I may just be the pickiest of the picky eaters. I'm the kind of lady who orders a BLT...hold the lettuce and tomato.

Green vegetables? Pass.

Anything gleaned from the sea? Pass.

Foods recognized by the USDA as being part of a healthy adult's daily diet? Pass.

Charleston is supposedly a hotbed of Southern culinary delights, and the signature dish out here seems to be shrimp and grits. It appears on 95% of all breakfast, lunch AND dinner menus. I can't help but feel like Joe Pesci in "My Cousin Vinny," and say,

"Sure sure, I've heard of grits, I just never actually seen a grit before."

Seth and I went out to the Food and Wine Festival a few weekends ago and had the opportunity to sample some of the region's fine wine and signature dishes.

Now let me tell you something about what happens when Kerry and wine intersect...
not only do I start to have an inflated sense of my dancing abilities, but I become a much more adventurous eater.

Kerry + wine = "Pass the octopus, and don't you dare skimp on the tentacles!"

So they didn't have any octopus, but I was permitted the honor of my first grits experience.

That there in the bowl is chicken, cheesy grits, and some extra tidbits.
Now I don't know about you, but to me, that looks strikingly like some of the low-to-moderately priced fake vomits that I've seen in my day.

Nevertheless,

Note the look of panic on my face.

It tasted as good as it looked.

However, there were some food triumphs. The poached pear and blue cheese in the puff pastry was the best thing I've eaten in years. I was also pretty keen on the white truffle and cauliflower soup.

We're not fancy people...though...I think we played the part quite well: