I have lived in the South my entire life and I will never live anywhere else. Visit, yes, but not live. I've been to New York, Chicago, Dallas, London, Moscow -- all great places to visit. However, the South is the only place where I feel really comfortable.
I've never shoveled snow and I don't plan to ever go anyplace where it snows a lot, in winter, ever again. Saw enough of that in Russia and Kazakhstan.I'll take my once yearly snow flurry here in Hot-Lanta and my sticky hot summers over the icy climes up north any day...
I digressed. What I really wanted to do was comment a bit on 45 Things Only People Who Grew Up in the South Will Understand. First, I admire her for coming up with 45 items to list. I suspect it was easier since she doesn't actually live here any more. You see something far more clearly when you get some distance from it.
Secondly, while there were a very few stereotypes in there, she pretty much avoided being offensive, bless her heart.
So here are some of her items, with my comments in blue. The numbering got fouled up from the original article but you get the idea.
- You understand the peace and serenity that only the rustling branches of a Weeping Willow can bring. Actually, my Mamaw said weeping willows were death harbingers so I don't care much for them.
- You know the feeling of peeling your sticky skin bit by bit from the boiling leather seats of a car in July. I remember plastic seats in cars as a kid, not leather. Never saw a leather seat until I was grown. Don't seats get hot in the north??
- You know, with absolute certainty, that anything can be fried, eaten, and enjoyed. This is so obvious I wouldn't have thought to include it. My father made us fried grits once -- fabulous.
- Honey, sugar, dumpling, pumpkin, and sweetie pie are usually not referring to food. I refer to people I am especially fond of as "Sweetie" and my nickname as a child was "Doll" so wait - in other parts of the country they don't say these things? Children AREN'T told to "Come give mama some sugar?!" Astonishing.
- You understand the feeling of complete and utter satisfaction when successfully getting a big drop off the end of a honeysuckle. Never did this as a child. I was raised by a world class germaphobe. Drinking out of the garden hose was as crazy as I got..
- You know that good food is even better when combined with other good food to make a casserole. My father didn't like "casseroles." We would have them, but they were called something else. Mom was clever about it.
- Talking to complete strangers in public is not weird - in fact, it's just good manners. You nod and smile when you pass folks on the street. You chat with the checkout clerk at Kroger. You say Hi just to be nice, even to people you don't know. Nobody else does this but Southerners??! Mama was right. We DO have better manners than most Yankees...
- Speaking of manners, you were grounded multiple times as a kid for forgetting your "yes ma'am"s and "yes sir"s. Um, nope. I rarely forgot my M'am and Sirs because I didn't want to get sent to my room. I was saying M'am and Sir almost as soon as I could talk. I think ALL children should do that. It's just respectful.
- Telling off other people's kids when they're pitching a fit is acceptable. Absolutely. If a child can't behave they need to be taken HOME. I was in a movie some years ago and some trashy idiots let their 2 year old run all over the theater screaming. After 20 minutes, unable to hear the film, I got up and told the manager and he threw them out. They were ruining the movie for everyone. It was a grownup movie, The Firm - don't take your toddler to a movie like that if they can't behave.
- You or someone you know reached true Southern Belle status when they got dolled up for a debutante ball. Lots of white dresses, lots of antiquated rules. One of the most heated arguments I've ever had with my mother was over the fact that if we had stayed in Augusta instead of moving to Knoxville, I would've been a debutante. Um, hell to the NO. Not this tomboy. I would have had to be forced at gunpoint to do any type of debutante activities. Not me at all. Ditto for being in a sorority or joining the Junior League. Sorry Mom, you didn't raise a "ladylike little girl" you raised a hellion...
- You know that all BBQ is not created equal. Do NOT, under any circumstances, get Texas and Carolina BBQ confused. Forget Texas and Carolina. The only decent barbeque is in Georgia. I won't hear any arguing about this. Barbeque was sacred to my dad and it's sacred to me..
- You never, ever forget to write a thank-you note after attending a social gathering or receiving a gift. Yep, I always try to send a note. These days, it's often an email but I think that counts...
- What the hell is a remote control? Pass me the clicker or the changer, or don't pass me anything at all. We often just call it the clicker or the TV thing. Why get all technical.
- The struggle of craving Chick-fil-A on a Sunday is so real. I always crave Chick-fil-A on Sunday. Lord, forgive me..
- You don't realize how strong Southern accents are until you move somewhere else. Sorry, was that darn? Dern? Dernit? Yankees are unable to cuss colorfully and it's such a shame, bless their hearts. Dadgummit is a perfectly good word...
- Fried chicken and waffles were sent from heaven straight to the South. I've never had fried chicken and waffles. Never heard of this combination until a few years ago when I was watching Food Network. I think it's more common in the African American community. I would be happy to try it though!
- You know that no matter where you are in the world, if you run into a fellow Southerner, you've got a true friend in them. Why yes, of course. Duh. When I was in Russia adopting my daughter I ran into a couple from Alabama and we became instant friends. In contrast, I was in Moscow alone, on an adoption trip some months later, and I ran into a Canadian woman in a department store. Delighted to meet someone who spoke English, I tried to chat with her. She acted like I was an escaped mental patient. Yikes.
I will never claim that the South is a perfect place. We have issues, just like any other area, but this is HOME.
I was watching a program last night about folks buying homes in Montana, on HGTV, and I admired the beautiful country out there. I wouldn't live there, though. Probably couldn't get decent barbeque anywhere and everyone had weird accents...
this is the house where my daddy grew up... wish I could afford to buy it back...