<p>I love your post, warblers. I once got 3 days off of school when the news said there was a strong chance of snow, but none came. Finally, someone that doesn't write us off as a bunch of rednecks with a pick-up truck. </p>
<p>.-_-.</p>
<p>there's a lot to love about the south, for sure. my grandparents now live in a very rural area of central florida, and when i was younger i was too fixated on the confederate flags to appreciate other aspects of the culture...but now i've taken the time to realize the people are polite (in a real, friendly way), the food is damn good, and the # of ATVs per capita is a major bonus. my mom originally rooted for me to apply to UMiss as a safety...</p>
<p>but it wasn't just the dubious academics that turned me off. southern hospitality, unfortunately, doesn't extend to /everyone/.</p>
<p>in any case, "southern" is not necessarily a bad thing, and this is coming from a gay kid from the mid-atlantic. before going off on what somebody says, you should visit and see if you like it. be open-minded and have fun! also be sure to try a meal of coleslaw on fries, grits, and coke. then again that's just my own bastardization of southern culture which i try to recreate at the chik-fil-e, unsuccessfully...</p>
<p>dg5052, sheesh. i'm a southerner too. sorry for the over-generalization.</p>
<p>thisyearsfashion...</p>
<p>Florida isn't the best example of anything "southern". It doesn't have the same feel as other Southern states. Yes, geographically it's Southern, but culturally, no. And believe me, I know Southern, I'm a Louisiana girl, who has lived in Florida and now I'm in Tennessee.</p>
<p>I have found that people like to discredit Florida as "Southern" due to the number of displaced northerners...or something...</p>
<p>In any case, central Florida is NOT Dewey Beach or Miami or even Disney World, not the part of central Florida my grandparents live in. It sure feels very Southern to me, as Southern as Alabama felt...lol. They weren't saying "nigger" in the hotel lobby like they were in Alabama, but, uh, same humidity and stuff. Maybe that's just a case of suburban vs. boonies and not North vs. South.</p>
<p>how do i post a questioon!?!?!</p>
<p>"To me, Southern means:
-Homecooked soul food
-POLITE youngsters
-Basketball and football
-Sweet tea
-Taters and maters
-Sense of pride in history
-Strong dislike of transplanted damn yankees
-Y'all, fixin' to, and other such expressions
-Country, gospel, jazz, bluegrass, and R&B music
-"Coke" used for any carbonated beverage
-High humidity but mild winters
-Magnolias
-KFC and Waffle Houses are landmarks used to give directions
-BBQ and potato salad
-Cotton and tobacco
-Carbs come from pancakes, grits, and biscuits
-Knowing what chittlins are
-Spices: salt, pepper, hot sauce, BBQ sauce, and Ranch dressing
-Expeditions to stock up on supplies when meteorologists call for at least 1" of snow
-School is canceled for 1" of snow
-Huge family reunions
-Trips to the mountains to see the leaves change color
-Yellow lights just mean go faster...aka "Carolina Green"
-If you stay on the same road, it will change names at least 3 or 4 times" That is so true!!!!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
In any case, central Florida is NOT Dewey Beach or Miami or even Disney World, not the part of central Florida my grandparents live in. It sure feels very Southern to me, as Southern as Alabama felt...lol. They weren't saying "nigger" in the hotel lobby like they were in Alabama, but, uh, same humidity and stuff. Maybe that's just a case of suburban vs. boonies and not North vs. South.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I lived in Central Florida, smack in the middle of the state, Polk County. And it was not 'Southern' at all. Most of the people that are there are from up North and have no concept of what Southern Hospitality is. Having humidity does not constitute a State having 'Southern Culture', which was the original topic of this thread. There is no way Central Florida is the same culture as Alabama. Having lived in CF and having gone to Alabama numerous times, it just isn't so. Maybe it's the different in perspective. I'm a true Southerner, while from your posts I'm assuming that your not. To each his own.</p>
<p>klf1120:</p>
<p>You could not be more wrong. I'm a "true" southerner and my family has been southern American since 1622. I visited Northern Florida a great deal and currently own a fair amount of land there. I can assure you that there is no difference between Lake City, Florida and Valdosta, Georgia. Take any one of those arrow-straight two-lane highways around north to central Florida and you will find that there is a very slight difference in accent (a bit more of a twang) than you will find in South Alabama and South Georgia, but that's the only difference. </p>
<p>I have lived and worked in South Virginia, Anniston, Alabama, and North Florida. I have traveled extensively in the Confederate States. </p>
<p>So don't go pulling that I'm-more-southern-than-you-holier-than-thou crap on me.</p>
<p>Warblersrule, please get your beverages right!!!</p>
<p>It's CO-coah. Also, why is sweet tea never sweet? LOL.</p>
<p>My southern favorites:</p>
<p>cheese eggs
hard flat biscuits
milk gravy
cured county (sodium heart attack) ham
grits with red-eye gravy
brunswick stew</p>
<p>the greetings 'how yall?" and 'how's your mama and them?"</p>
<p>Tarhunt, I wasn't replying to you, I was responding to thisyearsfashion.</p>
<p>And I will believe what I choose considering that I lived in Florida for many years. Florida is not Southern.</p>
<p>klf1120:</p>
<p>No, Louisiana is not southern in the traditional sense when you're talking about Cajun/Creole Louisiana. When you move north in LA, it begins to take on more of the characteristics of Mississippi.</p>
<p>I can assure you that simply crossing the Georgia border doesn't suddently change the culture. North Florida is just like South Georgia. I can also assure you that you will find whites in North Florida using the n-word liberally enough to make even you feel right at home.</p>
<p>I have lived in the same southern state (NC) all my life. My grandmother was born and grew up in the old family homeplace that was built by her great great grandfather in 1796. We've been here a long time and love it. </p>
<p>Every so often these threads pop up about this or that college being "too southern". That riles me (ya'll know what that means?). These schools were built in the south for the children of the south, if people from other parts of the country want to come they can but shouldn't ask if it's "too southern" as if it's a germ they're scared to come in contact with.<br>
Ever notice that nobody asks if a school is "too Northern?"</p>
<p>PackMom:</p>
<p>Well, this forum is really about where kids will fit in, to a large degree. There really isn't much of a "northern" culture. There's a distinct New England culture. There's a distinct NYC/New Jersey suburbs culture. There's a Minnesota culture, you betcha! But none of them (with the possible exception of New York/New Jersey) are quite as distinct and as strong as southern culture. </p>
<p>I think it's a legitimate question about whether a particular school is too "southern" for those who don't know and/or don't like southern culture. I wouldn't want a kid who wouldn't fit in to go somewhere he/she would be uncomfortable. That's not really the case with southerners going North (but there are a few exceptions). Northerners coming south, however, may discover what my Mama used to say: "Southern women have 10,000 ways to insult you with a smile on their faces."</p>
<p>Tarhunt, I understand what you mean about "fit". It just seems like the questions sometimes come across in such a manner as to have a negative connation about southern culture....bless their hearts...she says with a smile on her face.</p>
<p>PackMom:</p>
<p>LOL! Yep. "Bless your heart." Or something like, "She's so pretty in the purple outfit" said in a way that let everyone around know that only a tramp would be caught DEAD wearing purple.</p>
<p>Cultural misunderstanding goes both ways, of course. I once had a Philadelphian explain to me why Southerners are rude to hold up a lunch line by asking questions. Only someone rude, he said to me, would fail to read the posted menu, ask for what they wanted, and then get the @#$%$ out of the way at the place where the food was being handed out so that people could actually GET to their @#$%$ food!!!</p>
<p>Doubtless, the Southerners in that situation felt the Philadelphians were rude.</p>
<p>Tarhunt, obviously you know nothing about Louisiana.</p>
<p>klf1120:</p>
<p>I suspect I know more about LA than you know about North Florida. Tell me. Exactly how much time have you spent in Perry, Ft. White, Lake City, or Live Oak? I've spent a great deal of time there. I know a lot of people in those places. Do we have mutual acquaintances there?</p>
<p>As for LA, I've spent substantial time in Lafayette, St. Charles, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Metarie. Those places are not nearly so much like Jackson, Mississippi as, say, Jacksonville, FL is.</p>
<p>I've not visited "old Florida," as some guidebooks describe it. But I have friends and acquaintances who are natives of Tallahasee and Panama City. Believe me, they proudly declare their southern culture. And rarely do they mention Orlando or Miami.</p>
<p>As for Louisiana, I probably agree with folks [anthropologists, LOL] who say that New Orleans is (was) the most caribbean-like city in the U.S., but when I first visited Nola 20 some years ago, ithe city reminded me much of my mother's hometown in rural Georgia.</p>
<p>lol South Florida feels northern and North Florida feels southern...</p>