Thursday, April 23, 2015

The Deep South -- Ya'll Will Know It When Ya Get Thar

 
I recently spent a week with my Dad who lives in one of the states at least one state further south than the Mason Dixon Line.  I have always thought of it as the Deep South, as opposed to the Shallow South (those states just barely over the Mason Dixon Line).  As with any of my travels I make note of those things that are unique and different about the place I am visiting.  Below are a few of the things I noticed during my recent stay.
  • You can tell you are in the Deep South when you order lasagna and it comes with corn bread. That thar's Italian eatin ' ya'll.
  • In the Deep South, if you are male, every waitress from 18 to 80 will refer to you as "Darlin'", "Sugar" or "Hunny". It isn't flirting or sexual harassment -- it is just the way it is. BTW if they refer to you as "young fellar" it means they think you look 80 or older.
  • The Deep South is the only place I know of where you will hear a 40 or 50 year old man still refer to his father as "Daddy". That is just kind of cool to me.
  • In the Deep South , there is nothing cuter than hearing a four year old girl, who is missing one or both front teeth, explain how the Easter Bunny "works"; telling the tale with a thick southern accent, over the top hand gestures and ending the story with a demonstration of the way the Bunny hops.
  • If a kid messes up in the Deep South, you can count on him (plus one or more of his parents) showing up at your door to tell you what he did, apologize, and ask what he needs to do to make things right. This also holds true in close knit neighborhoods no matter where they are located - but not as much as it used to.
  • In the Deep South, you will hear kids talking in a strange language you seldom hear from kids elsewhere. Words like "Sir", "Mam", "Mister", "Miss", "Missus", "Thank You" and "You're Welcome".  Of course all that is said with a certain twang that makes it even more endearing.
  • When getting directions in the Deep South, the instructions will always include at least one local landmark -- "Well, you take a right and go until you see the Big Chicken then make a left..."; "Head south for about 5 miles and if you see Boyd's Feed & Seed, you went too far...", "Make a right at the stop light and then make a left just past Aunt Lorraine's house, you know its her's because of all the lawn gnomes and glass balls on stands...." -- Even though I travel with a GPS I ask directions now and then just to listen to the them. 
  • In the Deep South, that white stuff in the bowl over there that came with your  breakfast,  is grits, and with a little salt and butter (and sometimes a slice of cheese) they are delicious.  But if you put milk and sugar on them, you might get strange looks.
  • Finally, you know you're in the Deep South, when you hear someone say "Ya'll come back, now." as you leave.
This series of posts has been brought to you by the Cornbread & Grits Council and The Stuff Traveler Notices While Traveling Foundation.
 
 
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3 comments:

  1. You always were a big eater. Even though I live in the deep south, I will always pass on the grits!

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    1. That was my Last Supper before my certification exam (you can se the books in the background) only thing I ate that day. Love Waffle House! BTW I slammed the test getting 860 out of 900.

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  2. Ok, who are you and what did you do with that wonderful guy from HS I loved? Waffle house? Really? Yuck!

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