Many folks are beginning to make their way back to inside restaurant dining, now that we are several months into the COVID19 Pandemic, and the food service industry has implemented steps to make the experience as safe and enjoyable as possible. This photo shows I was one of those people venturing out to see what the world outside my own little kitchen looked like! Even though it has been a long time since I have been very close to a human chef, I felt it would be safe to get my photo taken with a chef statue, because he was wearing a mask, as was I! 
The restaurant I was visiting is located on the IntraCoastal Waterway (shown in photo), in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since the waterway connects to the ocean, it makes it easy for the restaurant to advertise that all their seafood is South Carolina grown.
I learned a new culinary term when I visited Myrtle Beach, and that word is "calabash". Calabash-style seafood is lightly breaded and fried, and typically served buffet style. The seafood is always accompanied with a side dish of hush puppies. Cornmeal is used for the breading, instead of flour, to give the seafood a light coating. The seafood is then fried in hot oil, until it becomes golden brown. To make sure I do not forget this new-to-me culinary term, I have a tee shirt with the word printed into its design!
I mentioned in the previous definition of calabash seafood that it is usually served buffet style, and so it is no surprise to see a sign that says the restaurant where I experienced my first calabash seafood, was voted "the best all you can eat buffet in South Carolina by Reader's Digest". (And "digest" is what my stomach was doing for a very long time, after all the delicious morsels I fed it from this buffet!)
No need to "clam up" and be quiet, when there is a giant pan of steamed clams awaiting your taste buds!
Likewise, if the pandemic has you feeling a little "crabby", you can work through those feelings of hostility, as you PINCH the dickens out of these critters, to get at the tasty shreds of meat they conceal, beneath their hard outer covering!
One of the measures for improved sanitation that buffet restaurants have implemented, is providing disposable gloves for the patrons to use, each time they touch the handle of a serving utensil. As you can see that means there has to be an ample supply of the gloves available for patrons. One entire serving station had been converted to a "glove storage station"! 
As you can see from this photo, the buffet line is covered on both sides with a very substantial sneeze guard. This clear tunnel reminds me of the shark tunnel I saw at the Myrtle Beach aquarium, and since there are sharks mounted on the wall above the serving stations, it was very appropriate!
For years, sanitation regulations at buffet restaurants have called for getting a clean plate with each trip to a serving station. Since the COVID19 Pandemic, buffet guidelines also call for each guest to use a fresh disposable glove for each trip to a serving station. 
In addition to an amazing variety of seafood, The Original Benjamins also had a GIGANTIC hunk of beef at their meat carving station! To find out the most up to date hours of operations for this restaurant, visit their website at www.OriginalBenjamins.com
Another type of cuisine I tried while in Myrtle Beach, was a "buffet" of quick-serve restaurants, which I encountered at the Market Hall, in Tangers Outlet, in Myrtle Beach . 
Notice the easily-seen and easily-accessed hand sanitizer station in front of the restaurants in the Market Hall. These were found at all the food service establishments I visited. To get a complete listing of food service providers that you can visit at this location, go to www.TangerOutlet.com
So far in the article, I have told you about buffet restaurants, and quick-serve restaurants, but I also had the pleasure of enjoying some elegant, "sit-down and served" meals while in Myrtle Beach. And since the meal started with a beautifully plated and colorful salad of fresh vegetables, I was a happy diner!
Likewise, the main entree that followed the salad course was also attractive and yummy! Meals such as this can be arranged at Sea Watch Resort ( www.seawatchresort.com )
This photo shows some of the boats moored at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach, which is situated along the IntraCoastal Waterway, and this is another area where visitors have a plethora of dining options, which you can find listed on their website, at www.bflanding.com.
One of the many restaurants you will find there is LuLu's, which is a restaurant group (usually located in popular waterfront destinations), that is owned by the sister of popular recording artist, Jimmy Buffett. Her website is www.lulubuffett.com Their website advertises "Gumbo Love", as does the gigantic sign printed on the top of their roof! So, if you would like to experience some popular Gulf Coast cuisine, stroll into Lulu's!
A visitor does not have to look very far to find a waterside dock in Myrtle Beach. Our group walked past the one in this photo, as we headed to the Wicked Tuna Restaurant, in Murrells Inlet, near Myrtle Beach. 
Most waterfront restaurants try to provide outdoor dining options for their guests, and Myrtle Beach is no exception. These outdoor dining spaces became particularly important during the pandemic. At the Wicked Tuna restaurant, we were seated in their outdoor dining room, and it was delightful! The photo shows one of the heaters designed especially for areas such as this, that can help take the chill out of the air. 
Our group had the wonderful opportunity to try small amounts of every single appetizer they offer on their menu.
Likewise, we could order their main dish sampler platter that gave you a small serving of each of the many types of seafood they offer. Their website (www.thewickedtuna.com) states they have their very own fishing fleet, to insure their "Hook to Plate" fresh seafood philosophy, is delivered every day!
Another restaurant we visited was the Hook and Barrel Restaurant. They had a lovely oyster bar, and diners would watch a highly skilled worker shucking the "fresh from the sea" oysters. It gave new meaning to my understanding of the cliche, "AWE, shucks!". "AWEsome" is how I would describe both the food, and the decor, at this establishment!
I was as intrigued with the ceiling lights made to look like jellyfish, as I was with the single light bulbs dangling from a huge nautical-looking rope! Their design elements were inspired by their commitment to reduce their environmental impact , in hopes of providing a better future for the planet. They are especially happy to tell folks that the wood seen inside the restaurant was milled from trees cut down, on the lot where the restaurant sits. Likewise, they choose their menu items based on the product's sustainability. To take a complete look at all they have to offer, visit their website at www.hookandbarrelrestaurant.com
Yet another new-to-me menu item I tried in Myrtle Beach was the sweet potato pancakes, served with maple pecan butter. They were delicious, and can be found at the restaurant inside the Island Vista Resort. And you do not have to be a guest at the resort to enjoy these items for either dine-in, or carry-out, meals. Their website is www.islandvista.com.
If you are one of those cooks who thinks it is impossible to make a delicious meal without tons of butter, then you will be happy to know there is a Paul Deen Restaurant in Myrtle Beach, at Broadway on the Beach. Although I did not actually eat a meal at her restaurant, I enjoyed perusing the expansive gift shop! Of course, the gift shop items are available, not only in their store, but also from their website at www.PaulaDeensFamilyKitchen.com
The website for Broadway at the Beach will give you a complete listing of their numerous restaurants, as well as the most up-to-date guidelines regarding their efforts to reduce the harmful impact of Covid19. As the sign in the photo says, visit www.BroadwayattheBeach.com for more information. Tourism partners along the Grand Strand have developed
an educational website to help promote responsible tourism, and to ask partners to take the "Grand Strand Promise". Each of the participants in our group was given a face mask with the Grand Strand Promise logo printed on the front. You can find more details at their website, www.greatergrandstrandisopen.com
One good thing a mask can do (in addition to reducing the spread of germs) is to make us mindful of what we are putting into our mouths. I have talked to many people who blame the pandemic for weight gain they have experienced this past year. Something that helps me with that issue, is participating in a healthy living program, that teaches me to turn to God for comfort, and not to food. The program is called First Place for Health (www.FirstPlaceforHealth.com)
In First Place for Health, we have a different Bible verse to memorize each week, and all that fantastic food I photographed in Myrtle Beach, provided a great visual aid to help me memorize Romans 14:17 that says, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." I use visual aids to help me memorize Scripture, but it is difficult to come up with a photo of "the kingdom of God", to illustrate that part of the memory verse. Hence, I will use a photo of the beauty of God's creation, that I took, as I looked out onto the ocean, from the shores of Myrtle Beach. Remember, it is the peace of God that should be our goal, not the "piece of pie" that satisfies a momentary craving. So, I will use my facemask to help me be MINDFUL and grateful for the delicious food God has given me, because it is when I put God in FIRST PLACE, that I have true "MILES OF SMILES"! Triciaan educational website to help promote responsible tourism, and to ask partners to take the "Grand Strand Promise". Each of the participants in our group was given a face mask with the Grand Strand Promise logo printed on the front. You can find more details at their website, www.greatergrandstrandisopen.com
One good thing a mask can do (in addition to reducing the spread of germs) is to make us mindful of what we are putting into our mouths. I have talked to many people who blame the pandemic for weight gain they have experienced this past year. Something that helps me with that issue, is participating in a healthy living program, that teaches me to turn to God for comfort, and not to food. The program is called First Place for Health (www.FirstPlaceforHealth.com)
