Sarah Golibart Gorman wasn’t born on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, but she grew up there—a “come here” rather than a “from here.” Not that any of that mattered years later, when she slid into a booth with her family and ordered drum ribs for the first time. A fascinating look at the underappreciated delicacy of an underappreciated part of the country.
In A South You Never Ate, southern folklorist Bernard Herman writes about a conversation he had with Violet Trower, a Shore native who grew up eating drum head stew. Trower said, “That’s where the sweetness is, next to the bone of a fish.” And Trower was right. Underneath a fried, golden crust lay sweet, juicy fish. Needing no dressing, the tartar sauce stayed lidded. Perfectly salty, reflective of the bay and the ocean from which it came, the drum was a taste of home I tried to memorize, allowing its briny flakiness to anchor me.Â
More picks from The Bitter Southerner
Life and Death at the County Fair
“During annual pilgrimages to my hometown carnival, I never fail to find meaning among the doughnut burgers, feather boas, and iridescent dragons.”
An Optimistic Quest in Apocalyptic Times
“Navigating an uncertain future by connecting to Mother Earth.”
We Salted Nannie: A Real-Life Southern Ghost Story
“Nannie, and the land around her, was thoroughly haunted. In less than a year we would break the lease, perform a binding ritual, and leave.”
Arroz Imperial and the Taste Of Regret
“Miami’s famous casserole is a dish meant to be shared. (That’s where I went wrong.)”
My 24 Guitars
“Music was hazardous in my family, yet I couldn’t help playing—even in my sleep.”
For the Living of These Days
“Every summer, locals reenact the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, where Prosecutor William Jennings Bryan remains something of a hero. I wanted to see for myself why this story still resonates.”
