Daniel Wallace

Wallace is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of five novels, most recently The Kings and Queens of Roam. His illustrations have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Italian Vanity Fair and many other magazines and books. His novel, Big Fish, was made into a motion picture by Tim Burton in 2003.

Life

Just a Bowl of Butter Beans

If you think of these little legumes as just lima beans, you may not understand why butter beans move us Southerners to sing.

Dining

An Ode to Diner Pie

In a glass case by the door, or on a dessert plate in an old-school booth, few foods evoke as strong a sense of place as coffee’s favorite companion: a slice of diner pie.

Dining

The Truth About Gingerbread

An investigation into our favorite person-shaped cookie reveals that gingerbread’s history is closely linked to our own.

Dining

Sizzle and Savor: In Defense of Bacon

Can’t you smell it now? On Saturday mornings, the scent of pork in the frying pan rises above the rest — just one reason our bacon mania is here to stay.

Drink

The Brightest Alley in Durham

The bar that transformed a quiet nook on a dark, downtown street, and made it shine.

Life

Even Show Dogs Will Do Anything for a Treat

Carolina show dogs aren’t so different from pet pooches: Turns out, a little kibble goes a long way.

Dining

The Barbecue Sandwich, Deconstructed

A short treatise on love, buns, sauce, and that other mythical (chopped, sliced, pulled) stuff.

Dining

Equal Parts Stealthy and Sleek, Peccadillo Delights

An unmarked door leads to Carrboro’s modern version of a speakeasy at Peccadillo.

Dining

The Five-Star Gas Station: Saxapahaw General Store

A little bit old, a little bit new, the Saxapahaw General Store has something for everyone.