What do you think of as "the South?"

[ereks mom]

I would add Kentucky and Louisianna, and call this list good. I'm not sure about Virginia . . . .

 

I grew up, got married, and had all my kids in North Florida. It is definitely The South. I like being Southern, and wouldn't have it any other way.

 

I almost included KY & VA, but they seem northern to me--couldn't get sweet tea at the restaurants where we stopped. :D I didn't include LA because, to me, the South doesn't include anything west of the Mississippi River. West of the Mississippi River = West. :D

Edited August 4, 2012 by ereks mom

[Spy Car]

Why does the temperature of the tea make a difference? We put sugar in hot tea, so of course we put it in iced tea.

 

You put sugar in hot tea??? Yuck! :D

 

Bill

[stripe]

You put sugar in hot tea??? Yuck! :D

 

Bill

 

Oh, come on, Bill. Stop with the sugar policing. Indian people do it, too.

 

Crimson Wife - I like your Mahk test. A lot. I think the pronuciation of "hi" and "bye" and the emphasis in words like "vehicle" (and the degree to which it sounds like "pickle") should also be factored in.

 

I think it's time we all have a nice serving of cobbler.

[Mom23Boys]

I almost included KY & VA, but they seem northern to me--couldn't get sweet tea at the restaurants where we stopped. :D I didn't include LA because, to me, the South doesn't include anything west of the Mississippi River. West of the Mississippi River = West. :D

 

 

What about the part of Louisiana that is east of the Mississippi? :tongue_smilie: I live east of the Mississippi River, so I am a southerner and my family just over the river are westerners?

[Sahamamama]

I am I the only Texan or Southerner that is going :confused: about MD or NJ being considered part of The South. No offense, but if you ask a Southerner to identify a Yankee state, New Jersey is probably number two only to New York.

 

I have drove through New Jersey when I was in college and it was a beautiful state, but definitely not "Southern", IMHO.

 

No, I'm in NJ (born & raised) and have NEVER considered it Southern (at all). BUT, almost half the state is "below" the Mason-Dixon Line, if you drew the line straight across from the top border of Maryland. That just blows my mind.

[kdeno]

Tennessee is absolutely "the south" (love it!) and NJ is not. I am a Yankee fwiw.

[lovemykids]

No, I'm in NJ (born & raised) and have NEVER considered it Southern (at all). BUT, almost half the state is "below" the Mason-Dixon Line, if you drew the line straight across from the top border of Maryland. That just blows my mind.

 

Oh, lookie here! I found me a definition (that’s southern talk, ya’ll, bad grammar and all-AND I am simply being silly, no offense to anyone). Yous guys (whoops! jersey girl coming out) just gotta check out what the Wikipedia states about South Jersey:

“South Jersey comprises the southern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation is a colloquial one, reflecting not only geographical but perceived cultural differences from the northern part of the state, with no official definition.”

 

South Jersey is the in the South, I tell ya! Yup, they should have extended that darn Dixie line straight across, for sure. :smilielol5:

 

Really,Sahamamama? I am so surprised- you have never heard that they are different down there? Do you get out much?? LOL.:tongue_smilie:

Edited August 5, 2012 by lovemykids

[Dinsfamily]

:confused: Sweet tea is everywhere in Texas...???

 

:iagree: I'm a Oregonian living in Texas and have to send back my tea 80% of the time. I like it unsweetened and am given sweet tea by mistake most of the time.

[KungFuPanda]

:iagree: I'm a Oregonian living in Texas and have to send back my tea 80% of the time. I like it unsweetened and am given sweet tea by mistake most of the time.

 

Do you order it unsweetened? If you just ordered 'iced tea', sweet tea is the default and it's not a mistake to bring you what you ordered. :D

[pfamilygal]

Hmmm...maybe so, but we could not buy sweet iced tea anywhere in Texas when traveling there a few years ago. As a matter of fact, I don't remember being able to buy sweet iced tea until we got to Jackson, MS. Can you be a Southern state and not serve sweet tea?:001_unsure:

 

:D

 

Where in Texas where you? You can buy sweet tea all over DFW. I hate it. Yuck.

[Alpac]

Where in Texas where you? You can buy sweet tea all over DFW. I hate it. Yuck.

 

 

We traveled to Houston, TX from MS. We stopped at several places along the way, staying in Fort Worth and then Houston. I don't know...maybe it just happened to be the places where we stopped. This was about 5 years ago. Reading that there is sweet tea everywhere in TX is really strange because I promise I ordered it in more than one restaurant and was told they did not have it, only unsweet tea. I did not order it EVERY time we stopped to eat, but it was enough for me to assume it just was not something Texans drank. :confused:

 

I stand corrected.:)

[Terabith]

I would actually add another region to Garreau's list: Appalachian. I really think of Appalachia (parts of SW VA, West VA, eastern KY and TN, etc) to be a separate subculture rather than purely parts of the South. Similarly, I think Texas has close relationships with the South, but is generally its own subculture. The Rio Grande areas, however, I would place in the MexAmerica section, and I could see the northern area being part of Breadbasket. But I think that the first allegiance of Texas is to itself.

[Ibbygirl]

I would actually add another region to Garreau's list: Appalachian. I really think of Appalachia (parts of SW VA, West VA, eastern KY and TN, etc) to be a separate subculture rather than purely parts of the South.

 

:iagree::iagree:

[Sahamamama]

Really,Sahamamama? I am so surprised- you have never heard that they are different down there? Do you get out much?? LOL.:tongue_smilie:

 

So now I HAVE to ask, are you in NoNJ or SoNJ? :bigear:

 

And yes, "they" are different "down there." My dad's side of the family started out as Mennonite, but they all ended up as alcoholic Pineys, with clapboard shacks in various states of disrepair. :tongue_smilie:Not a term of endearment, actually. :glare:

 

Piney is a derogatory term that refers to native inhabitants of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens have sandy, acidic soil considered unsuitable for traditional farming by early settlers, who called the land "barren." The area is forested mainly with pitch pine and scrub oak.

 

[Disclaimer: This statement is posted for informational purposes only and is not intended to offend, insult, label, or otherwise castigate any person on the planet.]

[Oak Knoll Mom]

As an aside, I've seen more than one person not count SC as "Southern." I think it's strange, considering this state started the Civil War, but obviously we all have different ideas about what makes a state "Southern."

 

:iagree: When I moved from GA to SC as a teenager, my cousin said that now that I was moving north she supposed that I was going to be a Yankee. I had to laugh because there are few states that are more southern than SC.

[happyhomemaker25]

There are northern parts of Florida that are very Southern. I grew up in small town Texas, but it has nothing on where I live now in Florida. I most definitely consider North Florida to be the South.

 

Yes many in N. Florida refer to themselves as being more GA than Florida, but we still love the Florida Gators. It's a confusing mess!! LOL

[Barb_]

I would actually add another region to Garreau's list: Appalachian. I really think of Appalachia (parts of SW VA, West VA, eastern KY and TN, etc) to be a separate subculture rather than purely parts of the South.

 

As well as Western NC where my mom's side of the family is all from.

[TranquilMind]

I would say the exact same thing as you just said. I'd include Kentucky, though. Dh, on the other hand, thinks anything south of our house is "The South". :D

 

Kentucky on down. Not most of Florida, though, although it clearly is geographically south. They just don't have the southern culture, maybe because of so many snowbirds.

[lovemykids]

So now I HAVE to ask, are you in NoNJ or SoNJ? :bigear:

 

And yes, "they" are different "down there." My dad's side of the family started out as Mennonite, but they all ended up as alcoholic Pineys, with clapboard shacks in various states of disrepair. :tongue_smilie:Not a term of endearment, actually. :glare:

 

Piney is a derogatory term that refers to native inhabitants of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens have sandy, acidic soil considered unsuitable for traditional farming by early settlers, who called the land "barren." The area is forested mainly with pitch pine and scrub oak.

 

[Disclaimer: This statement is posted for informational purposes only and is not intended to offend, insult, label, or otherwise castigate any person on the planet.]

 

 

Well, if “down there” didn’t provide you with enough of a hint…let me give you a few more clues…sometimes they call us Bennies, we say joysey, not jerzy…and we are not into Wawas, hoagies and tasty cakes (like the Pineys).. We do, however, like subs… and we put sprinkles on our ice cream (not jimmies).

 

When we say the big city, we really mean it, and we go there often. :D

 

 

Manners are not really our thing, and we drive like maniacs, without giving people the finger every minute.

 

If you need any more clues, let me know. I am always glad to help out! :tongue_smilie:

:lol::lol::lol:

 

(And just in case this is coming across the wrong way…there are times when I want to move “back down south”…and I really, truly, honestly think all of this is very funny/ silly and I am simply joking…why can’t we just all get along???)

Edited August 7, 2012 by lovemykids

[Lady Florida.]

Yes many in N. Florida refer to themselves as being more GA than Florida

 

I've also heard parts of the Florida Panhandle referred to as LA - Lower Alabama.

[Crimson Wife]

we are not into Wawas, hoagies and tasty cakes (like the Pineys)..

 

Told you that Delaware is culturally similar to NJ. My DH grew up eating hoagies and tasty cakes and filling his tank at WaWa. :lol:

[Ellie]

We traveled to Houston, TX from MS. We stopped at several places along the way, staying in Fort Worth and then Houston. I don't know...maybe it just happened to be the places where we stopped. This was about 5 years ago. Reading that there is sweet tea everywhere in TX is really strange because I promise I ordered it in more than one restaurant and was told they did not have it, only unsweet tea. I did not order it EVERY time we stopped to eat, but it was enough for me to assume it just was not something Texans drank. :confused:

 

I stand corrected.:)

Maybe it was national chain restuarants that didn't?

[Ellie]

I almost included KY & VA, but they seem northern to me--couldn't get sweet tea at the restaurants where we stopped. :D

 

Not include Virginia??? :blink::svengo: