You know you are entering The South when.

I just read this thread front to back (waiting on a compile to finish, and yes, on Friday night) and I'm so homesick for Alabama I could just cry. AND I LIVE IN TEXAS, so it's not like I have any right to really complain, except about the 108 degree days in August and the fact they think beef is the One True Barbecue instead of pork.

If you want to reach way, way back, and you (were) entering Alabama or Mississippi...you might have seen a Jitney Jungle supermarket. And Durkee's sauce (think dijon mustard, but not quite) on the store shelves.

soapbox said:

I just read this thread front to back (waiting on a compile to finish, and yes, on Friday night) and I'm so homesick for Alabama I could just cry. AND I LIVE IN TEXAS, so it's not like I have any right to really complain, except about the 108 degree days in August and the fact they think beef is the One True Barbecue instead of pork.

If you want to reach way, way back, and you (were) entering Alabama or Mississippi...you might have seen a Jitney Jungle supermarket. And Durkee's sauce (think dijon mustard, but not quite) on the store shelves.

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Isn't it?

I like both, but it's really hard to get good BBQ beef brisket outside of Texas. We have been blessed with Joe's Texas Barbeque here in Green Bay, so now I don't have to go to Texas anymore.

Doc4 said:

Heck, I always thought all Americans called them "sneakers" ... we call them "running shoes" up here.

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If you are in a house you shouldn't be in when the husband gets home, they are running shoes

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=M0B1AcDIFWk

Doc4 said:

Ever hear of "gym strip"? Back when I was in school (70s/80s) that was how everyone referred to the clothing you changed into for gym class ... t-shirt, shorts, running shoes. I'd be curious to know if the term is still popular in the schools now, but ... somehow I suspect me hanging out in the change rooms at the local schools would not go over well ...

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It was "Dress out" for us in Western North Carolina, as in we had to "Dress Out" every day in our PE (Physical Education) uniforms. The PE uniforms consisted of a cotton T-shirt and cotton gym shorts with the name and logo of the school with a white space where you could add your first initial and last name. I think sweat pants and sweat shirts were available for winter wear, but we mostly stayed in the gym during cold weather. Everyone was responsible for taking their own uniform home for laundering as needed, some of the guys prided themselves on never washing their uniforms and just how badly they stank...

We all wore "tennis shoes" (mostly by Reebok) to school in those days anyway, so we didn't have to change shoes. Common shower room, about 10x20 with two poles in the middle with about ten shower heads apiece, universally hated.

Nothing wrong with brisket done well. I keep seeing recipes (obviously by barbecue-hating interlopers) that say you cook a brisket for 5 hours...which is less than half the time it should take. I haven't cooked a brisket yet, but (a) I've watched my father-in-law, and (b) I've watched my friends here in Denton.

And good brisket is a thing of beauty. The closest argument I have heard to getting brisket into my top spot is this: "making pork taste good is easy. Making brisket taste good is really difficult -- and that's why making brisket is better than making pork barbecue." It didn't change my mind, but it gave me pause and it added to the respect I have for brisket barbecue.

(And we miss you in Texas, Dennis).

attime6 said:

of course i would always forget to say hold the mustard if i was at McDonalds or something. I guess it's one of those regional food differences like soda/pop/coke.

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That used to happen to me all of the time. It ruins the whole McDs experience. Now I stick with a big mac on the off chance I am in a McDs

You know you're entering the South when...;

1. You see people using mothballs (comes in big boxes), to 'lay down' a 360° degree perimeter around the house to ward off pests, bugs, snakes (we had a lot of geckos trying to get in...lay down the mothballs and geckos no more), and other vermin.

"The South is more than a region...it’s a state of mind, and Southerners seem forever returning there". The Book of Southern Wisdom

I am from Georgia and it's been a long while since I met anyone that I'd call Southern. The South I remember as a little boy has pretty much disappeared.

Early Morning said:

I am from Georgia and it's been a long while since I met anyone that I'd call Southern. The South I remember as a little boy has pretty much disappeared.

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Care to elaborate?

I was chatting with my father the other day, and he pointed out a custom of Southern drivers that he had observed back in the early 70's. (The last time he was there.) Let's say a bunch of cars are driving down a highway, and the first one decides he's going to turn left and puts his signal on. The car behind him would put HIS signal on too, indicating a left turn, so that the guy behind HIM (who can't see the signal of the first car) knows that a left turn is coming soon (so won't try to pass when the cars in front of him start slowing down).

Do they still do that?

ScoutHikerDad said:

Another thing that I was glad to see go was the old custom of cars all pulling over for a funeral procession coming from the opposite direction. I know people always said it was a respect thing, but it was just too confusing and unpredictable, and always had the potential to cause accidents.

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I know Mississippi is normally the last to do anything, but we still pull over for a funeral procession. I, for one, am glad we do. Just my opinion.

Doc4 said:

I was chatting with my father the other day, and he pointed out a custom of Southern drivers that he had observed back in the early 70's. (The last time he was there.) Let's say a bunch of cars are driving down a highway, and the first one decides he's going to turn left and puts his signal on. The car behind him would put HIS signal on too, indicating a left turn, so that the guy behind HIM (who can't see the signal of the first car) knows that a left turn is coming soon (so won't try to pass when the cars in front of him start slowing down).

Do they still do that?

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No one does that anymore. As a kid I remember that happening occasionally, more so on rural through roads as a warning to folks behind them as your father noted. Especially if it was near a curve or limited sight distance area and the vehicle in front was a pickup carrying dogs, kids, farm stuff, etc and trying to make a slow and easy turn. It confused me when I started driving as I had not understood when it was proper to echo the turn signal or just ignore it, since I had not seen it practiced consistently. I think the practice faded away as more people got formal driver's education.

Doc4 said:

I was chatting with my father the other day, and he pointed out a custom of Southern drivers that he had observed back in the early 70's. (The last time he was there.) Let's say a bunch of cars are driving down a highway, and the first one decides he's going to turn left and puts his signal on. The car behind him would put HIS signal on too, indicating a left turn, so that the guy behind HIM (who can't see the signal of the first car) knows that a left turn is coming soon (so won't try to pass when the cars in front of him start slowing down).

Do they still do that?

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I still do it when it's the safer of the two options.

The Count of Merkur Cristo said:

You know you're entering the South when...;

1. You see people using mothballs (comes in big boxes), to 'lay down' a 360° degree perimeter around the house to ward off pests, bugs, snakes (we had a lot of geckos trying to get in...lay down the mothballs and geckos no more), and other vermin.

View attachment 355393 "The South is more than a region...it’s a state of mind, and Southerners seem forever returning there". The Book of Southern Wisdom

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When you dehydrate on a summer day. I'm originally from California and the South Louisiana humidity is something else!

I know Mississippi is normally the last to do anything, but we still pull over for a funeral procession. I, for one, am glad we do. Just my opinion.

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We still do it in OK and they did in PCola, FL when I was down there. I've seen people get pulled over for not stopping. I was late from lunch many-a times when a funeral procession was rolling in from town to the national cemetery on NAS PCola. It was common and acceptable, unless you were late for a flight or sim.

shavious said:

Care to elaborate?

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When I meet people, they are not usually from the local area, and most of the southerners I encounter no longer have any discernible accent. I am more likely to hear someone from Ohio or Indiana put on a southern accent. Other than that, traditional southern culture is disappearing. Fewer people go to church, fewer people know traditional southern cooking, and fewer people engage in traditional southern pastimes.

My perspective might be a little skewed. I lived outside of the south for about 25 years, then moved back, and the area I am living in has had a higher influx of transplants than most other parts of the South. Either way, I am fine with it, but it is considerably different than it was 25-30 years ago.

Early Morning said:

When I meet people, they are not usually from the local area, and most of the southerners I encounter no longer have any discernible accent. I am more likely to hear someone from Ohio or Indiana put on a southern accent. Other than that, traditional southern culture is disappearing. Fewer people go to church, fewer people know traditional southern cooking, and fewer people engage in traditional southern pastimes.

My perspective might be a little skewed. I lived outside of the south for about 25 years, then moved back, and the area I am living in has had a higher influx of transplants than most other parts of the South. Either way, I am fine with it, but it is considerably different than it was 25-30 years ago.

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That is going to happen in any large city.
About 10 years ago, we flew into Birmingham and drove to Gainsville (Southwest doesn't fly into ATL) and during food and restroom stops, we encountered a lot of stereotypical Southerners... including, unfortunately, one incident of some pretty nasty racism at a fast food place with some 20 y/o guy treating an employee like dirt. Other than that, the people were polite, and couldn't understand why we would want unsweet tea

My sister and her family moved to Gainsville around '88, and they have all picked up very thick accents.

California Cajun said:

When you dehydrate on a summer day. I'm originally from California and the South Louisiana humidity is something else!

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John:
...I guess the trick is to stay out of the heat!

"Ah, summer...what power you have to make us suffer and like it". Russell Baker

jbradley said:

I know Mississippi is normally the last to do anything, but we still pull over for a funeral procession. I, for one, am glad we do. Just my opinion.

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We still do that in Alabama, at least outside of cities. I don't see it much in Mobile any more. We went to a funeral in New Orleans last year and I saw an escorting motorcycle cop chew a driver out for not pulling over, though. I was surprised to see that only one person out of many didn't pull over in a bigger city like New Orleans.

turtle said:

You know you are really there when you start seeing the south of the border signs for "Pedro's"

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Definitely laughed the first time I saw those heading into SC.