By Jay Whipple
Trend Magazine Online™
Tasty Fish!
Trend Magazine Online™
Tasty Fish!
It had been quite a spell since I have dined at a legitimate fish camp. I
decided to visit this place after suggesting the same to the curator of the
Zimsculpt exhibit at the nearby Daniel Stowe Botanical
Gardens in Belmont, NC. He and his two artists were visiting from
Zimbabwe Africa and I was there interviewing them for an upcoming
article in Trend Magazine Online™. I first learned of
fish camps back in the mid 1980’s when I moved here from
eastern North Carolina where they are not as popular as turkey
shoots. You can typically find them in small towns off the main highway in
a remote area surrounded by trees with huge dirt and/or gravel parking
lots. Friday nights are typically the most popular when patrons show up as
families of six or more and the parking lot resembles that of a church
convention.
Before my first personal experience at a fish camp I envisioned folks
sitting around a camp fire outside with the catch of the day skewered over
the heat. I also pictured someone playing a harmonica while the folks
joined in with a song everyone knows – except me. So, it took me a
while before I decided to venture out one Friday night years ago to
experience this North Carolina tradition. There are two menu items
that you can bet are on every last fish camp’s menu; fish and
hushpuppies. If you are not familiar with the latter, hushpuppies are like
fried cornbread usually rolled up in a ball or like a baby carrot. I eat
mine with ketchup; however, most folks just eat them plain. The fish is
typically the catch of the day and most camps typically offer my favorite
flounder on their menus.
It was Friday night so I made sure that I wrapped up my interview at
Daniel Stowe early enough to beat the typically Friday night family
church convention crowd. Like most camps, as mentioned earlier, Twin
Tops is located off the main highway leading from Belmont, NC. I
still am very confused about the name as it sounds like another type erotic
business if you know what I mean. This placed came highly recommended by
the media contact guy at Daniel Stowe. Unlike most camps, it is not
in a remote area nor does it have a huge parking lot. In fact, the parking
was quite congested and somewhat difficult to maneuver your vehicle in and
out. The convention crowd had already begun showing up just after 5
PM when I arrived. One customer sitting out front said that everything
is good on the menu. I later found out that she may have been a bit biased
as she was seeking employment. Smile!
