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Greetings from Carrboro, We made fun of them. As far as we were concerned, those poor souls did not measure up. Even on tip-toes. It was the restaurant equivalent to those cartoon-esque cutouts at an amusement park that declared to potential riders that “you must be this tall to ride this ride.” And we were […]

Greetings from Carrboro, We can’t have been the only ones. The pool fascination had run its course and there was an abundance of denial surrounding the required summer reading list, the books ominously stacked on my bedside table. So the mall became our haven to avoid any hint that summer was at an end. Galaga, […]

Greetings from Carrboro, I am unwilling to take responsibility for this. When I said that we were bringing the beach to town this weekend, I wanted to imply that we were bringing the beach vibe. You know, the deliciousness. Dumping half of the Atlantic Ocean on top of Carrboro was never in the plan. We’ve checked and clearly Debby […]

I’m not sure of the right word. The one that most readily comes to mind is “revamped.” But that seems to imply that at some point I “vamped” (of which I have no clear memory) and that I am presently – somehow – “vamping” again. It’s all very confusing. Maybe it’s akin to sleepwalking where […]

Greetings from Carrboro, It took a day. Really, it took a night. Mom handed out popsicles before we went to bed and then instructed us to “be still.” This was the extent of her sage advice for how to persevere that first night at the beach. I lay on top of the covers and listened to […]

She wrote a rather nasty note the next day. It was her contention that the restaurant had let her down. She’d brought special, out-of-town guests for dinner and we didn’t have Chilean Sea Bass on the menu. As if we’d ever had Chilean Sea Bass on the menu. The server was dumbfounded as the woman […]

Greetings from Carrboro, It was right off the highway. And for whatever reason, we only ever bought what I assumed must have been their raison d’etre, banana milkshakes. The Darie Dream building was small with simple, cement block construction. Under a yellow awning, a sliding glass window served as both where orders were placed and […]

Greetings from Carrboro, It always seems to be Lionel Richie. And I’m not particularly excited/proud with what that says about me. Personally or professionally. But if a song is going to get stuck in my head when I’m in the kitchen, it’s always one of those sepia-toned 80’s ballads that takes root. And – let’s […]

Greetings from Carrboro, It never really fit. Calling it a tomato sandwich felt as wrong as calling Kilimanjaro a hill. Yes, the description generically doesn’t lead you astray; it’s by and large factual. But names need to resonate and specify. They tell us “this thing” and not “that thing” in a way that we can all agree. […]

Greetings from Carrboro, It must have been 1974. Maybe even 1973. My brother got a job at the Ponderosa Steakhouse on South Blvd in Charlotte. He was in high school. It was a cafeteria-style set up where you’d pick your steak and then it would be cooked and brought to your table. There may have […]