It's funny how West Virginia is thought of as a "southern" state despite a portion of it being above the Mason-Dixon Line. Instead of only the geographic location, this is more characterized by the culture. The southern states have their own distinct history, customs, literature, music, and - yep- you guessed it, cuisine.

The cuisine for the southern United States is characteristic of comfort foods. While it gains influences from Scottish and German to Native-American and African-American, southern food varies greatly. In Southern Louisiana, there is Cajun and Creole cuisine. Rice was historically an important crop in the coastal areas of South Carolina. Barbecue has many regional variations in the South. Virginia produces Smithfield ham; Tennessee is known for its country ham. Oklahoma has grain- and bean-based dishes; Mississippi has catfish; Maryland is known for its crab; Georgia for its peaches.


Appalachian is one subcategory within the southern cuisine. Appalachian cuisine is characterized by pigs and chickens, locally caught fish, other wild game, buttermilk biscuit, ramps and berries. A few of these I plan to blog about individually because they're extra important to me. Generally speaking, many parts of the Upper South specialize more in pork, sorghum, and whiskey, while the low country coastal areas are known for seafood (shrimp and crabs), rice, and grits. The western parts of the South like Texas and Oklahoma are more into beef, and the eastern parts are more into pork.

Most of WV falls under the southern category, even if some parts go into the "northern" part of the United States. I go to, literally, southern WV every so often because my boyfriend, Chris, lives in Princeton. I never really noticed a distinct difference in cuisines, because, hey, it's only four hours south (three if you drive fast). But when I really took a deeper look recently, I noted some characteristics of a more southern cuisine, not only in that area but statewide.

Buttermilk biscuits & gravy? Chicken and dumplings? Fried Chicken? Cornbread, morel mushrooms (which I used to pick with my grandma), and soup beans are all here. I especially noticed that nearly every restaurant has a version of a pulled pork sandwich. And I realized I didn't "know" a southern cuisine because it's what I'm already used to. I just made myself more conscious of it and then it started to sink in. So, I wanted to list some of the foods that I, and many others, are used to around these parts. I picked and chose what I remember from my childhood from this Wikipedia list:

• Chicken and dumplings
• Fried chicken
• Fried fish and seafood
  • Catfish
• Corn 
• Beans - often cooked down with chunks of ham, bacon grease, or onions 
• Macaroni and cheese
• Mashed potatoes
• Peas
• Potato Salad
• Tomatoes
  • Fried green tomatoes
• Yams
• Biscuits
• Hush puppies
• Apple butter
• Cole slaw
• Deviled eggs
• Bread Pudding 

Any childhood favorites you'd add to your own list? It's hard for me to characterize something as "southern," when it just feels "normal" to me. But, hey, it is what it is. I know I only touched briefly on Appalachian food, but who really wants to read an incredibly long entry? I wanted to give some basics and set some groundwork for some future blogs I plan on doing, like about ramps and morels and maybe even pepperoni rolls.

I have some more information regarding the Ronald McDonald House Charities Chef Challenge. I've also attached the press release at the bottom of this for those of you who are interested.

Purchasing local foods in-season is important to buying local because they won't have to be shipped thousands of miles, the money you're paying for the food goes directly to the farmer, and the food is more likely to be healthier and unprocessed.

While it's easy to purchase foods from anywhere in the world all year round, it's not the most sustainable, and you can't be sure how the product was handled. Here's a quick list of the seasonal fruits and veggies for February. Not all of these are grown locally, of course.

• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Clementines
• Fennel
• Grapefruit
• Kale
• Lemons
• Lettuce
• Leeks
• Oranges
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Pears
• Rhubarb
• Shallots
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tangelos
• Tangerines

Did you know there is a magazine dedicated to WV food? I didn't either, until recently. Savor! West Virginia is "an independent publication dedicated to West Virginia food, spirits and travel." While they haven't produced a print publication yet, they are building an online identity.

Check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts.Yes, this is cool. But it's also very, very helpful. On their Facebook page, you'll see specials every day. For example, know those bakeries who change their specials each day, and you're not quite sure what it'll be until you step foot inside the door? Savor WV compiles that content from around the state and gives it back to you on one simple page.

Local places they cover include Terra Cafe and New Day Bakery. They also showcase events from all around the state. And, my favorite, is their fantastic recipes. I don't include many recipes on my blog because, well, I'm not the best cook. I'm trying, though! But they have some great stuff, like a Bacon Swiss Chard Frittata and a Cheese Grits Spinach Souffle. Mouth-watering, I know. And they take submissions.


So, of course I had to get in on this action. I've sent in my review of Mario's Fishbowl, and I will be a regular every other Monday, starting on Feb. 13. Check them out!

Smoking will be prohibited in all bars and restaurants within Morgantown and all of Monongalia County by March 12. After about four years of debates, the city of Morgantown passed a nonsmoking law back in June, and then Monongalia County passed their ban last month. To be consistent, one date was set to regulate indoor smoking. Monongalia County is the 20th to pass an indoor ban in West Virginia, and Morgantown is the second city.

Many advocates lobbied for this decision, such as Smoke Free Mon County, Smoke-Free West Virginia Communities, and the Breathe Easy Alliance of Morgantown.

Some bar- and restaurant-owners are happy with the decision, and have even implemented the ban already, ahead of the March deadline. "We're ecstatic," said Jared Riggleman, a manager at the Boston Beanery in downtown Morgantown, told WBOY. Boston Beanery went smoke-free in August. Mario's Fishbowl, a staple to the community, went smoke-free last year. Owner Mark Furfari told WBOY that "It's worked and it's worked well," owner Mark Furfari said. "We've seen some new faces and we've gotten a lot of positive feedback from all of our customers on that change."

Both the Beanery and Fishbowl set up areas outside for smokers that include tables, benches, heaters, and even a TV at the latter. Will this satisfy everyone? Of course not. Morgantown folks have been grappling with this issue for quite some time.

What others are saying:

Over at Erin Kelley's blog, she promoted 123 Pleasant Street being a non-smoking bar since the beginning of the year. She notes that one bartender in particular isn't making as much money as he had when smoking was allowed, so she encourages those who believe in a non-smoking bar to show their support.

On Sam Wilkinson's blog, The City of Morgantown, he notes the importance of the ban. He even commented on how Mario's Fishbowl was fantastic, but the smoking made it unpleasant. Mark Furfari himself commented and said they were to go smoke-free soon. Judging from his more recent comments, the ban seems to be working. Wilkinson actually posted another blog with even more compelling info.

Even commenters are, well, commenting on the issue, as seen over on Fork You's blog. "LAL" posted "Since Putnam Co. still allows smoking in restaurants and bars, there were several people smoking but we actually came out of there smelling like we’d been swimming in the deep fryer. I’ll go back, though, for the wings for sure." Seems as though he/she was anticipating smelling like smoke. Luckily (or maybe even worse), the deep fryer smell took over.


While I empathize with bar-owners and restaurant-owners who may lose business, I think the ban is the greatest good for the greatest number of people. For every eight smokers who die from smoking, one innocent bystanderdies from secondhand smoke. That could be another customer, a waiter or bartender, or a child who is dining with their family. I don't like those odds. And yes, I understand that it may be a private establishment, but it's not off-the-grid. It's in a town where other people live. And allowing those who developed a habit to trump the rights of those who do not doesn't seem fair. If you're doing something that could kill another person, it isn't fair.

And, really, businesses may gain customers who had previously hated the smoking. For a long time, I hated going to Gibbie's and leaving smelling like an ashtray. I've gone much more in the past month or so than I have in the past year. Maybe those people will balance out those who will be lost.

I think valuing the general health and well-being of the public is more important than the preferences of a few.