This page is dedicated to all things southern and some things semi-southern....For those of you who are unclear about which of the United States are considered southern, they are, as defined by the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia : Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, North and South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas. There seems to be controversy regarding Missouri...Is it a southern state or not?...Some people who write me say yes and some say no but I'm not going to debate anymore about ones that everyone feels should be on the list but aren't or ones that aren't and should be. So there!....

HOW SOUTHERNERS TAWK

The Southerner talks music - Mark Twain

Ya'll or you un s: Replaces the common saying that Yankees use for either male or females: You Guys....

Ain t which always sounds better than aren t.

Yonder instead of simply over there.

Mamaw and Papaw: For grandmother and grandfather (but not all southerners say that...I know my parents never allowed me or my sister to refer to our grandparents under such terms).

Supper instead of dinner: Supper as in, the evening meal. Not all southerners use this term either.

Back ere: Instead of Back There.

Mighty Good: Such as Them are mighty good black-eyed peas ya made mamaw .

Some people think that southerners talk slowly which is reportedly not true. We just draw out our syllables. This allows for a broader reach of expression. Lewis Grizzard pointed out that southerners probably say shit better than anybody else. We give it the ol two-syllable shee-yet which strings it out a big and gives it more ambiance, if words can have ambiance.

QUICK RUN FACTS YOU CAN IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS WITH ABOUT THE SOUTH

The south has over half of the nations mobile homes.

Southerners buy more white bread, bacon, Twinkies, fast food, Old Spice, cigarettes, mouthwash, hunting rifles, Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, domestic light trucks than other Americans.

Southerners are more likely to be conservatives, concerned about endangered species and in favor of school prayer than other Americans.

They are more likely to watch daytime soaps, talk shows and they own more dogs.

SOUTHERN OWNED COMPANIES

PIGGLY WIGGLY GROCERY STORES
DELTA AIR LINES
FRITO-LAY
HOLIDAY INNS
BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT
COMPAQ COMPUTERS

SUPPER TIME

Southerners have a tendency to fry everything from chicken to okra and pies. My mom used to fry biscuits when we went camping which gives a whole new taste and texture to the biscuit and instead of throwing out semi-stale plain donuts, she would put a bit of butter in the pan and fry them on very low heat for about 30-45 seconds...mmmmmm good.

Pork is seen as the meat of the south and southerners eat scads of ham and bacon. You make red-eye gravy for the ham by adding a bit of water or coffee to the residue left from the ham after frying; another thing mom makes when she fries her breakfast ham.

Barbecue: Every state in the south seems to fix theirs differently and there are several different bases used as well. You can have the meat itself pulled, chopped or sliced and you can have pork barbecue or beef barbecue (in this area of Tennessee, it seems most people prefer pork, which is another argument about which is supposed to be the best). There are lots of bases too and the base you will prefer will depend normally upon whether you like your barbecue spicy, tangy, sweet, mild or hot. Your bases can be vinegar, tomato, and mustard and of course spices are added to taste. I prefer mine spicy with a bit of tang.

Grits are supposed to be the national dish of the south but I know of absolutely no one from my area who eats them on a regular basis. Grits are made from dried corn and are usually dressed with butter and salt or red-eye gravy and are normally served as a side dish to eggs and sometimes used as a dish for supper. (South Carolinian's lead the nation in per capita of consumption of grits).

Cornbreads: There are scads of different kinds of cornbread in the south: Cornpone (which is a batter of meal, water and grease baked), hushpuppies (which are deep fried balls of cornmeal served mostly with fish), crackling cornbread (which is crispy-chewy crackings which are what's left when hog fat is cooked down for lard) - that should harden your arteries just by reading how they're made - Rebels cook their cornbread a bit differently from the standard Yankees. We prefer white cornmeal and no sugar as opposed to the northern cooks yellow meal and sweetened cornbread.

Southern Foods that are nearly considered staples of the south or are identified with the South:

Black-eyed peas, greens, okra, rice, fried tomatoes (green or red actually but I've never had any fried red tomatoes), vidalia onions (these are sweet onions and some people actually eat them like they would eat apples), Watermelon, biscuits.

If you go to New Orleans and surrounding Cajun country, you're likely to see foods there that are totally different from other parts of the south, such as: Gumbo which is a stew made with okra or file (powdered sassafras leaves) and other veges such as peppers, onions, celery and tomatoes); spices and sausage, pork or shrimp; Jambalaya: is cooked with smoked pork that is usually served on top of rice with spices added as well; Crawfish (we call them crawdads here) They're much like freshwater crustaceans but I've seen mud beds of them in Louisiana and actually to me, that's what they taste like, mud . If you wanna really be a crawfish eater, you have to pinch the tails and suck the heads which is just as vile as it sounds. Lots of foods in Louisiana are blackened which is exactly as it sounds...spiced and seared.

If you take pleasure in a good in-between meals snack, here are some popular southern treats:

Moon Pie: A moon pie has marshmallow in-between two round chocolate cookies. Although nowadays, other flavours are available such as vanilla, banana and coconut frostings. The moon pie was invented in 1919 in Chattanooga, TN. For a real treat: heat up your moon pie in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds! MMMM...delish as my momma would say.:)

The Goo Goo Cluster: Invented in Nashville in 1912. The Goo Goo is made up of chocolate, marshmallow, caramel and peanuts (pecans are in the Goo Goo Supreme). I have had many a Goo Goo in my life though as with everything else, they are much smaller now than they used to be!

AND TO WASH DOWN YOUR GOO GOO:

Soft drinks are an invention of the south and we drink more soft drinks (or pop if you are a Yankee) than in any other area of the United States.

Coca-Cola: or just plain ol Coke was introduced in 1896 by a pharmacist in Georgia. Made from extracts of the cola nut and coca leaf and cocaine. Eventually the cocaine was removed and caffeine was added instead.

Pepsi: Similar to coke. It too was made by a pharmacist but in New Bern, North Carolina.

Dr. Pepper: Invented in 1885 and was first introduced in Waco, Texas. However, it is claimed that it was invented in Rural Retreat, Virginia.

Mountain Dew: Created in 1961. Its origins, too, are disputed. It either was created in Marion, Virginia or Knoxville, TN.

Last but not least RC Cola: Also known as Royal Crown head quartered in Columbus, GA. In order to be a true southerner, you must have a moon pie with your RC Cola.

AND NOW THE QUESTION OF THE DAY: DO SOUTHERNERS EAT DIRT?

This comes from the statement: They were so poor (or po in this case) that they ate dirt or dirt eating farmers , etc. The truth of the matter is, clay was once consumed in order to help settle the stomach and poor southerners were known to have picked up this practice around the 19th century.


SOUTHERN SOCIAL TYPES

The Southern Gentleman A very dignified individual, easy-going, well dressed and very calm in speaking and gestures...A good example of this sort of man would be Ashley from Gone with the Wind.

The Good Ol' Boy A particular sort of guy who possessses virtues of reliability, independence, a certain amount of physical courage and good humour. Plus he likes huntin', fishin' and all kinds of sports activities. A good example of this sort of man would be a lot of characters that Burt Reynolds plays.

Other social "stereo" types that grace us are: Bubba somewhat like good ol' boy but with a much lower I.Q.; Redneck - Like a good ol' boy except he's a bit more intelligent than a Bubba., Poor White Trash Ever gone to the south and seen a house with a commode or a bathtub in the front or back yard? That's poor white trash; Hillbilly Same thing as poor white trash; The Southern Belle Beautiful, graceful, full of social charm and very steadfast or what Scarlett O' Hara pretended to be but really wasn't; Scarlett was beautiful all right but she was closer to being a Steel Magnolia than a belle. Steel Magnolias were described by novelist Reynolds Price as southern women that are "Mack trucks disguised as powder puffs"; last but not least, The Southern Lady Modest, neat, graceful, and devoted to family and best friend to others; a good example of this sort would be Melanie from Gone With The Wind.

THE BIBLE BELT

A few religious facts about southerners:

Protestant Christianity is the religion of the south with seven out of ten residents of the south being Protestant.

Baptists make up the majority of Christians in the south and there are many different kinds of Baptists as well: Free Will Baptists (they practice open communion and foot washing and reject strict Calvinism); Southern Baptists, Primitive Baptists (they do practice strict Calvinism), Black Baptists, Pentacostal Free Will Baptists, Reformed Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists, United Baptists....you get the picture....the south is full of Baptists....

Methodists make up about one out of six Southern Protestants and there are several divisions of Methodists as well; Presbyterians only make up 5 to 6 percent of the Southern Protestants and have somewhat of a misleading elite reputation; Pentacostal and Holiness groups (or as some people like to refer to them as "Holy Rollers" - they believe in faith healing, foot washing and some believe in taking up serpents and drinking poison. All in all, there are scads of religions in the south - far too numerous and complex to list here.

THE SOUTH GOES TO WAR

THANKS TO LINDA HILLIER FOR DOING MY HOMEPLACE AND ENCOURAGING ME TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS PAGE:) THANKS AUSSIE GIRLIE GIRL!

Read my Dreambook! Sign my Dreambook!

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