You know you are entering The South when.

[Crixus]

As a born-and-raised Southerner, I'll have to admit this sounds pretty spot-on, at least as a generalization. I consider myself about as moderate as moderate can get, but to my friends that I grew up with in rural middle Georgia, I'm the token "flaming liberal". So we pretty much talk sports and stay away from politics.

Absolutely! Where middle-of-the-road means far left. I've owned homes in both Mississippi and Alabama so I'm not just repeating generalizations I've heard.

And....never further into a conversation than the third sentence with someone you meet in your town for the first time is not "What do you do?" or "Where do you work?" but "Where do you go to church?"

 

[SmoovD]

Absolutely! Where middle-of-the-road means far left. I've owned homes in both Mississippi and Alabama so I'm not just repeating generalizations I've heard.

And....never further into a conversation than the third sentence with someone you meet in your town for the first time is not "What do you do?" or "Where do you work?" but "Where do you go to church?"

That is what struck me when I relocated from Wisconsin to Texas a little more than a decade ago. What an odd question to ask someone, I always thought. Now I would like to think that I understand the lay of the land better and do not mind the question at all.

Another realization, similar to Rich's above, is that the ratio of churches to bar in the Texas is exactly the inverse to the ratio found in Wisconsin. Still having a bit of an issue with that one. I miss the neighborhood tavern.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

When in Nashville last week at a family style and historic restaurant it was fun to watch the faces around the table. This was one of those places you do not order. Just sit down and here comes the ribs, chicken, beans and so on.

We had to keep calling the waitress back with, "What is this?"

"That ma'm is okra."

(Kids reflexively curl their lips.)

Three minutes later with arms waving she stopped back.

"Can you tell me what this is?"

"Sir, that is collard greens."

(Kids curl their lips AND toes.)

 

[Prof. Moriarty]

My favourite place on the planet... miss it now that I am in Europe.

 

[JoshuaNY]

 

[luvmysuper]

"South" is relative.
My dad was from downstate Illinois, and if you heard him speak you'd swear he was Jed Clampett

 

[Luke49783]

I don't know if I can say that I've ever been to the South, Mammoth Caves in Kentucky, but aside from Florida, that's it. I do go to Southern Ohio at least once a year, though, and Waffle House is the big thing for me that we don't have in Michigan. Cracker Barrel reminds me of it as well, though we do have them in Michigan.

 

[smalltank]

 

[mdove47]

The first time I was in AL I thought Winn-Dixie was a club for those who thought the South was going to rise again. Folks down there are going to "mash buttons", "I'm gonna carry him to Wal-MartS with me". "Y'all" is singular, "Both y'all" means the two of you, and "all y'all" is plural. Nobody gets a speeding ticket because they are never in a hurry to get anywhere. A yankee comes to visit and has the good sense to go home (back north) and a damned yankee marries your sister and stays.

 

[Emanon]

When you watch someone cut their grass and they find a car!

 

[ex-bugonaut]

I know I'm entering the South when I start seeing signs for STUCKEY'S PECAN SHOPPES!

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

You know you're down south when the value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.

 

[dpittman70]

You know you're down south when the value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.

Exactly right.

 

[indytechnerd]

hmm, since I'm a hybrid product of both worlds, I can relate to lots of this. My father is from here in hoosierland, my mom's family is from central Louisiana.

FYI, we have Waffle House (brand new one near work opening soon), and Sonic here in Central Indiana.

So, how do I know when I'm approximately to 'other home'?

Blacktop roads stop being black and start being reddish brown.
The occasional oil well pump out in the middle of a field churning up and down.
The landscape changing from corn/soy bean fields and pastures to pine forests and cotton fields.
Stuckeys, as another posted, start popping up on exit signs.

 

[ouch]

I'm from South Brooklyn.

 

[ouch]

Maps from Ouch International.

 

[hillcpa]

I have lived in South Carolina for most of my life, and am really down on it lately, so don't even get me started.

To paraphrase a civil-war era politician, "South Carolina--too small to be a republic, too large to be an insane asylum." A former South Carolina congressman said, that; not me, so don't go hating.

 

[GardenWeasel]

To paraphrase a civil-war era politician, "South Carolina--too small to be a republic, too large to be an insane asylum." A former South Carolina congressman said, that; not me, so don't go hating.

i'll think on it...

 

[Beerhunter]

Don't forget all the religious broadcasting Sunday am on the radio before iPods and CDs. Loved the oldies show on the radio.

 

[hillcpa]

The first time I was in AL I thought Winn-Dixie was a club for those who thought the South was going to rise again. Folks down there are going to "mash buttons", "I'm gonna carry him to Wal-MartS with me". "Y'all" is singular, "Both y'all" means the two of you, and "all y'all" is plural. Nobody gets a speeding ticket because they are never in a hurry to get anywhere. A yankee comes to visit and has the good sense to go home (back north) and a damned yankee marries your sister and stays.

I agree with most of what you said, mdove47, but at least in Georgia (where I'm from), "y'all" is always plural. "You" is the singular, "y'all" is plural and "all y'all" means a whole bunch of folks. And it's "folks" with an "s", not "folk". I didn't say it had to make sense.

And you left out "I'm fixin' to go to town". But you (not y'all) are absolutely right about mashing buttons and going to Walmart's (also Kroger's). I think the "s" is possessive but it might be plural. You're getting into hardcore red-neck territory there, so I'm not totally sure.