@CaliCash - Sweet Tea is a southern staple. The default when you ask for iced tea is sweet tea. Also, most places only serve Coke, even if you mean a Pepsi 
I grew up in NYC, and I find the South to be, on the surface, much more racially harmonious than the North.
Lol, I didn’t expect to see so much pride in a food. I mean, there is NY Pizza, but I don’t think it actually represents anything. @NoVaDad99 That’s why I can’t wait to visit!
Genuine NY pizza is getting harder to find, even in NYC.
@NoVaDad99 well, I’m not quite in NYC lol, so I haven’t experienced that problem.
This thread really highlights how everything is relative. We visited T-Town in June of 2013 and July of 2014. One of the best things about our trips was the escape from the horrible humidity. We live in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area. I think the last time my hair looked good was at graduation at my Long Island (Levittown) high school back in 1979.
@caliCash sweet tea is most definitely a southern thing. Now this may not be the same for ALL southerners but I ALWAYS have ice tea (yes sweet) in the fridge, 365 days a year. It is the first thing offered a guest when the come to my home. Mine won’t be as sweet as most but there is always additional sweeteners on hand.
@CaliCash I live in NY, too, but my dad grew up in southern Virginia and his whole family lives there so we visit every summer. I think where people get the “racism” in the South thing (other than leftover Civil War stereotypes) is that for some people in the south, being politically correct hasn’t exactly caught up. For example, a good portion of my family and people I know through them (ie their church members, neighbors, friends, etc.) still call black people “colored” and Asian people “oriental”. I don’t think they mean it in a bad way, but to Northern visitors it may come off as ill-intentioned. Usually I’ve found those in the South to be generally much more polite, anyways (“sir” and “ma’am” literally never get old).
I haven’t heard anyone say “colored” since the 1960’s. Perhaps you heard it from elderly people?
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We live in MN and my son is currently a senior. We visited the campus last August and absolutely loved it. Not sure tif Alabama is #1 on his list, but it certainly is in the running. Still waiting to find out to hear from other schools on his RD applications and merit scholarships before making final decision.
He was accepted to UMN-Twin Cities with a decent merit scholarship, but believe he would pick Alabama over UMN mainly due to the atmosphere of the campus. I do get a lot of strange looks from friends when I tell them he is considering Alabama over UMN.
I have lived in Alabama for several years and have never heard anyone refer to an AA person as “colored” …maybe that happens in the uneducated rural areas? If so, that means nothing in regards to UA or Ttown. Go to ANY rural area in this country (and nearly every state has some rural areas) and you’re going to find some out-dated racist/sexist phrases…Heck, when I’m in Chicago area (not rural), I hear some of the most racist things EVER.
But…if anyone has relatives that still use racist language, then YOU need to step up and correct them. The ONLY time that horrible word for black people has ever been uttered in my home was BY a black young teen…and I told him (and his parents) that that word was not allowed in my house…ever.
Not only is “sweet tea” a thing in the South, so is just plain ol “Iced Tea”.
I remember years ago that people would travel to places like NYC and order “Iced Tea” only to be told it was “out of season”. Iced tea, be it sweet or not, is NEVER “out of season”.
It is much like water, you can drink it 24/7 365. It is refreshing and thirst quenching. Nothing else is as quenching as a big glass of iced tea.
As for how Southern Dallas, Tx is, not near what it used to be. However, there used to be very few places that offered sweet tea. That has changed over the years and most places now offer sweet tea. Dallas has lost its Southern edge but gained sweet tea. Go figure.
Btw, just a question for all of these folks from other places that have friends viewing Alabama in some weird stereotype: next time someone says something, ask them where they have been outside of where they live. I have found that many of the people that view so many places outside of their known with such backwards stereotypes to have traveled much at all. Weird that most people I know in the South and even natives of Texas, we travel like crazy!
As a person who grew up in the north and has lived on the west coast, the northeast, the midatlantic - ie Virginia and in the south - NC and GA I have to say race relations are better the further south you go. I have to say for the northerners who say the south is racist from what I have seen have got it backwards.
This thread has strayed from my original question. Racial relations is not unique to any region, and not really relevant to my culture question. I didn’t have first-hand knowledge of the South (other than Atlanta and Florida, which don’t count), so just looking for opinions. Surprised at how many folks have chose between UMN and UA- and that’s largely where my DS is currently (with a few other options still lingering). Thanks to all those who’ve shared their wisdom and experience!
Yes, ice tea really is that big. Neither I nor my husband like tea, but go to a banquet, tea will be served. Always assume they serve sweet unless you specify unsweet.
The term “colored” was the POLITE term. Believe me, I’ve heard worse tossed off in normal conversation…the last time was in the late 1970s. Anyone using it now will be rather elderly.
This is just my opinion, but I think, all things being equal, going “away” to college is a wonderful opportunity for the right kid (i.e., mature, responsible, not prone to homesickness, etc.) in order to spread his wings and grow. Whether a student leaves the Northeast or the Midwest for the South or the West (or the UK), they’re going to discover both good and bad and learn from those things.
I think part of what my son liked about UA in comparison with Penn State (our state flagship) was that it did feel slightly more “exotic” to him. He also looked at schools in the Midwest for that very same reason. Even the local colleges he applied to had a high percentage of out-of-staters (and I mean truly out of state, not just adjacent states). He didn’t want to go to school with kids just like the ones he’d known his whole life. Originally he didn’t want to go far away to college, but as he matured his senior year and visited some schools farther away, he realized the opportunity to go to school in another part of the country was worth letting go of whatever fears he had or conveniences he’d be giving up. And at UA, unlike a lot of Southern schools, there is a significant percentage of students from other parts of the country, so you’re never going to feel alone even if you’re a “regional minority.”
Re the reactions of others, I’ve found that it’s mainly people who have never traveled or who have very closed minds who write off “the South” with a broad brush. Maybe because I’ve had a lot of close friends over the years (on both the East and West Coasts) with strong Southern ties and because I have a number of distant relatives living in Texas and the South, but for me the South has always just held tremendous appeal. I was pretty thrilled when my son agreed that he wanted to go to UA. Is it perfect? Of course not. What place is? But I can’t think of another school or another part of the country where he’d be any happier.
My DD’s roommate for 3 years is from Minnesota and loves all things Minnesota including The Wild, but we forgive her hockey bias. She had never lived in the south before, but had similar travel experiences to Atlanta and Florida. She has loved Bama and now her brother has joined her at UA. The freshman class of 2014 had about 62% OOS students. Those from Minnesota made up about .1% of the student body. In the Midwest, Illinois was the largest contingent at 2.4%. P.S. For the cold weather staters needing a hockey fix – UA does have a club ice hockey team that plays Division III. They practice/play in Pelham, so a car/rides are needed to participate/watch. The team name is FROZEN TIDE!
Old-row Greeks versus new-row Greeks. “The Machine.” Please explain these to a Yankee. Unless, of course, they don’t exist.
“Old Row” used to be the fraternities left on University Boulevard west of the Quad when many of the built new houses east of the Quad on “New Row” back in the 1960s (and where many new ones are being built now). It has evolved over the decades to be the name of an unofficial organization of fraternities and sororities that stages a couple of big beer parties a year and issues a T shirt to denote the parties. It also can mean some of the oldest and most exclusive fraternities and sororities…which is also a bit of a misnomer because some of the oldest fraternities and sororities are NOT considered “old row.” So it’s mostly used as a snobbish term. “The Machine” is an underground organization that is said to control all the SGA elections and, in recent years, the homecoming queen selection. Member groups supposedly get word from “the Machine” on who their members are supposed to vote for. I think there’s a website out there that explains it.
These are peculiar to the University of Alabama, and are not found at other universities.