What's In A Name?

Why did I name my blog The Southern Sideboard?  Well, I’ll tell you.  My maternal grandmother and namesake, the original FLB, had a beautiful sideboard commissioned when she lived in London.  My grandfather was serving in WWII and she missed him so much that she left her country club, bridge & golf playing life in Louisville, Kentucky, to join him.  She drove ambulances for the Red Cross into battle torn areas.  One day, I hope to research this and write more about it; but for now, we will focus on her fabulous sideboard.  Y’all it was gorgeous!  I have admired it, and the beautiful tea and coffee service that accompanied it, since my earliest memories.  I could not wait to have my own stately, southern home in which they would serve a fourth generation.  Sadly, they were both sold shortly after my father’s sudden death in 2011;  but I have a lovely replacement in which I will make my own memories.

So what is it about a southern sideboard?  Where does it get its power and pull at the heartstrings of those it has served?  Are we selfish, materialistic twits with nothing better to do than pine away for old furniture?  As a grown woman, I have to admit it amuses me to find myself upholding certain protocols that I once rolled my eyes at (more than once).   I find that southern girls are trained at the heels of their mothers and grandmothers that the hope of decorum, grace and manners are not a thing of the past.   We take pride in the history that lies in every stain in the mahogany, blotch on the silver, chip in the china from a tacky neighbor who didn’t know better but Grandmother had to invite her over anyway due to all the cars that would be out front for bridge (bless her heart) , and the fact that we knew what a shrimp fork was before we could talk.  We know the southern trinity for any southern soiree – stuffed eggs, cheese straws and HOMEMADE tomato aspic.   And so it just seemed the perfect name for my silly ol' blog.  I smile knowing that as I serve my family, all dishes will be thoughtfully and lovingly prepared for them and served from my new sideboard. 

So get a tall glass of sweet tea (or a toddy) and gather round the table.  Make yourself a plate of whatever is on the sideboard.  I hope you will enjoy how I entertain my family and friends through the seasons – southern style.  Pinkies up!

xoxo,
TSS