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What if … I’m really NOT that “Southern” after all?

GwinnettNole

GwinnettNole

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Sep 4, 2001
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Good Lord-- I'm like a 2.5 out of 10 (err 9) on this list. Parents are from NYC, I've lived in SC, New Jersey, Florida and Atlanta. The funny thing is if there was a similar article about northerners I would probably be a 2-3 as well.

How many of these 'virtues' do you have?

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What if … I’m really NOT that “Southern” after all?

I was born in south Alabama. Make that “deep south” Alabama. Wonderful water sports, boiled shrimp, and dogs named “Bear”. Yet, I now wonder if my late Daddy wouldn’t jokingly declare me a “misguided Yankee”. Why? I’m missing a few lifestyle traits that are common to most Southern men.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love grits, college football, Southern hospitality, chivalry, and reading my Bible daily. I reckon all that would qualify me as “Southern” as “gravy-on-a-biscuit”, by Daddy’s definition.

However, Daddy might face-palm over other “Southern Boy” character virtues that I simply didn’t inherit. Here’s 10 ways that I’m just NOT a “Southern Man”:

10. NASCAR – It isn’t that I don’t marvel at a bunch of fast cars making left turns for 4 hours. I don’t. I’m just stunned that EVERYBODY ELSE in the South seems able to watch it for more than 6 seconds without the services of a certified counselor. Watching NASCAR drives me insane. Pun intended.

9. Okra – I don’t care how you cook it. If I ever swallow poison, just give me okra. I’ll throw up that poison in a heartbeat.

8. Hunting – bores me to tears. I once fell out of a deer stand. Twice. How? Fell asleep. Not that I missed anything. I’ve seen more deer on Bells Ferry Road than I ever saw while hunting.

7. Fishing – In the Gulf? I get seasick every time. In Granddaddy’s pond? I’d rather hit old golf balls into it than clean the two bream it takes to make a meal.

6. There is no number 6. Okay, … so that’s not a Southern joke. It’s an English/Monty Python joke.

5. Grammar – Southern liberties with proper English grammar never cut it with Daddy, so he wouldn’t groan about this one. Daddy was deceased before I said “ain’t” the first time. I still don’t end questions with a preposition.

4. Attire – Dressing like Larry the Cable Guy wasn’t tolerated in my youth. However, Daddy was fine with the outdoors donning of sports teams’ caps. Except Auburn, of course.

3. Pick-up Truck – Perfectly Southern, but I never owned one. Then again, I’ve never needed one.

2. Chewing Tobacco – Uh, no.

1. Country Music – I’d rather listen to 10 people draw their fingernails across a chalkboard. Miserable lyrics (“I was drunk the day my Mama got outa prison…”), set to twang instruments, must surely be one of the deeper circles of Dante’s Inferno.
 
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I am a 0/10...I am straight Yankee even though I have lived in Georgia since 1998.
 
I like okra, I've enjoyed fishing in the Gulf, I love grits and fried fish but not bream.
Never gotten into NASCAR.
I have been known to say I'm fixin' to and when I really don't want to do something, I've been known to say I ain't doing that or we ain't goin' to that.

I've also lived all over the country including New York and Michigan and Wisconsin. But I hated 'em all.
 
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goldmom said:
I like okra, I've enjoyed fishing in the Gulf, I love grits and fried fish but not bream.
Never gotten into NASCAR.
I have been known to say I'm fixin' to and when I really don't want to do something, I've been known to say I ain't doing that or we ain't goin' to that.

I've also lived all over the country including New York and Michigan and Wisconsin. But I hated 'em all.
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New York I get, but to hate Michigan is just wrong. There are some beautiful areas in that state. Same for Wisconsin. Granted, I've never lived in either but have spent tons of time in both.
 
GwinnettNole said:
Good Lord-- I'm like a 2.5 out of 10 (err 9) on this list. Parents are from NYC, I've lived in SC, New Jersey, Florida and Atlanta. The funny thing is if there was a similar article about northerners I would probably be a 2-3 as well.

How many of these 'virtues' do you have?

**************************************************
What if … I’m really NOT that “Southern” after all?

I was born in south Alabama. Make that “deep south” Alabama. Wonderful water sports, boiled shrimp, and dogs named “Bear”. Yet, I now wonder if my late Daddy wouldn’t jokingly declare me a “misguided Yankee”. Why? I’m missing a few lifestyle traits that are common to most Southern men.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love grits, college football, Southern hospitality, chivalry, and reading my Bible daily. I reckon all that would qualify me as “Southern” as “gravy-on-a-biscuit”, by Daddy’s definition.

However, Daddy might face-palm over other “Southern Boy” character virtues that I simply didn’t inherit. Here’s 10 ways that I’m just NOT a “Southern Man”:

10. NASCAR – It isn’t that I don’t marvel at a bunch of fast cars making left turns for 4 hours. I don’t. I’m just stunned that EVERYBODY ELSE in the South seems able to watch it for more than 6 seconds without the services of a certified counselor. Watching NASCAR drives me insane. Pun intended.

9. Okra – I don’t care how you cook it. If I ever swallow poison, just give me okra. I’ll throw up that poison in a heartbeat.

8. Hunting – bores me to tears. I once fell out of a deer stand. Twice. How? Fell asleep. Not that I missed anything. I’ve seen more deer on Bells Ferry Road than I ever saw while hunting.

7. Fishing – In the Gulf? I get seasick every time. In Granddaddy’s pond? I’d rather hit old golf balls into it than clean the two bream it takes to make a meal.

6. There is no number 6. Okay, … so that’s not a Southern joke. It’s an English/Monty Python joke.

5. Grammar – Southern liberties with proper English grammar never cut it with Daddy, so he wouldn’t groan about this one. Daddy was deceased before I said “ain’t” the first time. I still don’t end questions with a preposition.

4. Attire – Dressing like Larry the Cable Guy wasn’t tolerated in my youth. However, Daddy was fine with the outdoors donning of sports teams’ caps. Except Auburn, of course.

3. Pick-up Truck – Perfectly Southern, but I never owned one. Then again, I’ve never needed one.

2. Chewing Tobacco – Uh, no.

1. Country Music – I’d rather listen to 10 people draw their fingernails across a chalkboard. Miserable lyrics (“I was drunk the day my Mama got outa prison…”), set to twang instruments, must surely be one of the deeper circles of Dante’s Inferno.
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NY all my life....and literally could have written this about myself....every item!!!
 
GwinnettNole said:
Good Lord-- I'm like a 2.5 out of 10 (err 9) on this list. Parents are from NYC, I've lived in SC, New Jersey, Florida and Atlanta. The funny thing is if there was a similar article about northerners I would probably be a 2-3 as well.

How many of these 'virtues' do you have?

**************************************************
What if … I’m really NOT that “Southern” after all?

I was born in south Alabama. Make that “deep south” Alabama. Wonderful water sports, boiled shrimp, and dogs named “Bear”. Yet, I now wonder if my late Daddy wouldn’t jokingly declare me a “misguided Yankee”. Why? I’m missing a few lifestyle traits that are common to most Southern men.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love grits, college football, Southern hospitality, chivalry, and reading my Bible daily. I reckon all that would qualify me as “Southern” as “gravy-on-a-biscuit”, by Daddy’s definition.

However, Daddy might face-palm over other “Southern Boy” character virtues that I simply didn’t inherit. Here’s 10 ways that I’m just NOT a “Southern Man”:

10. NASCAR – It isn’t that I don’t marvel at a bunch of fast cars making left turns for 4 hours. I don’t. I’m just stunned that EVERYBODY ELSE in the South seems able to watch it for more than 6 seconds without the services of a certified counselor. Watching NASCAR drives me insane. Pun intended.

9. Okra – I don’t care how you cook it. If I ever swallow poison, just give me okra. I’ll throw up that poison in a heartbeat.

8. Hunting – bores me to tears. I once fell out of a deer stand. Twice. How? Fell asleep. Not that I missed anything. I’ve seen more deer on Bells Ferry Road than I ever saw while hunting.

7. Fishing – In the Gulf? I get seasick every time. In Granddaddy’s pond? I’d rather hit old golf balls into it than clean the two bream it takes to make a meal.

6. There is no number 6. Okay, … so that’s not a Southern joke. It’s an English/Monty Python joke.

5. Grammar – Southern liberties with proper English grammar never cut it with Daddy, so he wouldn’t groan about this one. Daddy was deceased before I said “ain’t” the first time. I still don’t end questions with a preposition.

4. Attire – Dressing like Larry the Cable Guy wasn’t tolerated in my youth. However, Daddy was fine with the outdoors donning of sports teams’ caps. Except Auburn, of course.

3. Pick-up Truck – Perfectly Southern, but I never owned one. Then again, I’ve never needed one.

2. Chewing Tobacco – Uh, no.

1. Country Music – I’d rather listen to 10 people draw their fingernails across a chalkboard. Miserable lyrics (“I was drunk the day my Mama got outa prison…”), set to twang instruments, must surely be one of the deeper circles of Dante’s Inferno.
Click to expand...

I agree with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and partially agree with 10. I can't watch NASCAR on TV it's too boring and repetitive, but I enjoyed seeing it in person back when I had full pit, hot garage and owner box seats courtesy of a friend who built out the cars for Hendrick's each race (two sidenotes 1: the average person and probably even average NASCAR fan doesn't know that there is no such thing as "a car" anymore in racing, they build it out completely from scratch and sell the previous race parts to the lesser teams on lower levels of racing). We got to see all kinds of interesting things (I was literally watching the inspection site when the refs caught Jeff Gordon cheating red handed during the Duel at Daytona, I don't know the outcome but his car was WAY uppowered and I was in the Hendrick's box when something famous happened at Daytona a few years ago but I'm still legally bound not to talk about it although in person I might mention some hypothetical scenarios), got to hang out with the drivers, owners and media, walked on the raceways, and more (was so close in the pit one time that a car on fire passed close enough I could feel the heat). Now if you can take part in all that...NASCAR was amazingly fun. But watching it from the stands...probably not and watching it on TV...big fat pass.

As far as okra goes I love it cooked properly. Although I use sassafras file rather than okra as my thickener in gumbo, I love it stewed with tomatoes and onions, properly fried (crispy and with the slime drawn out) and REALLY like the dehydrated okra "chips" from Fresh Market.

And as far as hunting, I've never enjoyed deer, Turkey or duck hunting where you're luring it in. But I could see myself potentially enjoying "stalking" types of hunting like ptarmigan or Scottish deer stalking. It seems far more sporting and far less boring.
 
10) NASCAR: Lost me back when the 70s when they changed the rules to keep Petty out of Dodges and kicking everyone's butt.

(9) Grew up a farm, I have picked tons of the stuff and I never liked it regardless of how it was cooked. If you have never had the pleasure of picking the stuff go to a farm and ask them to let you spend 30 mins helping them gather the stuff. It is not hard to pick at all.

(8) Loved it growing up when I could roam over thousands of acres of timber company land. Only 2 deer I every killed I spent the entire day tracking them and shot them late in the afternoon. Now you have to pay 1000s for the privilege of sitting in a tree, not the same and I hate it.

(7) I am sure all you have seen enough of my post and my board name to know how I feel about the gulf.

(5) I would give anything if I could get rid of the slow southern drawl and the slang. I do a lot of consulting work in the welding industry and work with companies all over the U.S. I spent a lot of time trying to overcome the 1st impression my language makes.

(4)Attire, Denim for work, shorts, Columbia shirts and Sperry's the rest of the time. ( except winter)

(3) Haven't owned a car in over 30 years.

(2) I hate all types of tabacco

(1) I blamed the radio stations for me no longer caring about any type of music. I was in and out of the house during the CMAs, I had never heard over 1/2 the songs performed I caught during the show. To listen to a country music station today one would think there were only about 10 different artist.

All in all I would still say I am 99% southern with my biggest break from southern ways being I don't particularly like grits! I think eating hash browns(real ones) is about the only think the north has over the south.
 
Southern isn't the same as redneck. Bad list.

There are plenty of people in places like Ohio and Idaho that like everything on that list (except perhaps okra) and that doesn't make them Southern. At all.

At the same time, there are plenty of folks in places like New Orleans and Charleston and Savannah who don't like anything on that list other than okra and they sure as hell ARE Southern.
 
Don't like Okra either. My boss says everyone that lives North of Snellville, Ga is a Yankee. I imagine GwinnettNole will get a laugh out of that.
 
Never had any interest in NASCAR other than checking results for a few years when a local guy was driving. Okra is disgusting. Did a little bit of hunting when I was young, but it isn't my thing. Like to fish some, mostly catch & release in fresh water. I generally speak proper English, but if I'm hanging out with my redneck friends I can easily transition into speaking Southern. I'm more likely to dress like a golfer than a farmer. Never owned a truck, but I do drive a Jeep Wrangler. Do I get redneck points for that? Never once have I chewed or dipped. I do like *some* country music - both old stuff and newer pop country.

I guess I get about 4 half-credits. Probably par for the course for a kid who was born & raised in rural central Florida (but whose parents are both "damn Yankees" - the kind who came down here & never left).
 
RTM58 said:
Not liking country is just wrong.

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You realize that's not a country song right? I've lived in FL my whole life and would qualify for 4-5 of those. I love okra, I fish, hunt (not very often), use a little southern grammar (not ain't), and have driven a pickup truck for the last 10+ years.
 
Well.......
#10- NASCAR, yes, with a caveat. Loved it a lot more when it was racing and not an engineering competition.
9. Okra- No way, grannie made me eat it stewed as a kid, hated it every since
8.-Hunting, Yes-miss it, great memories with Pops
7. Fishing, Yes
6. well you know
5. Grammar- I have the ability to speak properly and annunciate as needed, but when I am relaxed and with friends and family, it gets a little country
4. Attire- I clean up very well, but if I had my choice, it would be shorts and a T-shirt, or jeans and a T-shirt
3. Pickup Truck- other than my very first car, which was the only option at the time, have never owned anything but
2. Chewing Tobacco- Both chew and snuff, luckily I broke that habit, and haven't done it in over 10 years, but I still have cravings
1. Country Music- Hell yeah

Guess that makes me, well, Southern
 
Ive noticed a new trending southern phrase being said by many, and often as of late.

"That's Right"

Except it pronounced more like:

"that's rye"

My wife and I now play a drinking game to it.

And I'm southern, but not deep woods southern. I am a , yes sir, no ma'am kind of guy. I let ladies eat first, I cook for guest and clear the table when they're finished. I like to salt water fish only, I will only shoot a deer if it's on my land and for food. (I have no land, so I'm not shooting deer, but maybe one day). I like country music in the spring and summer and when doing yard work, but I'm not going to any country music concert (Wouldn't mind Zac Brown Band). I'll wear a flannel shirt with shorts and flip flops. I'll go four wheeling and build a bonfire if given the opportunity. And, that's about it. I like to think thats southern.

That's rye!
 
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DanC78 said:
Ive noticed a new trending southern phrase being said by many, and often as of late.

"That's Right"

Except it pronounced more like:

"that's rye"

My wife and I now play a drinking game to it.

And I'm southern, but not deep woods southern. I am a , yes sir, no ma'am kind of guy. I let ladies eat first, I cook for guest and clear the table when they're finished. I like to salt water fish only, I will only shoot a deer if it's on my land and for food. (I have no land, so I'm not shooting deer, but maybe one day). I like country music in the spring and summer and when doing yard work, but I'm not going to any country music concert (Wouldn't mind Zac Brown Band). I'll wear a flannel shirt with shorts and flip flops. I'll go four wheeling and build a bonfire if given the opportunity. And, that's about it. I like to think thats southern.

That's rye!
Click to expand...

I'm not a country fan at all and neither is my wife fortunately, but I went to the Tyler Farr concert at the Florida Seafood Festival in Apalachicola this past weekend and noticed that it was about 2:1 tacos to sausage. Since I'm usually going to rock, punk and blues concerts by choice that ratio is usually reversed. So maybe there's something to be said for country after all.
 
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Cute thread. Maybe, one day, y'all can work real hard and become Texans.
 
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Fijimn said:
Cute thread. Maybe, one day, y'all can work real hard and become Texans.
Click to expand...

I can't take any state seriously whose "national beer" is Lone Star.

Having said that, I'm looking forward to visiting Shiner.
 
Fijimn said:
Spoetzl Brewery is a good tour. They are closed on the weekend. I like St. Arnold better.

http://www.saintarnold.com/news/index.html#menu
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If I get to go in Dec (if the weather is still decent basically, if it's bad we'll probably just hang out in the Keys for a week since I can't go out of country while my new businesses start up), I am definitely heading to those and probably spending a day doing several of the hill country wineries.
 
DanC78 said:
Ive noticed a new trending southern phrase being said by many, and often as of late.

"That's Right"

Except it pronounced more like:

"that's rye"

My wife and I now play a drinking game to it.

And I'm southern, but not deep woods southern. I am a , yes sir, no ma'am kind of guy. I let ladies eat first, I cook for guest and clear the table when they're finished. I like to salt water fish only, I will only shoot a deer if it's on my land and for food. (I have no land, so I'm not shooting deer, but maybe one day). I like country music in the spring and summer and when doing yard work, but I'm not going to any country music concert (Wouldn't mind Zac Brown Band). I'll wear a flannel shirt with shorts and flip flops. I'll go four wheeling and build a bonfire if given the opportunity. And, that's about it. I like to think thats southern.

That's rye!
Click to expand...

I'd say it is more closely pronounced "ats rye"

It's tough to make the "th" sound with only one front toof.
 
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All except the tobacco. My dad chewed tobacco. I saw what that did to him. Not a fan of what is called 'country music' now, but I am generally a fan of older country and rock.

Nascar has moved down the list, but I have been to a number of races.

Only like fishing in salt water, fresh water is for skiing and boating.

Haven't hunted in many years and was a disappointment to my dad that I didn't like it more. I love to shoot quail and dove. Haven't done that in years (a coon's age) though

You don't pick okry (spell it like you say it), you 'cut' okra. Some farm. You've got to wear long sleeves when cutting okra or cropping tobacco ('bacee) I love okry, not so much with 'maters though.

I teach all over the U.S., people love my quaint accent. I generally enjoy theirs.

Love grits. I ask for them with breakfast everywhere, mostly just for laughs.

That's right (tha's riiiiii) is back? I thought it died with my great uncles and other family. So, I guess I can use it again.

Southern, multi-multi generational Floridian. The rest of ya'll are trespassers.
 
All in except the Tobacco. After spending several summers working tobacco fields, I could never chew, dip or smoke the stuff.
 
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