THE PERFECT SOUVENIR

I'm not big on souvenirs. By the time we came home from our second stint in Indonesia, our house was beginning to look like a Pier One Exports outlet. That's one reason I was so excited about downsizing by about 1,000 s.f. It was the perfect excuse for getting rid of a whole slew of dust-catching geegaws! I don't need any of that stuff to remind me of our adventures. I now have all my stories and pictures over on Miss Becky Goes Abroad. It was a tough process though, with hubby looking so sad and pitiful through it all, and I never want to go through it again. Which is why I'm ever so cautious when it comes to buying souvenirs.

When we were in Charleston, I almost made it through the entire trip without buying a single thing. I was dying for a piece of this fabulous color-mad folk art by Jonathan Green, but we have no more room on our walls (the "down" side of downsizing).

Or what about a book on the history of this area? But not the boring dates and battles! I wanted stories, about how the people really lived.

Of course, I would have loved a new cookbook -- one focusing on a cuisine that grew out of using whatever fresh, local ingredients happened to be at hand. But I already have so many, and just did a big purge on the ones I rarely used. This book would have to be pretty dang special to warrant adding it to my newly manageable collection, plus it would have to provide great inspiration for the once-a-month Sunday dinners I'd like to start hosting for our family.

But, what if I were to stumble across one book that had it all -- color madness, stories and food? Now that, my friends, would be the perfect souvenir!

Best twenty five bucks I ever spent! My only regret is that I didn't discover it in time to visit chef Charlotte Jenkins Gullah Cuisine restaurant over in Mount Pleasant while there. Yet another reason why I must go back!