Top 5 things missed about the South

This is a brief list of things I miss or just appreciate about growing up in the South...

1. Food- grits, fried chicken, greens, BBQ sauce, butter biscuits, squash, butter beans, fried shrimp, Brunswick stew, catfish stew, fried okra, black eyed peas, gumbo, jambalaya, peach cobbler, apple pie, the list goes on and on. There is no one style of Southern cooking as you have styles such as Gullah Gullah, Cajun, Creole, Low Country, Native American, and several others. Growing up in the South these various styles blend together at the dinner table and you don't think "Oh this is from the Carolina low country, but this dish is from the Louisiana gulf area..." Instead you get a powerful meal that isn't focused on health consciousness nearly as much as it is focused on making sure the ingredients bring out the best possible flavors. There is a reason folks get big in the South; we cook with Crisco, lard, fatback, smoked neck bones and wings, bacon drippings, real butter, salt pork, and other cholesterol filled, flavor packing ingredients.

2. Southern accents- people from other parts of the English speaking world act like I am the one who speaks in a funny way. Come on now, don't tell me that a simple phrase like "I ain't ate yet, but I'm fixing too. I'll give yall a holla when I'm done." is confusing. Southerners speak slow because we don't want to have to translate it for those of you that don't understand. I miss hearing folks speak the right way. People in the South speak in a manner that has a bit of soul and humility built right in to our pronunciation.

3. NASCAR- I don't even like NASCAR but I like people who do. Seeing a fully grown woman with 3 kids and a mortgage get excited about Dale Jr. winning the pole is just funny to me. For a sport that consists of little more than a lot of left turns and loud engines, people get fanatical in their devotion. Kevin Harvick, Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, and any other number of drivers have no special importance to me, but after a while you just get used to seeing people wearing Budweiser hats with the number 8 on them or Tide t-shirts or any other number of corporate sponsors. NASCAR is a sub-culture within Southern culture and though I am uninitiated I miss those funny folks back home who after a few Natty Lites might punch you in the mouth if you say something bad about the Intimidator.

4. Walking around in a Walmart after midnight- Sounds a little odd right? Go to Wallieworld after midnight and look around. I don't even buy anything when I go, it is a trip made for sheer entertainment value. There are some free-spirited styles of dress all over the world, but nothing quite competes with the run-away fashion sense displayed in a Walmart after dark. Want to see a plus size lady in neon green elastic pants, red open toed shoes that have been customized with a Bedazzler, with a American flag patterned midriff shirt? Make the trip. Want to see a man dressed completely in camouflage hunting gear and sporting a mullet hair cut walking around like he is Bill Gates and has the power to buy and sell whatever he wants whenever he wants? This man is confidence on steroids and he shops at Walmart after midnight. He will probably be hopping out of his girlfriend's mid-80's pickup that has been customized with either a sticker or airbrush art on the back window with a picture of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes urinating on either a Chevy or Ford logo. If you strike up a conversation with this gentleman he may show you his Tasmanian devil (cartoon character) tattoo that he got when he was 16 because he wanted to "express himself and have something original that represents him." Guys of this general description are all over the South and generally they are friendly good natured men, but if there is a sale on Walker Texas Ranger DVD sets or commemorative plates in the back of the store do not get in this man's way under any circumstances. Folks like this make shopping after midnight the only time I want to shop.

5. County folk influence- I don't mean good old boys or "rednecks" here; I am talking about the influence of folks that aren't that far removed from a small town mentality where the pace of living is leisurely, the purpose of asking how someone is doing is to actually find out how they are doing, your dog be it a Chihuahua or a Black Lab is a your buddy and friend not an accessory, and you treat your elders with respect because they are your elders. These are the people that don't understand Hollywood fashion or feng shui, but if your momma gets a flat tire on the side of the interstate they will pull over and help her change the tire because it is the right thing to do. Country folk tend to not be overly complex and don't put a lot of esteem in book knowledge, but don't be fooled these folks know some things that you can only learn by sitting on a front porch and drinking lemonade with them on a Sunday afternoon. Don't get me wrong, I am not country folk since I was born and raised in Augusta, GA which is a far cry from Cornelia,GA but I am influenced by country folks. It's country folk that are most represented on this list. You may live in the heart of mid-town Atlanta and dress in the newest clothes, but when you sit down at a bar in Buckhead and order fried shrimp and beer battered onion rings, you have country folks to thank for bringing you that meal. When you are planning a business lunch and you have the caterer serve up a variety of Po'boys you have country folk to thank. Whether you are listening to Alan Jackson or Outkast, you can thank country folk for perfecting the Southern drawl that makes their delivery just right and the slang of the South for making their music stand apart from similar artists in California or New York. From the lady living out at a horse stable in the country to the head of orthopedic surgery in a major hospital, if you were born and raised in the South you have been shaped and molded in many ways by country folks and that is a good thing.