A Filipina In The Deep South - A Weird Day In Savannah!

Pea spends a day in Savannah, Georgia exploring the city's unusual side: a candy store making its own sweets, a cat café that doubles as a foster home, a prohibition-era speakeasy, and a rage room where she smashes everything in sight. Woven through the adventures is a mini-documentary on Savannah's wild history with prohibition, including the city's threat to secede, the rise of speakeasies, and the unlikely birth of NASCAR from moonshine runners.

River Street Sweets candy store ​

• Located in the historic Waterfront district, housed in a building from the early 1800s
• They make their own candy on-site, including saltwater taffy
• A penny press machine turns a penny into a Savannah souvenir for 51 cents
• Pea is overwhelmed by the variety: "I think this is the happiest place on Earth for me at least"
• Free samples: she tries bear claw ice cream (the store's version of a "turtle" — caramel-based; down South they call them "Gophers" instead of Turtles); it's the store's second bestseller, the first being pralines
• She sees bear claws in milk, white, and dark chocolate, Rice Krispies covered in chocolate, cherry rock candy that looks like crystals, and large chocolate-covered items she initially mistakes for something phallic: "Dirty dirty minds — or what we call in the Philippines, you have a green mind"
• The chocolate items turn out to be shrimp/prawn-shaped — she's relieved

Christmas store in September ​

• She stumbles into a year-round Christmas store — notes that September 1st marks the start of the Christmas season in the Philippines ("we have the longest Christmas season in the world") but they don't have many year-round Christmas stores like this

Savannah Pedal Pub ​

• A 2-hour pub crawl on a group pedal-powered vehicle — everyone pedals and drinks except the designated driver
• Costs around $40 per person for 2 hours
• The driver explains: "We don't move unless you pedal"
• Popular with bachelorette parties and bridal showers — "not enough bachelor parties in my opinion"
• Strict rule: "You're not allowed to throw up — you get kicked off"

Savannah's prohibition history (mini-documentary segment) ​

• Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia, with much of the historical district dating to the early 1800s
• The city was so opposed to prohibition that they threatened to secede from the U.S. and form their own state — the State of Chatham — so they could continue to self-brew
• Despite this resistance, local religious leaders and women's groups eventually got alcohol banned
• Pea includes historical audio/quotes from the era: preachers calling alcohol "poison," blaming immigrants who were described as "undersized, peculiar, alien people... the defeated, incompetent, and unsuccessful, very lowest layer of European society"
• Pea reacts to each description against herself: "Undersized? Check. Peculiar? Oh yeah. Alien people? Maybe. European? Nope, I'm Asian — not me."
• Appeals were made on behalf of children from broken homes with drunken fathers
• The speakeasy: Pea visits one — an underground establishment where alcohol was sold illegally during prohibition. They didn't advertise; you needed to know someone. Called a "Speak Easy" because you could speak freely without judgment
• She mentions Carrie Nation, a famous anti-alcohol activist who would show up at bars with an ax to destroy them
• Unintended consequences of prohibition: organized crime flourished (Al Capone got rich), and NASCAR was literally born from moonshine runners who souped up their cars to outrun law enforcement
• After 13 years, prohibition ended and "happy days for beer again"

Pounce Cat Café ​

• A cat café and wine bar that functions as a foster home for cats from the Humane Society
• Pea interviews Wyatt, a staff member, who explains:
  • Cats are strays brought to the Humane Society, given all medical care (vaccines, spay/neuter, microchipping), then housed at the café until adopted
  • They currently have 13 cats and have adopted out over 1,300 since 2018
  • Younger cats get adopted faster, but more people are now wanting older cats or cats with disabilities — "not exactly worried about how long they're going to live but the quality of life"
  • No one has ever tried to sneak out a cat, but Wyatt checks if bags are wiggling on the way out
• Pea expected mostly female customers but was surprised that most were young guys "here to play with the little puss" (her words)
• She notes it's a good alternative to a shelter because you get an hour to bond with a cat and check for an "evil side" before committing — "kind of like the dangers of dating a Filipina online"
• The Philippines has a big stray animal problem but very few places like this; she says this could be a retirement possibility for her
• She's tempted to smuggle one out: "Just how much space do I have in my bag?"

Smash-N Rage Room ​

• Becky, the owner, explains: they've been open almost a year, offering smash room experiences and expanding into an arcade
• Customers can destroy items as large as washing machines, car doors, and hatchback hatches; printers are "always a favorite"
• Key clientele: divorce parties, bridal showers, and "smasherette parties" (bachelorette + smashing)
• People also bring in printed photographs of people they're angry at and smash those
• Pea suggestions: they should add a printer that actually prints so people can print photos on-site (Becky agrees)
• Pea gets suited up in protective gear that's all about 10 sizes too big — "I look like a little kid in his dad's clothes"
• While smashing, she yells out her frustrations: "I'm tired of making these videos! I'm sick of the trolls! Here's for all the copycats! And here's for the YouTube censors!" — also references the swimsuit/flag controversy
• Verdict: "It was exhilarating... was a lot of fun actually"

📺 Watch the full video on YouTube

🔔 Subscribe to The Filipina Pea