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Libby Wiersema lived in California and Alabama before settling in South Carolina 38 years ago,
where she's covered the state's best culinary offerings and tells the stories behind the food.
Here in South Carolina, we have an unwritten "Bill of Rights" that guarantees the culinary contentment of citizens and visitors:
1. You have a right to enjoy heaps of sugar in your iced tea.
2. You have a right to sop gravy with cornbread, biscuits or both.
3. You have a right to douse your greens in pepper sauce.
4. You have the right to eat fried chicken with your fingers (and lick 'em, too).
But perhaps the most important is this one, as it technically encompasses all of the above:
5. You have a right to a home-cooked supper, an entitlement routinely enjoyed in diners and cafes known as "meat-and-threes."
The Components
When it comes to getting a good square meal, Southern-style, head to the nearest meat-and-three for the next best thing to Grandma's house. These bustling establishments are hallmarks of Southern food culture and often identified by a full parking lot and menus brimming with meats and veggies.
Pick the meat entree of your choice, then select three sides. Plates are traditionally rounded out with cornbread and biscuits, and a drink, usually sweet tea. Desserts such as banana pudding, peach cobbler, homemade pies and cakes can be added on for those who save room, or sometimes are just listed as a vegetable (yes, that's right).
The Style
Some meat-and-threes are set up cafeteria-style, with patrons lining up to have plates filled from a steam table, while others offer full table service. Aside from secret recipes for squash casserole, fried chicken and such, the meat-and-three concept is pretty consistent, offering casual, inexpensive dining and plenty of Southern favorites from which to build your idea of a perfect homestyle meal.
For example, on a recent day at OJ's Diner in Greenville, customers could choose from turkey, meatloaf, fried and baked chicken, fried and baked fish with several sides to complement including lip-smackers like turnip greens, rice and gravy, okra and tomatoes, creamed corn and macaroni-and-cheese.
You'll find a similar lineup at crowd-pleasers such as the Blue Top Grill in Graniteville and the Lizard's Thicket chain of eateries. If that doesn't make you hungry, you might just be from outer space.
The Feel
Big Mike's proprietor, Michael Chestnut, is proud to serve big portions with a smile.
There's one more essential aspect of meat-and-threes that bears mentioning.
Because most of these humble establishments are mom-and-pop operations, like Big Mike's Soul Food in Myrtle Beach, there's an authentic family feel to this uniquely Southern dining experience. The cooks in the kitchen are executing time-honored recipes just the way their parents or grandparents taught them. The owners and wait staff know most customers by name, and when they say they're glad you came, believe them.
And that smile on the owner's face? It's because you cleaned your plate.
Libby Wiersema lived in California and Alabama before settling in South Carolina 38 years ago,
where she's covered the state's best culinary offerings and tells the stories behind the food.
