Thursday, January 25, 2007

What I Love About the South

I was born and raised in the South. I count this a blessing. I get a bit irritated at the stereotypes that are portrayed in the media at times. Every part of the country has its positive and negative qualities but I wanted to take a moment to share some of the things that I love about the South. By no means are the things listed below exclusive to the South, but just reflect my personal experience. Also, the South itself is diverse, so some might not apply to all areas or states.




1) Sweet tea!

2) Rocking chairs and front porches - and the long, summer evenings spent there.

3) Grits - I about fell out of my chair when a classmate in grad school said she had never eaten grits (she was from New York).

4) SEC football

5) Southern hospitality - it is for real!

6) Picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.

7) Farmer's Market - my kids love going on Saturday mornings in the summer.

8) Church-wide cover dish suppers

9) Heritage of gospel, bluegrass, and country music

10) Manners - I just heard today a newscaster say how he loves how kids in the South still say "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" in the South.

11) Honeysuckle and fireflies (or lightning bugs, as we called them)

12) the Southern accent, which comes in many forms - Y'all know what I'm talkin' about

13) Barbecue, pinto beans, cornbread, homemade apple pie & banana pudding

These are just a few, and I would love to hear from you southern girls what you love most about living in or growing up in the South.


18 comments:

Hen Jen said...

really nice TT topic Kelly! I have had sweet tea, a neighbor used to make it all the time. I have to admit that I have never had grits!

I love southern accents. Some friends and I and hubby were talking about accents one day and we all agreed that southern was the most pleasing to the ear, and the most alluring when used a certain way.

a friends mother who is a southern belle if I ever met one...once said something to my son that included the word 'honey', I remember thinking who would not melt under that?!

fun post!

Unknown said...

There are too many Jennifers. Two comments, and both of us. . . . Oh well. Actually that's one thing I like about being in the Northeast--not as many Jennifers!!

My South is Texas, which really is a "whole 'nother country" as they once said, but I love the accents, the vocabulary (and I'm "fixing to" tell you more), BBQ and Tex-Mex food, not knowing if you'll be wearing shorts or a sweater on Thanksgiving Day.

Kim said...

I love all these you mentioned. The wonderful foods stand out to me...my parents have a garden,so fresh veggies like turnip greens,home grown tomatoes(just slice them and eat them!),all kinds of peas cooked on the stove all day long,freshly picked and snapped green beans,fried potatoes with onions and fresh cut corn,right off the cob and thrown into a skillet with lots of butter and salt and pepper. I love my mom's cooking!!!

Thanks for sharing!

Kim

Janis Rodgers said...

Oh, I love the South, too, and cannot imagine living anywhere else. The things that I love includes pumpkin patches, tree farms, the slower pace of life (sometimes), our accents, our love and compassion for each other, Krystal (I heard that you cannot get a Krystal up North), and the list can go on and on. I, too, hate the way that the South is portrayed. Don't you just love it when they are talking about some big disaster and they choose the person with the heaviest accent to describe it? It makes me crazy! Great list! Blessings!

Paula said...

Yummy on the grits!Oh Barbecue, beans and corn bread, apple pie and banana pudding ( which I have been craving)....I am now hungry!!!

I agree and love all of those. I wouldn't trade places to live anywhere else. Well, maybe for one week in the Rockies so I can have snow, but that would be it!!

Paula said...

Oh, I didn't tell you what I love....homemade chicken and dumplins', greens with vinegar, okra and homemade biscuits. One biscuit with butter the second with homemade strawberry jam. Now, that is my FAVORITE meal.

Donnetta said...

What great experiences! I have only had the privilage of a very brief visit. After reading this I would definately try to get back for a bit longer stay!

Susie said...

Kelly, I do declare all this talk of food is makin me hunker for some chicken fried steak for supper. Another thing in the South I love is Bluebell IceCream and Whataburger. Can I get an amen?
*FYI: I don't really talk like this, but most of my relatives do. Sometimes I need a translater at our family reunions.

Michelle said...

I love this post! I love being from the south and sweet tea (yummy) I was looking at the pp and we have a Whataburger here! I thought is was just a local thing.
Michelle
www.raisinglittlewomen.com
Hope you have a blessed day!

Deidre said...

Where, oh, where would we be without sweet tea? I love your entire list. Being from the south, myself, there's nothing on your list I don't enjoy.

Nice to read!

Susanne said...

Well those all sound great to me! It's nice to read of your love for where you are from!

Chris @ Come to the Table said...

As a girl originally from the west I hate to admit I have never had grits either. But I have had sweet tea while at a Pastor's conference in the south and it was wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Well, we are below the Mason Dixon line which technically is "the south" and everything mentioned above applies to us here as well.
I love whataburger & bluebell! I also think that the word "honey" sprinkled here and there helps the whole world to be a better place!

Great post!

Lisa Spence said...

Not much I can add here! As a Southern girl, born and bred (with a short stint in Texas as well), my favorite things about the South include (some have already been mentioned, but hey, what can we say? we're of like mind!):

Sweet tea. And that you can order it in the restaurant.

The FOOD (y'all are so making me hungry!): fried pies, grits (with sugar!), chicken n' dressing, and from my Texas roots, Chicken Fried Steak.

The pomp and circumstance around the various life passages: weddings, births, funerals.

The vocabulary: "y'all" and "fixin'" and "sugar" (as in, "I love you, sugar!")

The hospitality: That we can't go over to anyone's home without "bringing something"

The football: Especially in my home of five very avid (or is it rabid?) fans of a very specific school here in Alabama!

Fun post, Kelly!

gail@more than a song said...

Fun list! I live in the South too and love those things....hmm, sweet tea, grits

Much Ado said...

What a great list. I must confess I don't even know what grits is!

Kelly said...

Thanks everyone for sharing! It is so fun to learn about others' experiences. Ya'll are the best!

Kelly said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love all those things as well! I also love all the fabulous, although, sometimes unhealthy food. Manners are also a great requirement in the south!