Chef Hunter Lee
Let’s get shakin!!!
This time last year I was returning from a book promotional tour that included Asheville, North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah Georgia. It was an amazing adventure but over 2,400 miles round trip, it was a lot of driving and let me tell y’all it’s just as HOT up there as it is here.
South Carolina and Georgia are both well known for the Pineapple. It’s not just them, like a lot of symbols it’s a southern thing!
“The Pineapple” is the southern symbol for hospitality and we all know you won’t find better down-home hospitality than right here in Louisiana and east Texas
There are stories of how this came to be and why, a lot of them are just myth and a lot have been lost in history and time.
Originally, pineapples were scarce. They were not only used as a symbol of hospitality but also, affluence. They would be set outside to let the neighbors know the gentleman of the house had returned from overseas and they were welcoming guests.
They were also said to be used as centerpieces for a fine dinner then used as dessert for the guests. My personal favorite: when pineapples were placed on the mantle it was a signal to let guests know the party/social was ending. In the true southern “passive-aggressive” fashion they were also cut in half and placed at the foot of the bed when overnight guest had overstayed their welcome.
In the south hospitality is life and the pineapple is just another chapter in our ever-unique culture, notwithstanding todays use of it displayed upside down signifying a more “precarious” type of hospitality.
Yes, hospitality in the south comes in many shapes, forms, and symbols.
Remember, “treat your kitchen, treat yourself!”
—Chef Hunter Lee