It was as big as the bottom of the bucket and a gruesome looking thing, too.

Comment on Fear and Loathing in 1969 Arden (Part 2) by David Harvin

David Harvin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:01:05 +0000

Pinkney was definitely one of the “good guys” , and always approached
underclass mates with respect and humor . He’s really right on about
the different perspectives we all had . As far as Britt , he was def. a hero to me ( and others I am sure ) , simply because he was kind , enlightened and REMOVED from what I percieved as the normal CS bullshit . I wanted to live in his alternate universe rather than the one I inhabited on the ground floor of 38 , where there actually was quite a bit of undeserved violence directed toward lower classmates . I can easily
justify ( not that he needs it ) Pinkneys lack of knowledge about the crap that went on in our dorm , because when Pinkney and some of his classmates were hanging around 38 , they seemed to represent a more enlightened group of seniors and I think their presence actually chilled some of the more mindless and violent seniors from mayhem . Of course , the ultimate responsibilty for “peace” lay with the 38 dorm head and prefect – ha … total failure on that account . I do agree strongly about comments that imply each of us had a chance to make our own choices about halting or promoting violence . I echo Pinkney’s remarks : I personally decided to behave not as I had observed . I probably went over the top in the other direction , but my conscience is still pretty clear . As to the trash , I actually think I remember that . Pinkney , did you like …. walk into that in the middle of the night ? LOL…

Comment on Fear and Loathing in 1969 Arden (Part 2) by Pinkney

Pinkney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:05:09 +0000

I was in the 38 dorm in 1969 and I was one of the saloning seniors at Britt’s apartment. David wasn’t a senior, but he was around that, too. There were a lot of us who hung out with Britt. I’ll say it again, I don’t remember the constant brutality referred to in this piece. It was a hard place, for sure and individuality was often discouraged. I remember some rough people in all grades the five years I was there. I tended to avoid them when possible. “Power corrupts…..” It was interesting to see who the brutes were. Some of them started out that way in the first form and continued all the way through. Some of us became more reflective. At some point someone behind me in study hall popped me in the back. It had to be an upper classman because that’s how the hall was set up. A few days later an attractive target presented itself in a row ahead of me. I didn’t do it though because the thought occurred to me, “Hey! There’s still people behind me..” We all took away different things from the place. I know the perspective changes the further in the past the place gets. My first year was terrifying, the second less so. The third is mostly a blur while the 4th is clear. My senior year I was conscious of NOT doing the stuff that had happened to me in my first two years. I would still love to know who left the garbage can at the top of the stairs one dark night. It was loud enough to wake the dead and very funny – for not having killed anyone, that is.

Comment on Fear and Loathing in 1969 Arden (Part 2) by David Harvin

David Harvin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:52:01 +0000

Having not only been there , but actually involved in the issues you write about , I would have to say your take on this period of the school is very accurate . I do think Pinkney’s correct about Kit , but it was maintained by Henry H and Tommy P . As far as things being “calmer” by 69 , that’s a real laugh . I think life at CS could get calmer as one aged into the status of a senior , but my four year experience there did not seem calm at all , ever . And yes , there were teachers in the younger kids dorms , but lets get real here . Nations was constantly gone from 30 , Britt lived in his own alternate universe in 38 , playing his cello , saloning with certain select seniors , and had zero interest in involving himself in the regular night time mayhem . This situation of “non involvement” by teachers got even worse in Boyd , where the teacher’s apartment was highly segregated from the floor , and the teacher himself was terrified of the seniors . Finally , as to Bruces comment , your clearly writing about what was , not what is . As far as I can tell , current CS bears zero resemblence to what we experienced . BTW , I have mixed feelings about that . So… finish this piece David , or I am driving to Charleston to force your mattress out the window … peace ..