The west coast is indeed beautiful! Half of my mama's family moved out to California during the Gold Rush and stayed. Mama used to always say to Daddy that if she ever left him, he could come find her in San Diego.
The SF, LA, SD areas and whatnot are way too busy for me - too cramped and, like Orlando, those areas are too transient for my taste.
Now, Seattle, WA..... I could be persuaded to give up my dreams of moving back to the south if I thought I could make a decent living wage in the suburban Seattle area. Holy Ka-Shmoly that place is beautiful!!! The weather is perfect!! (and yes, I do love the rain as much as the sunny days)
The people we met seemed to all be very kind. There's an atmosphere of acceptance despite differences from what I could tell - it could just be the places my brother & his girlfriend took us, but those are probably places I would frequent anyway if I lived there.
There was even this one curmudgeon (who turned out to not really be one) who gave us an awesome tour and history lesson on Seattle. Just fascinating! Yeah, I think I could make a home on the west coast with no problem. I'd still miss my soul food, but seafood would probably be better and easier to get. I'd still have to go home for my Mama'nem fixes though.
Turn your teevee and radio off...learn to enjoy the quiet...get out in the woods camping on one of those gentle spring nights and enjoy the feel and aroma of the breeze blowing thru the pines while listening to the call of the whipoorwill...then wake up to the call of the morning dove as your campfire smoke dissipates fragrantly into the fresh, clean air....you just MIGHT get it.
Get a chainsaw, post hole digger, some fence and a come along and do a days work under the hot southern sun...MAYBE you'll get it.
Get a rifle and go hunt, kill, clean, butcher and cook up some venison tenderloin...THAT might help you get it.
Get to know somebody and get an invite to a big family reunion, Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner or some other family get together...THAT'LL get YOU.
I'm southron to the marrow of my bone and listen to classical music...mostly...I like Irish/Scottish folk, too, dislike wrestling, don't care for NASCAR, don't pay any attention to football, but like the halftime shows and prefer my own cooking and eschew ALL chain restaurants.
With what you posted, YOU are perpetuating the mythology that permeates yankee mentality. Yankee mythology suggests we're all ignorant rubes.
It's been my experience that most southrons are better educated (I have a Masters in English), more aware(I left TWI before many of you), healthier (I cut a rick of firewood and did chores and my morning hike before I got online today and still feel great), more cultured (Can YOU listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger?) and MUCH more polite and respectful to others (we say sir and ma'am to everyone) than any yankee (cept one or two notable exceptions I could name...typically from Michigan...sometimes I think parts of Michigan might be displaced southern regions...from what I hear).
Anyway, you're looking for southerness in all the wrong places...or you're following your own pre conceived notions too far.
First and foremost, turn the teevee off and turn the radio off...back away from the computer, avoid the strip malls and abondon all the other trappings of "homogenized America" and savor the reality...on YOUR terms sans preconceived myths and notions.
or you're following your own pre conceived notions too far.
I posted that I loved it down there, but that honestly was the hardest part for me to really overcome, it wasn't that I necessarily believed it but after whizzing through at 65mph a number of times and seeing stripmall towns, fireworks stands, and yes, Waffle houses everywhere-- I got the wrong impressionand so held that idea unthinkingly for a number of years.
I was wrong
It did take slowing down-way down, interacting with the locals on more than a quick run through way to change my mind and not hold onto previously unfounded perceptions .
For the most part I found it very civilized and charming--especially in the smaller towns--(well most of them anyway).
Atlanta you can keep though--that ones definitely not for me--
Like it as I might its a perfect autumn day here and no matter where I go, nothing anywhere beats autumn in New England
As a native Texan I consider myself a southerner. I don't care for Nascar, don't like most "hat-act" country music, detest the Bushes, and will shoot at cans and intruders but not animals. I would trade our humidity for the dry air and the majestic beauty of the left coast or the Rockies in a heartbeat, but I would miss the sky and the barbeque and the "messican food" and most of all the friendliness of the people here. And yes, I get teary-eyed when I hear "Dixie". It's hard to 'splain.
Speaking of preconceived notions! Read what I said again. Since you have that Masters in English, that should pose no problems for you, ... which should include NOT reading INTO what others say/write.
For one thing, "It's been my experience that most southrons are better educated (I have a Masters in English), more aware(I left TWI before many of you), healthier (I cut a rick of firewood and did chores and my morning hike before I got online today and still feel great), more cultured (Can YOU listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger?) and MUCH more polite and respectful to others (we say sir and ma'am to everyone) than any yankee (cept one or two notable exceptions I could name...typically from Michigan...sometimes I think parts of Michigan might be displaced southern regions...from what I hear)."
Most Southrons, ehh? You then utilize _just_ yourself as an example of such in most of your points, but even overall, that very well may be the case _as far as your experience goes_. My experience in living in the South, however, has been quite different. Sudo is most likely different than the two of us. George Aar, likewise. And keep in mind that I've been living in the South for 30+ years. And a lot of it has been in real life situations, rather in front of the TV or radio, as you have ignorantly presumed. Do YOU Get it?
More polite? More respectful? My friend, there is a helluva lot more to politeness and respect than simply saying "Yes Sir or Ma'am". Why, you can have the slickest, most Clintonesque liar say those sweet nothings in your ear as he's stabbing you in the back. ... And this does bring up one characteristic that I consider distinctly Yankee. We like to speak our minds in a straight forward manner, without overdoing it with all the "Yes sir" or "No ma'am" baggage and facade. Sure, politeness is a good thing, but sometimes calling a spade a spade is needed, and I have even seen you do that without reservation on these boards a'plenty.
"Turn your teevee and radio off...learn to enjoy the quiet...get out in the woods camping on one of those gentle spring nights and enjoy the feel and aroma of the breeze blowing thru the pines while listening to the call of the whipoorwill...then wake up to the call of the morning dove as your campfire smoke dissipates fragrantly into the fresh, clean air....you just MIGHT get it."
What? You think that the greenary and trees end at the Mason-Dixon line? (Not a very educated presumption, y'think?) You can enjoy such out of doors in just about any area of the country and elsewhere.
"Get a chainsaw, post hole digger, some fence and a come along and do a days work under the hot southern sun...MAYBE you'll get it."
Nahh. I think I'll watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre instead.
Overall, I'll get rid of all my preconceived notions when you'll be honest enough to get rid of yours, as there were plenty of yours here I had to deal with.
I have thoroughly enjoyed every place I've ever lived. Even Kansas and Ohi-ya. And I loved New Mexico & New Hampshire, wow. California was reeeeeal pretty, and I grew up there. But I've enjoyed the South the most.
Garth, I mean this honestly and not at all as a jab: I think part of your trouble with the South is that you think you and your ways are not simply different than folks where you're living, but *better*. You might get some enjoyment out of the quirky 'Southness" of it all if you could just lay back and enjoy it.
I love regionalness and I rue the fact that it's fading, slowly but surely.
I think part of your trouble with the South is that you think you and your ways are not simply different than folks where you're living, but *better*.
Interesting point, coming from someone who lives in a region where many of its residents think of *their* ways are '*better*'. "American by birth, Southern by the Grace of God", "Damn Yankees", and of course Ron's rather erudite posting of why Southerner's are more educated, culturally superior, etc., yadayada.
Maybe that's one of the conflicting points between 'the United States of the South, and the other 50 lesser states' (<--- meant as sarcasm, folks). Southerners like to boast about what makes their region so great, yet if anyone else does that (especially us 'Damn Yankees') Southerns often whine and cry like "So y'all think you're so much better than us!"
Ron complains about the "Yankee mythology suggests we're all ignorant rubes." Well, I can say for sure that the politicians of certain states (like my own Alabama, the regaling of such tales which would surely drop all of your jaws with utter astonishment) sure as hell does nothing to dissuade anybody of such myths.
And another thing, I think that part of why the Southern region gets so much loyalty and emphasis is because certain folks are still smarting from losing the 'Civil' War. ... C'mon, 'fess up. Why else is it that there is so much bantered about regarding the war, why is was *really* fought, who was standing for freedom. who was the aggressor, yadayada. And this is besides and beyond all the historical info and research. This comes down to taking it _personal_! ... In many respects, the Civil War is still going on, 141 years later, fer Pete's sake! :blink:
Having grown up in So. Massachusetts, moving to SF in the hippie area, and now living in TN, I can say the south is the best. We moved here nine yrs. ago, and from the first I felt at home.
I missed the change of seasons in Mill Valley, and the gentleness of a hot summer night. We lived in MV for 28 yrs, and I don't miss it a bit!
I love rooting for the Volunteers, going down the Tennessee River in our pontoon boat , and hearing Lou Vuto do an awesome "dixie" in his Tribute to Elvis Show.
I just don't want too many people to know how great Knoxville is!
I am saying Y'all with pride and a slight southern accent, and I love grits!
I am from the pacific northwest, born and raised there. I was sent to the south in 1982 as a WOW and never went back--except to visit.
I love the genial manner of most people, the true "southern hospitality". It's an attitude here. No matter what place of business you visit, the proprietor (or whomever) says, "Come back and see us!" and means it.
When you talk about the way of southerners, I think Charles Kuralt said it best in his book aptly titled
Southerners A Portrait Of A People
"In the South, the breeze blows softer...neighbors are friendlier, nosier, and more talkative. (By contrast with the Yankee, the Southerner never uses one word when ten or twenty will do)...This is a different place. Our way of thinking is different, as are our ways of seeing, laughing, singing, eating, meeting and parting. Our walk is different, as the old song goes, our talk and our names. Nothing about us is quite the same as in the country to the north and west. What we carry in our memories is different too, and that may explain everything else."
Thank you my dear! I'm happy you are enjoying yourself here in the South with the rest of us But Look out!! Next thing you know you'll be eating cornbread and turnip greens and singing Rocky Top or Dixie at football games. Isn't this a great place to live?? Thanks again! And it's good to see your posts!
sudo
P.S. Uh, Garth, tell me again why it is you remain here in the South when you obviously would rather be someplace else?? You sound a lot like what we used to call a carpetbagger.
In the military I met southerners that were mean and dangerous. They seemed to have an everpresent chip on their shoulder and would just as soon hit you in the face as say hello if you weren't in their clique. I never did understand it.
And as for my 2 cents -- I was born and raised in southern Indiana. Came to Minney-soda as a wow, and never left. Every time I go home (yes -- the south is still *home*), there's a definite change (for me), in the atmosphere. Folks are nice up here too, but there's a difference in the air that I can't quite put my finger on.
Folks are a bit more friendly there, life is easier paced, seems common courtesy is more prevelant, total strangers invite you in to be a part of their lives, that sort of thing. Don't get me wrong -- same thing happens to a certain extent here (and I'm assuming all over the US), but it seems more predominant in the South.
Slower paced lifestyle that lets you *smell the roses*. Family over career (thanks for that one Evan!) Driving down a country road, and having folks wave to you to come up to the front porch and yak --. Seems there's a greater amount of *ethics*, and less of the *I'm a victim* attitude as well.
Yup -- it's a different world. Being accepted is a whole lot easier (imo).
Same thing at Bluegrass festivals -- Northern folks will say hi to you, and pick tunes with you,
but it's the southern folks that will accost a total stranger walking through the grounds, demanding that you come and eat some of their food they're cooking on their BBQ grill!
More polite and giving. Less centered on themselves. Granted (as I said) you find that many places all over the country, but those in the South seem to have made it a way of life.
P.S. Uh, Garth, tell me again why it is you remain here in the South when you obviously would rather be someplace else?? You sound a lot like what we used to call a carpetbagger.
One word: economics. Ie., if'n it weren't for my stay in Atlanta, and if I had the wad o' cash, I'd prolly move back to New York, the Northwest, or some other place.
Actually, two reasons, the 2nd being my family is here in Huntsville AL (which, to me, is the _most_ Yankee-like city that I have noticed in Alabama ), and my mom is getting on in years. But if it weren't for that, I'd be in either a) Atlanta, which to me is a very enjoyable city to be in because it isn't *just* a Southern city, or b)back outside the South.
But all in all, no matter where I live, I will always be, ... unashamedly, ... a Yankee, and proud of it!
For another take on the South, including some refreshing self-criticism, the book "Southern Ladies & Gentlemen" is a hoot. I know a GS'er or two have read it.
Speaking of sweet potatoes, one thing I learned in the South was about sweet potatoes. I was working for a Sheridan Motel back in late '74, and they were having a Christmas party. Among the plenteous food offerings that they had in their Christmas buffet was sweet potato pies.
I swear to Rudy, I thought that it was pumpkin pies, and it tasted a lot like them. They laughed and told me that it was sweet potato pies, and comparing the two tastes, the sweet potato pies did taste somewhat sweeter.
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Belle
The west coast is indeed beautiful! Half of my mama's family moved out to California during the Gold Rush and stayed. Mama used to always say to Daddy that if she ever left him, he could come find her in San Diego.
The SF, LA, SD areas and whatnot are way too busy for me - too cramped and, like Orlando, those areas are too transient for my taste.
Now, Seattle, WA..... I could be persuaded to give up my dreams of moving back to the south if I thought I could make a decent living wage in the suburban Seattle area. Holy Ka-Shmoly that place is beautiful!!! The weather is perfect!! (and yes, I do love the rain as much as the sunny days)
The people we met seemed to all be very kind. There's an atmosphere of acceptance despite differences from what I could tell - it could just be the places my brother & his girlfriend took us, but those are probably places I would frequent anyway if I lived there.
There was even this one curmudgeon (who turned out to not really be one) who gave us an awesome tour and history lesson on Seattle. Just fascinating! Yeah, I think I could make a home on the west coast with no problem.
I'd still miss my soul food, but seafood would probably be better and easier to get. I'd still have to go home for my Mama'nem fixes though. 
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Ron G.
Garth and all others who "just don't get it"...
Turn your teevee and radio off...learn to enjoy the quiet...get out in the woods camping on one of those gentle spring nights and enjoy the feel and aroma of the breeze blowing thru the pines while listening to the call of the whipoorwill...then wake up to the call of the morning dove as your campfire smoke dissipates fragrantly into the fresh, clean air....you just MIGHT get it.
Get a chainsaw, post hole digger, some fence and a come along and do a days work under the hot southern sun...MAYBE you'll get it.
Get a rifle and go hunt, kill, clean, butcher and cook up some venison tenderloin...THAT might help you get it.
Get to know somebody and get an invite to a big family reunion, Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner or some other family get together...THAT'LL get YOU.
I'm southron to the marrow of my bone and listen to classical music...mostly...I like Irish/Scottish folk, too, dislike wrestling, don't care for NASCAR, don't pay any attention to football, but like the halftime shows and prefer my own cooking and eschew ALL chain restaurants.
With what you posted, YOU are perpetuating the mythology that permeates yankee mentality. Yankee mythology suggests we're all ignorant rubes.
It's been my experience that most southrons are better educated (I have a Masters in English), more aware(I left TWI before many of you), healthier (I cut a rick of firewood and did chores and my morning hike before I got online today and still feel great), more cultured (Can YOU listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger?) and MUCH more polite and respectful to others (we say sir and ma'am to everyone) than any yankee (cept one or two notable exceptions I could name...typically from Michigan...sometimes I think parts of Michigan might be displaced southern regions...from what I hear).
Anyway, you're looking for southerness in all the wrong places...or you're following your own pre conceived notions too far.
First and foremost, turn the teevee off and turn the radio off...back away from the computer, avoid the strip malls and abondon all the other trappings of "homogenized America" and savor the reality...on YOUR terms sans preconceived myths and notions.
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TheEvan
I'm breathing it in, Ron, and I can feel it.
Can I be still be Southern and love Mahler?
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mstar1
I posted that I loved it down there, but that honestly was the hardest part for me to really overcome, it wasn't that I necessarily believed it but after whizzing through at 65mph a number of times and seeing stripmall towns, fireworks stands, and yes, Waffle houses everywhere-- I got the wrong impressionand so held that idea unthinkingly for a number of years.
I was wrong
It did take slowing down-way down, interacting with the locals on more than a quick run through way to change my mind and not hold onto previously unfounded perceptions .
For the most part I found it very civilized and charming--especially in the smaller towns--(well most of them anyway).
Atlanta you can keep though--that ones definitely not for me--
Like it as I might its a perfect autumn day here and no matter where I go, nothing anywhere beats autumn in New England
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tonto
As a native Texan I consider myself a southerner. I don't care for Nascar, don't like most "hat-act" country music, detest the Bushes, and will shoot at cans and intruders but not animals. I would trade our humidity for the dry air and the majestic beauty of the left coast or the Rockies in a heartbeat, but I would miss the sky and the barbeque and the "messican food" and most of all the friendliness of the people here. And yes, I get teary-eyed when I hear "Dixie". It's hard to 'splain.
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GarthP2000
Ronforth,
Speaking of preconceived notions! Read what I said again. Since you have that Masters in English, that should pose no problems for you, ... which should include NOT reading INTO what others say/write.
For one thing, "It's been my experience that most southrons are better educated (I have a Masters in English), more aware(I left TWI before many of you), healthier (I cut a rick of firewood and did chores and my morning hike before I got online today and still feel great), more cultured (Can YOU listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger?) and MUCH more polite and respectful to others (we say sir and ma'am to everyone) than any yankee (cept one or two notable exceptions I could name...typically from Michigan...sometimes I think parts of Michigan might be displaced southern regions...from what I hear)."
Most Southrons, ehh? You then utilize _just_ yourself as an example of such in most of your points, but even overall, that very well may be the case _as far as your experience goes_. My experience in living in the South, however, has been quite different. Sudo is most likely different than the two of us. George Aar, likewise. And keep in mind that I've been living in the South for 30+ years. And a lot of it has been in real life situations, rather in front of the TV or radio, as you have ignorantly presumed. Do YOU Get it?
More polite? More respectful? My friend, there is a helluva lot more to politeness and respect than simply saying "Yes Sir or Ma'am". Why, you can have the slickest, most Clintonesque liar say those sweet nothings in your ear as he's stabbing you in the back. ... And this does bring up one characteristic that I consider distinctly Yankee. We like to speak our minds in a straight forward manner, without overdoing it with all the "Yes sir" or "No ma'am" baggage and facade. Sure, politeness is a good thing, but sometimes calling a spade a spade is needed, and I have even seen you do that without reservation on these boards a'plenty.
"Turn your teevee and radio off...learn to enjoy the quiet...get out in the woods camping on one of those gentle spring nights and enjoy the feel and aroma of the breeze blowing thru the pines while listening to the call of the whipoorwill...then wake up to the call of the morning dove as your campfire smoke dissipates fragrantly into the fresh, clean air....you just MIGHT get it."
What? You think that the greenary and trees end at the Mason-Dixon line? (Not a very educated presumption, y'think?) You can enjoy such out of doors in just about any area of the country and elsewhere.
"Get a chainsaw, post hole digger, some fence and a come along and do a days work under the hot southern sun...MAYBE you'll get it."
Nahh. I think I'll watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre instead.
Overall, I'll get rid of all my preconceived notions when you'll be honest enough to get rid of yours, as there were plenty of yours here I had to deal with.
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TheEvan
I have thoroughly enjoyed every place I've ever lived. Even Kansas and Ohi-ya. And I loved New Mexico & New Hampshire, wow. California was reeeeeal pretty, and I grew up there. But I've enjoyed the South the most.
Garth, I mean this honestly and not at all as a jab: I think part of your trouble with the South is that you think you and your ways are not simply different than folks where you're living, but *better*. You might get some enjoyment out of the quirky 'Southness" of it all if you could just lay back and enjoy it.
I love regionalness and I rue the fact that it's fading, slowly but surely.
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GarthP2000
Interesting point, coming from someone who lives in a region where many of its residents think of *their* ways are '*better*'. "American by birth, Southern by the Grace of God", "Damn Yankees", and of course Ron's rather erudite posting of why Southerner's are more educated, culturally superior, etc., yadayada.
Maybe that's one of the conflicting points between 'the United States of the South, and the other 50 lesser states' (<--- meant as sarcasm, folks). Southerners like to boast about what makes their region so great, yet if anyone else does that (especially us 'Damn Yankees') Southerns often whine and cry like "So y'all think you're so much better than us!"
Ron complains about the "Yankee mythology suggests we're all ignorant rubes." Well, I can say for sure that the politicians of certain states (like my own Alabama, the regaling of such tales which would surely drop all of your jaws with utter astonishment) sure as hell does nothing to dissuade anybody of such myths.
And another thing, I think that part of why the Southern region gets so much loyalty and emphasis is because certain folks are still smarting from losing the 'Civil' War. ... C'mon, 'fess up. Why else is it that there is so much bantered about regarding the war, why is was *really* fought, who was standing for freedom. who was the aggressor, yadayada. And this is besides and beyond all the historical info and research. This comes down to taking it _personal_!
... In many respects, the Civil War is still going on, 141 years later, fer Pete's sake! :blink:
And my ways are better, ... for me.
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Priscilla
Having grown up in So. Massachusetts, moving to SF in the hippie area, and now living in TN, I can say the south is the best. We moved here nine yrs. ago, and from the first I felt at home.
I missed the change of seasons in Mill Valley, and the gentleness of a hot summer night. We lived in MV for 28 yrs, and I don't miss it a bit!
I love rooting for the Volunteers, going down the Tennessee River in our pontoon boat , and hearing Lou Vuto do an awesome "dixie" in his Tribute to Elvis Show.
I just don't want too many people to know how great Knoxville is!
I am saying Y'all with pride and a slight southern accent, and I love grits!
Thanks Sudo for this thread, it's fun!
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AHAT4JC
I am from the pacific northwest, born and raised there. I was sent to the south in 1982 as a WOW and never went back--except to visit.
I love the genial manner of most people, the true "southern hospitality". It's an attitude here. No matter what place of business you visit, the proprietor (or whomever) says, "Come back and see us!" and means it.
When you talk about the way of southerners, I think Charles Kuralt said it best in his book aptly titled
Southerners A Portrait Of A People
"In the South, the breeze blows softer...neighbors are friendlier, nosier, and more talkative. (By contrast with the Yankee, the Southerner never uses one word when ten or twenty will do)...This is a different place. Our way of thinking is different, as are our ways of seeing, laughing, singing, eating, meeting and parting. Our walk is different, as the old song goes, our talk and our names. Nothing about us is quite the same as in the country to the north and west. What we carry in our memories is different too, and that may explain everything else."
Nuf said
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dmiller
You mean the War of the Northern Aggression? ;)
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Sudo
Priscilla,
Re:"Thanks Sudo for this thread, it's fun!"
Thank you my dear! I'm happy you are enjoying yourself here in the South with the rest of us But Look out!! Next thing you know you'll be eating cornbread and turnip greens and singing Rocky Top or Dixie at football games. Isn't this a great place to live?? Thanks again! And it's good to see your posts!
P.S. Uh, Garth, tell me again why it is you remain here in the South when you obviously would rather be someplace else?? You sound a lot like what we used to call a carpetbagger.
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Jim
The wind blows both ways, Ron.
In the military I met southerners that were mean and dangerous. They seemed to have an everpresent chip on their shoulder and would just as soon hit you in the face as say hello if you weren't in their clique. I never did understand it.
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coolchef
i love it all god bless america where ever you live
damn life would be boreing if we were all alike :)
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dmiller
And as for my 2 cents -- I was born and raised in southern Indiana. Came to Minney-soda as a wow, and never left. Every time I go home (yes -- the south is still *home*), there's a definite change (for me), in the atmosphere. Folks are nice up here too, but there's a difference in the air that I can't quite put my finger on.
Folks are a bit more friendly there, life is easier paced, seems common courtesy is more prevelant, total strangers invite you in to be a part of their lives, that sort of thing. Don't get me wrong -- same thing happens to a certain extent here (and I'm assuming all over the US), but it seems more predominant in the South.
Slower paced lifestyle that lets you *smell the roses*. Family over career (thanks for that one Evan!) Driving down a country road, and having folks wave to you to come up to the front porch and yak --. Seems there's a greater amount of *ethics*, and less of the *I'm a victim* attitude as well.
Yup -- it's a different world. Being accepted is a whole lot easier (imo).
Same thing at Bluegrass festivals -- Northern folks will say hi to you, and pick tunes with you,
but it's the southern folks that will accost a total stranger walking through the grounds, demanding that you come and eat some of their food they're cooking on their BBQ grill!
More polite and giving. Less centered on themselves. Granted (as I said) you find that many places all over the country, but those in the South seem to have made it a way of life.
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GarthP2000
One word: economics. Ie., if'n it weren't for my stay in Atlanta, and if I had the wad o' cash, I'd prolly move back to New York, the Northwest, or some other place.
Actually, two reasons, the 2nd being my family is here in Huntsville AL (which, to me, is the _most_ Yankee-like city that I have noticed in Alabama
), and my mom is getting on in years. But if it weren't for that, I'd be in either a) Atlanta, which to me is a very enjoyable city to be in because it isn't *just* a Southern city, or b)back outside the South.
But all in all, no matter where I live, I will always be, ... unashamedly, ... a Yankee, and proud of it!
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oilfieldmedic
Born and raised in PA...
Greek parents...
live in Alabama...
and work in Baghdad...
now how much more confused can I get?
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TheEvan
BTW, I love Atlanta.
For another take on the South, including some refreshing self-criticism, the book "Southern Ladies & Gentlemen" is a hoot. I know a GS'er or two have read it.
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doojable
There's always the "Sweet Potato Queen" books. If you want to roll with laughter and get some good advice for what to eat and how to act in the South.
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GarthP2000
Speaking of sweet potatoes, one thing I learned in the South was about sweet potatoes. I was working for a Sheridan Motel back in late '74, and they were having a Christmas party. Among the plenteous food offerings that they had in their Christmas buffet was sweet potato pies.
I swear to Rudy, I thought that it was pumpkin pies, and it tasted a lot like them. They laughed and told me that it was sweet potato pies, and comparing the two tastes, the sweet potato pies did taste somewhat sweeter.
Learn something new everyday. :)
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Jim
I'd have to say that one area where my southern heritage comes out is a certain fondness for Jack Daniels and Southern Comfort.
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