Southern Things

South of the Gnat Line had an entry that originated at the the Whistlestop Cafe Cooking spot where she added some of her favorite things/quirks about being Southern. I'm going to add a few of my own:

• Here in the South during the summer, we determine whether you got a good parking space by how shady it is, not by how close it is to the location you are going.
• Properly raised children in the South may refer to an adult by their first name if they prefix it with Miss or Mr. For example, "Miss Terri, may I have a Coke?" or "Mr. Reggie, can I pet your dog?"
• We consider the state bird to be the mosquito.
• We believe a business conversation should be eased into. We don't jump into the main topic until we've discussed the weather and/or fishing and/or hunting and/or how your mama is doing.
• We have an unabashed love for the veggie (vegetable) plate. I didn't know this was a regional thing until I tried to order a plate full of veggies in Chicago and they made fun of me. The items on a veggie plate are really any kind of sides, including starchy ones. An example of a veggie plate would be mashed potatoes, fried okra, mac & cheese and green beans with a roll, biscuit or cornbread. Yummy!
• You may be asked, "Who are your people?" We are trying to figure out much of an outsider you are.
• We say 'thank you' . . . a lot! We will do something for you and then thank you after we are done.
• Southern males have a uniform: polo shirts and khakis. A variant of this is the button down shirt and khakis. They can wear this uniform anywhere: work, church, weddings, football games, etc.

I bet Reggie could add a few more of his own!