The Charleston Observer

The Glass Onion on Hwy 17

Inconspicuously good, fresh food. A relaxed atmosphere. And a friendly staff.

They’re doing it right at The Glass Onion restaurant on Highway 17, just past the intersection of Farmfield Avenue, on the left. As they say, “We strongly believe in the importance of eating seasonally, locally, and naturally. So, you can expect all natural meats, local seafood, and vegetables from as close to home as we can get.”

Don’t miss the fried chicken livers. If you’re on a tight budget, go for the 4 sides for $7.

And their cornbread—how did they do that?

You’ll find owner Sarah O’Kelley—with her signature hair bandanna—busing tables and working the register in a funky building whose original claim to fame is that it housed the first Seven-Eleven store in South Carolina. It’s got new fame now, though. And lots of repeat customers. •

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A Sand Artist You Have to See

Kseniya Simonova, Ukranian sand artist

Ever seen a sand artist? Wow.

Watch this Ukrainian teenager telling—“drawing”—the story of Ukraine during WWII.

Click the image to see the video.

CharlestonToday.net keeps growing

If you haven’t visited us yet on CharlestonToday.net, please have a look. Our content and coverage keeps expanding.

In addition to regular posts about art, music, dance, and theatre, we have two special columns which you can see in the left column of the page.

The first is “Looking at Charleston” which offers a unique view of historic architecture on the peninsula—homes, churches, and public buildings. All the material comes from unpublished writings of Gene Waddell who is an architectural historian and now the archivist at the College of Charleston Library. This is not your typical tour of downtown (who lived where, how many surviving ancestors they have, and how many times the building burned). No, it is about architecture: who the architects were, where they learned their design concepts, why they chose these particular designs, which materials they selected and why, and how the buildings were built. It is a guaranteed to give you a fresh perspective on the city, literally, around you.

The other column is “A Nuff is a Nuff” which is co-authored by our friends Harriet (Hattie) and Goodwin (Goodie) Nuff. Their view of life is from the practical human side. They don’t always agree, but both have worthwhile things to say. And they’re fun. You’ll see. Watch, too, for Goodie’s cousin who may write in occasionally: Itzhak (Itzha) Nuff.

We’ve also got other fun and reflective columns coming soon. As well as plenty more about the cultural season ahead of us this Fall and Spring.

Take a peek at CharlestonToday.net.

Forbidden Fruit

After leaving the “x-rated” Corrigan Gallery exhibit on Tuesday, I walked around the corner to the Circular Congregational Church on Meeting Street to see another exhibit entitled She Shall Be Called Woman. I felt it was interesting, but not outstanding. Most of the paintings were allegorical and, to my taste, most erred on the side of being either too direct or too vague. One painting, however, stood out.

Pear by Lisa Shimko

This “Pear” by Lisa Shimko seemed the most subtle, symbolic, and sensual (and smallest) work in the show. Had it been at the Corrigan Gallery, it would have surpassed everything there in terms of its vivid, tactile sexuality—and in this case its femininity.

More than that, it heightened my awe of the designs of Nature and whoever or whatever is behind those designs. The more I looked at it, the more beautiful it became. One of the signs of good art. •

Naked People

Adam & Eve by Julia Trops

MEN HAVE PENISES. Women have vaginas. Both have breasts and nipples. And depending on the circumstances, they can all change size and shape.

Really, that’s all there is to it. Except that all of it is also remarkable and wonderful. So why the fuss about displaying nude art, even when it gets “graphical?”

Unfortunately, when it is treated poorly—and especially when it is forbidden—nude art becomes offensive not for what it shows but for how it corrupts the natural beauty and sensuality of the human body. Treated well, it conveys an evocative poignancy as nothing else can.

Even more unfortunately, there are people who, for a variety of reasons, have an extreme or disturbed relationship to sex and sexuality. But nude art displayed in galleries is not, to my knowledge, breeding or worsening those exceptions to the rule. And even though I just got my second email in two days from my daughter’s kindergarten about purported sex offenders approaching children, I would not keep her from nude art.

Sketch by Robert Henri

I remember when our female neighbor in California died of cancer last year. We knew it was happening and when it finally did, my daughter asked if she could go see Constance in her bed where she had died at home. We went and my daughter stood next to Constance’s motionless body for a few minutes, studying her face. Then she said, “The difference between people who are alive and dead is that when they’re dead they don’t have lips.” And we walked back across the lawn to our house.

Some hours later, my daughter asked if she could go see Constance again, so we did. Once again, she innocently, fearlessly studied the dead body (I was more uncomfortable than she was). She then walked outside where a group of adults were sitting with morose faces and declared, “Constance is not dead. Her spirit is alive all over the sky.” Needless to say, the mood changed. And we once more walked back to our house.

Sex, death, and life need exploration. The more, the better. The more freely, the healthier. The more beautifully, the happier. We don’t have to advertise or share or endlessly discuss all of them. But they are all there as the largest forces in our lives whether we know it or not. •