<p>jym: going to that concert at MSG on the 17th of June…glad to hear it was great!!! Unfortunately, our choice of restaurants near the Garden is not as lip-smacking as the one you went to!!</p>
<p>in reference to the rest of this thread: while we are in the process of making a prospective college list for our second daughter, we are most concerned about the knowledge in the geographic location about Celiac disease and gluten-free food availability…a 25 minute ride to a Whole Foods or a health food store that has GF food is not going to work…sounds like Charleston would, possibly USC, but remote schools like others would have to be able to provide all food on campus in the dining halls…</p>
<p>we have travelled in the South (and other select parts of the country) where they have NO idea what this dietary restriction is about…and, no, I’m not just referring to small, rural towns…</p>
<p>so…I guess it just depends on the individual (and the OP) as to what they need to feel comfortable…some of the religious issues discussed earlier would not work here either…</p>
<p>We live in a major Southern metropolitan area, and our daughter told us that a boy in her class (7th grade, private school) is an atheist. My answer:“so?”. She said, “The problem with that is there are kids who are forbidden to talk to him. Their parents won’t let them have anything to do with him.”. It angered me so that I almost picked up the phone to call the school head, and then thought better of it. I’ve learned that “you can’t fight city hall” here, but I expressed my displeasure to my daughter in no uncertain terms.</p>
<p>^^ Situations like that aren’t unique to the South. I had a high school friend who was asked out on her first date ever to our junior prom by a shy young man who also wanted to attend the event. She was not allowed to go, because he was not Jewish.</p>
<p>dke- I want to mention that I live in a conservative town in Michigan where the reaction you described would not be surprising. There are small-minded people everywhere!</p>
<p>oh right another thing I forgot to mention, I’m asian-american and there aren’t really that many in the south. Are there any people that are “racist” against people of non-white races? and do you think most people who are “non-white” feel comfortable in the south?</p>
<p>Rodney-check out Tulane. The Whole Foods Store is very close by. Walking or biking distance. There are many organic restaurants in the area. My nephew’s girlfriend is strict vegetarian, and she does fine here. There is a large Jewish population at Tulane, as well as international, so I’m sure they are familiar with special dietary needs.</p>
<p>Children’s Hospital is also very near Tulane, and you may want to touch base with a dietician there as to your child’s disease, which I’m not familiar with. I’ve seen big kids, age 18 at least, that go there, and I’m sure they can help you with your child’s dietary needs.</p>
<p>As to your reference to MSG, I take it you’re from the New York area. There are a large number of people from that area that attend Tulane, and there is supposed to be good networking for jobs after college for people from that area.</p>
<p>As for racism in the South, I am proud to say that my son is so amazingly non racist. He will not even refer to a boy in a group as “the black kid” or “the Chinese kid”. His best friend is an atheist, or at least an agnostic, and another good friend of his is gay, (and Chinese!). He doesn’t treat any of them any differently. And his school, which is a Jesuit High School, doesn’t treat them any differently, either, I’m proud to say.</p>
<p>So please don’t get hung up on the Southern racist religious stereotypes. Our younger generation is so much more open-minded than those of years past.</p>
<p>^^now if only she could be admitted to Tulane…that is one of her favorite reaches; too bad they eliminated ED awhile back…thank you, Montegut…we didn’t know that Whole Foods was closeby…</p>
<p>Rodney - My former SIL had celiac and was able to do quite well in New Orleans. What is your D interested in? And -having spent 4 years on the faculty of Tulane Med School -I agree that Tulane Children’s is an outstanding facility. Ochsner is also quite good.</p>
<p>Montegut - I agree with your assessment about the younger generation. There will ALWAYS be people/families that harbor prejudices, but the younger generation is so much more open. But I do think that folks in New Orleans are kind of a “special breed” - who just because of the city they grow up in - are much more open to people of every race, creed, and nationality.</p>
<p>Rodney-
The sooner she applies to Tulane, the sooner she will hear back. My s knew in October. He needed to have a follow up dermatology appt when he went back to school, and I arranged (through a friend of mine who is on faculty at Childrens) for him to be seen through their Derm clinic. He was over 18, so could do all the paperwork and forms himself. As others said, Trouro and Oschner are near campus too, and the campus EMS (TEMS) are wonderful. She will be in good hands. I cant recall what is availablle in Bruff or the LBC (student center) but I am sure they can handle her needs. A good friend of mine’s daughter has celiac. She went to BU and then transferred to Pratt, but she survived her formative years here in the south. We didnt kill her. </p>
<p>And yes, OP, there are plenty of asian-americans in the south. Not to worry.</p>
<p>OP-there are even more asian-americans at the Universities in the south. Check the Clemson site for asian clubs/associations. I will be very surprised if you don’t find at least a few.</p>
<p>Oh, mafool - I knew you were from MI, but now I know where. My friend moved to that area & quickly realized that mowing the lawn on Sunday was not a neighborhood tradition, to say the least. It’s a beautiful area, but not what one might think of as typically midwesern. Yet you are most like just fine there, as many “outsiders” find themselves when they move out of their own comfort zones.</p>
<p>Kelsmom, it happens that we landed in an “island” of this community where I don’t stick out like a sore thumb!</p>
<p>But, when told about the Sunday mowing (not) tradition and before realizing it would not be an issue in my neighborhood, I thought, "OK, that’s fine. If mowing my lawn on Sunday will disturb my neighbors, I can adjust, just as I would hope that my neighbors wouldn’t have loud parties at 2 am on week nights (as if!!!).</p>
<p>Southern sweet tea:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add tea bags. Let steep about 10 minutes. Discard tea bags without squeezing them (that seems to make it go cloudy faster), add sugar. Stir to disolve. Store in fridge. If it gets cloudy, add some boiling water.
I know that I haven’t used amounts, everyone has their own ideas. Experiment! The idea of having simple syrup around in a squirt bottle to sweeten your tea lasted about 3 days here last summer when D who worked in restaurant wanted to try it… we had more ants than you can believe…</p>
<p>That’s how I was brought up making it. Now I love unsweetened iced tea.</p>
<p>you only need the simple syrup if you are sweetening cold unsweetened tea and it is a second best solution. Your best bet is sugar in the hot tea which is then allowed to cool.</p>
<p>OK, could someone explain how to make simple syrup? I’ve always made my sweet tea the way dragonmom described it. Never heard of simple syrup until this thread, but I’d like to try it.</p>
<p>To all you midwesterners and northerners who are wary of sending your kids to southern schools… Beware: they may like it so much they decide to stay here! My husband is a midwesterner who came to college in the south 30 years ago… now he boils crawfish with the best of them!</p>