Biddie Banquet, bastion of down home cooking, is conveniently located for me on the way to Interstate 26 at 220 John C. Calhoun Dr. Yelp reviews here.
Commencement began at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 9, and ended a few hours later.
I usually get the fried chicken- always so good- but since I had KFC chicken a few days ago I wanted something else. I was hoping for the chuckwagon steak with gravy but it wasn’t on the menu this day. So I went for the fried pork chop. This was by far the biggest pork chop I’ve ever had. And it was excellent, very moist and tasty.
For $13.25 I had all this. Along with the meat, the plate comes with three sides. I chose mashed potatoes, Cajun rice, and Cole slaw.
I misunderstood the three sides part this visit. Dessert is included in the $13.25, as is that Southern favorite- sweet tea. But dessert counts as one of the three sides.
Halfway through the meal I asked the server about dessert, a chocolate chip cookie. My past visits here dessert has been different pies or cobblers.
She explained the three sides deal and kindly gave me the cookie at no extra charge. I gave her an extra tip for her quality customer relations.
Biddie Banquet has long had handwritten menus. Very homespun right? You see the $13.25 cost in the top right corner, which includes tax.
Only cash is accepted. There used to be an ATM on site but I didn’t see it this time. I asked the server if customers ever don’t know the cash-only policy and want to pay by card. She said that does happen and when it does the restaurant holds something of value until the customer can go get cash. What a pain that would be knowing Orangeburg doesn’t have any nearby ATMs.
Today, even at $13.25, the value is good for such delicious home cooking.
I forgot to mention that you can also get a roll and cornbread for that price. Both breads are excellent too.
I had never before noticed this picture on the wall near the counter. Looks like Biddie Banquet has been in this location since it opened in 1968. It’s an old-school, low-profile kind of place, I feel. It doesn’t have a website, instead relying on word of mouth and local longtime residents, and the odd college professor like me, I suppose.
Here I was hours earlier lined up with other faculty to enter SC State’s Smith- Middleton-Hammond Memorial Center (named for the three young men killed in the tragic "Orangeburg Massacre” in 1968). Normally graduation is held outdoors at the football stadium but the threat of rain caused the venue change.
He made many references to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. My favorite story James told was how Ali was such a poet with his words and phrases but one of his best poems was just two words: “Me. We.”
The hundreds of graduates included seven from our communications program, all students I had in my classes, some in several.
The Class of 2025 communications graduates included this impressive young lady, Keira Mcgowan.
Keira, who graduated with honors, gave me a nice smile after receiving her diploma.
I was Keira’s academic advisor as I was also for these two newly minted SC State graduates Justin Gamble and Ariana Pinder.
Another one of our majors, Nia Smith, walked the stage as a “legacy” with her mother, who also graduated from SCSU.
Best of luck to all SC State graduates!
Big graduation kudos to 80-year-old Linwood Riddick! He was actually 79 on Saturday but then turned 80 the next day.
Talk about perseverance, this Vietnam War veteran has plenty of it. He says he was inspired to enroll at SC State after learning about the Orangeburg Massacre.
His graduation is receiving national media attention. NPR did this story about him.
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