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Kansas is definitely North of the "sweet tea" line. That State has a serious Yankee infestation problem, a problem it has had since 1854.
Virginia, at least the portion south of the Rappahanock, is sweet tea country.
The yardstick in our family is, if you go to a Hardees, and they serve sweet tea, but you have to ask to get unsweetened tea, you're in the South. Missouri is in the North by that standard, Arkansas the south. Kentucky is split. West Virginia is Northern. Virginia, south of the Rappahannock, is Southern. North of the Rappahannock, Virginia has an infestation problem.
Virginia, at least the portion south of the Rappahanock, is sweet tea country.
The yardstick in our family is, if you go to a Hardees, and they serve sweet tea, but you have to ask to get unsweetened tea, you're in the South. Missouri is in the North by that standard, Arkansas the south. Kentucky is split. West Virginia is Northern. Virginia, south of the Rappahannock, is Southern. North of the Rappahannock, Virginia has an infestation problem.
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That is also a good indicator: general politeness and friendliness. When I left the Capstone, my first stop was Washington DC, where I learned two things. First, I got a taste of what it feels like to be a minority (just a taste, but it made an impression on me at the time). Second, I learned that folks up North are not as friendly as they are in the South. When I said hello to folks on the street (that is just the way I was raised), they normally had no response at all. Those that did respond would normally scowl.TommyMac said:
I can assure you that Maryland is north of the sweet tea line. They also have no idea what pepper sauce is.
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It's On A Slab
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One of my first trips up "North", I went to Philly with some friends.Tidewater said:
I learned quickly if you asked a stranger directions or for some simple information, their first reaction was to give you some smartass defensive answer. Then, if they figured out you were ok or weren't trying to hustle them, they'd be a little more friendly.
We went to a Phillies game. Not once did a local say "excuse me" when they got up to go to the concession stand.
Those are some of the rudest people I've ever encountered. I guess you have to expect as much. Eagles fans booed Santa Claus a few years ago.
That map indicates Tampa as an unsweet city, but my experience confirms mixed at worst. Bad Yankee problem down there though.
Individually, people in the Northeast are just as friendly and polite as are people in the south. However, in public they act differently. Most are not even conscious of the change in themselves, and if they see someone that they know in public their behavior changes - toward that person. In public, one always has their guard up in large metropolitan areas without realizing it.
Next time you fare up north, find a spot to sit and observe the moving crowds. You will be amazed at some of the things that you will see, both good and bad. Then get to know someone and you will soon learn that they are just like you and me - for the most part. They love as fiercely and care as deeply.
Don't get caught in that trap of judging northerners in the same ways that you accuse them of judging southerners...
Next time you fare up north, find a spot to sit and observe the moving crowds. You will be amazed at some of the things that you will see, both good and bad. Then get to know someone and you will soon learn that they are just like you and me - for the most part. They love as fiercely and care as deeply.
Don't get caught in that trap of judging northerners in the same ways that you accuse them of judging southerners...
NYBF, you may be right about the big city vs. small town thing.NYBamaFan said:
And please don't take offense. I don't judge all northerners by the behaviour of a few. But the people I ran into in the District of Columbia were not as friendly as the folks I ran into in the South. I am not suggesting a trend line by which one may judge all Northerners. That sort of induction is invalid. I haven't met all Northerners, so I can't judge them all. Just the ones I have run across.
On a related note, I have met Neapolitans who, on the street, are friendly and open, warm-hearted and kind. Put them behind the wheel of a car, and they will run you off the road. Not all Neapolitans, I suppose, but several of the ones I met. The change was stark.
My point was that the very same people that you think are not as friendly may in fact be even more friendly in private. People act differently in public to protect themselves - not because they want to, but because it becomes instinctive - even for a transplanted southern boy like me. That is why they seem so rude or disconnected. Not because they want to be, but because that wall of indifference is their shield.
In NYC, that guy asking for directions might be someone trying to distract you while their partner in crime picks your pocket. Experienced city dwellers never talk to strangers. It might seem distant and rude to those from rural America, but it might also save that person's life one day. The same behavior can be seen in large cities everywhere in the world - even in the deep south.
Now we can discuss whether you would develop the same shield over time if you wish. I never thought that I would, but sometime over the past 20 years, I have...
In NYC, that guy asking for directions might be someone trying to distract you while their partner in crime picks your pocket. Experienced city dwellers never talk to strangers. It might seem distant and rude to those from rural America, but it might also save that person's life one day. The same behavior can be seen in large cities everywhere in the world - even in the deep south.
Now we can discuss whether you would develop the same shield over time if you wish. I never thought that I would, but sometime over the past 20 years, I have...
Seems to me, it's a matter of elbow room.
One of my first jobs was working on a neighbor's farm. One day, we had to shovel out the sheep stalls, and to do it, we first herded one full stall of sheep into another stall that was already mostly full of other sheep. It got a bit crowded in there. We cleaned out the first stall pretty quickly, and when we turned to the one packed full of sheep, they were agitated and biting one another, blood on some of the wool, even. We unloaded half the sheep back into the clean stall, and they calmed down again.
But these were SHEEP. Gentlest animal there is, symbol of peace and Christly love. The farmer pointed at them, and said, "Any animal at all, you crowd too many of them up in a small space, they'll turn on one another."
And then he said, "Human beings, they're the only animals there are who will put THEMSELVES into that condition."
One of my first jobs was working on a neighbor's farm. One day, we had to shovel out the sheep stalls, and to do it, we first herded one full stall of sheep into another stall that was already mostly full of other sheep. It got a bit crowded in there. We cleaned out the first stall pretty quickly, and when we turned to the one packed full of sheep, they were agitated and biting one another, blood on some of the wool, even. We unloaded half the sheep back into the clean stall, and they calmed down again.
But these were SHEEP. Gentlest animal there is, symbol of peace and Christly love. The farmer pointed at them, and said, "Any animal at all, you crowd too many of them up in a small space, they'll turn on one another."
And then he said, "Human beings, they're the only animals there are who will put THEMSELVES into that condition."
NYBF & CrimsonKing, sounds like a pretty good reason not to live in a big city: Malthusian economics.
I agree with Thomas Jefferson, rural living in better for one, for any nmber of reasons.
I actually feel sorry for folks who have to live in big cities.
I agree with Thomas Jefferson, rural living in better for one, for any nmber of reasons.
I actually feel sorry for folks who have to live in big cities.
I agree and, in July of 2004, moved my family to rural New Jersey from Long Island. Now, only I have to deal with the city. My family lives in small town America...Tidewater said:
Just yesterday I dined at a restaurant in Walhalla, SC, and they served unsweet tea. However, I believe this to be an aberration, as the place is run by Arabs. But they do serve southern style cooking.
It's not just a sweet v unsweet thing
There's also the iced v hot axis to consider.
When my wife (then-fiance) and I went to Penn State to look for an apartment, we were in a restaurant and ordered tea. Now, down here, you order "tea" and you get a large glass of iced tea, sweet unless you specifically request unsweetened.
They brought us a cup of hot water and a teabag.
And don't even get me started on how they make cornbread . . .
There's also the iced v hot axis to consider.
When my wife (then-fiance) and I went to Penn State to look for an apartment, we were in a restaurant and ordered tea. Now, down here, you order "tea" and you get a large glass of iced tea, sweet unless you specifically request unsweetened.
They brought us a cup of hot water and a teabag.
And don't even get me started on how they make cornbread . . .
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I drink hot tea just about every morning but I consider myself in the rum belt.jthomas666 said:There's also the iced v hot axis to consider.
When my wife (then-fiance) went to Penn State to look for an apartment, we were in a restarant and ordered tea. Now, down here, you order tea and you get a large glass of iced tea, sweet unless you specifically request unsweetened.
They brought us a cup of hot water and a teabag.
And don't even get me started on how they make cornbread . . .
