First (again...)

It has been suggested to me that I share my food and life philosophy. I am not really sure anyone is reading this blog. But, I will start by explaining where I come from.

I think I have made it clear that I travel a lot. When I am on the road for work I get some small amount of cash called "per diem". This money is supposed to be for food. Some people eat TV dinners and peanut butter and jelly. Then they take the cash home. I am completely unable to do this because I love food and the cooking options provided by a mini refrigerator and microwave are limited. Therefore, I go out nearly every night, sometimes for lunch too. I also really do not like national fast food chains. Because I want to save as much money as possible, I am on a budget. My choices usually do not include white table cloths.

I choose restaurants based on cool signs, local recommendations, and online reviews. Sometimes I drive by to see how full the parking lot is. This is not always a great indicator as the Golden Corral parking lot is seemingly always busy (why there is a critical mass of people at the Golden Corral in Beaufort, SC at 4:30 pm is still a mystery to me). This method of dining selection produces some hits, a lot of misses, and a lot of mediocrity. I hope to share some of my finds here.

When I am home, I love to cook. I am always experimenting with food, recipes, and ingredients. Sometimes I even try to recreate things I have had on the road. I love cheese, summer tomatoes (from the farmers market), fish (and shellfish), spicy, pasta, chocolate, and many more things that I can not think of at this moment...

Also, I love sewing. I am a big fan of customizing my stuff to be exactly how I want it for work and life. I love making presents for friends and family and inventing new things. I am not really good yet, but I am persistent. I use a mix of pre-made patterns and my own designs.

Okay, that is probably enough background for one night. It is dinner time. I am still in Beaufort and it is time to eat.

Beaufort and Blackstone's Cafe

For the past week, I have been in Beaufort, SC. The home of Parris Island and a U.S. Marine Corps Air Base. We have been doing condition assessments at some cemeteries. These cemeteries are in absolutely beautiful locations, surrounded by marshes and giant live oaks. However, the cemeteries themselves seem very forgotten. They are covered with overgrown vegetation. Headstones are broken and most burials are unmarked. Many can only be identified as graves because of the giant depressions left when the coffins collapsed. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon problem in older cemeteries. I think the work we are doing is the first step in bringing attention to these locations.

Here is a collapsed grave (it is hard to see the 1 foot deep indentation in the photo)

This town is pretty and historic, and has some awesome food. I will start with our favorite spot so far.

Yesterday, on our day off, we went to Blackstone's Cafe in downtown Beaufort for brunch. Now, I can not take credit for stumbling upon this restaurant. I actually first read about it on the Stern's great website roadfood.com. They were right to recommend this place. I had the corned beef and hash and it was the best $8.50 I have spent in a long time. The waitress told us they make it all from scratch and it tasted that way. The texture was perfect and the flavor was a great combination of salty and beefy. They serve it with two eggs over it, which is really ideal because my slightly runny eggs made a sort of sauce for the hash. I can not claim great experience with corned beef hash, as this was my first time trying it, but I can tell this was delicious. Should you go to this locale, do not miss the homemade biscuits, delicious coffee, and wonderfully crunchy hash browns. This place made my Saturday morning. I am planning on going back before I leave town.

First

It seems like everyone is writing a blog these days, now I am throwing mine into the mix. I guess, I feel like I have something to contribute. At least something my friends and family members will care about.

Okay, first of all, I am an archaeologist. A real, working archaeologist. Most people have no idea what that means. I will start with what that does not mean. I do not own a whip or wear a fedora. I have never touched a dinosaur bone or been to Egypt. I do a lot of assessment, mapping, and, yes, some digging. My specialty is geophysical archaeology, this mostly means I make maps of "stuff" below the ground without digging. In the field of archaeology, we look at how people lived in the past. We work to preserve, protect and study history. It is an amazingly interesting and rewarding job.

To do this amazing job I travel, a lot. When I travel it is not usually to places most people think of as a destination. This means I end up in a lot of interesting places. In these places I have to eat. Did I mention I love food? I am usually not satisfied with simply stopping by national chains. In fact, I will go out of my way to try new and interesting local foods. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. I am planning on using this space to let the world know about my hits and misses.

As perhaps the ultimate act of hubris, here is my blog...