Hello, all, and thank you so much for reading and sharing! Interesting factoid, I read where only 1 in 3 Floridians were actually born in Florida.... Hmmmm... That totally makes sense to me!
Sooo... another good week in the south, hahaha... This past week, I learned a lot... One thing in particular that had my head spinning was the realization of how little I know about chicken wings. Both in ordering them and in eating them... How did this "learnin" happen, you might wonder... Well, it all started with a simple play date...
My daughter had some friends over, and their dad, being super kind, treated us all to pizza and wings. Since it was my house, I made the call to the local pizza place - now again, this is Florida, so my expectations on the pizza have been dramatically lowered. I ordered 2 small pies, and honey barbecue wings. They asked me what kind, and the dad replied "Flats". I looked at him like he had 3 heads. I thought, did he just say "flats?" Did he hear my question? Yup, I heard him right.... He ordered 20 wings, flats... I was befuddled.... So then he explained how there are drumsticks, and there are these 2-boned flat things... called, appropriately enough, flats. Lesson one of the night... I had been warned that I was going to get "learned", lol, it was very funny...
Then the food arrived. The kids scattered with their paper plates full of pineapple and pepperoni pizza, and the second part of my lesson began.... And this is where I learned that I have been doing it wrong my whole life. First of all, I learned that you really do need to use both hands.... I have been a one handed girl, but that was mostly because I was ordering the wrong kind, the drumstick kind. What has a handle, really, and fits one hand... OK, lesson learned. Next, there is a detailed process, having to do with pulling the extra fat off of one end, and somehow separating the meat from between the 2 bones... I gotta tell you, I kinda forgot it all. I am sure I have more work to do in order to really master this. But I can say that I surely do understand that there is an ordering and eating process for wings that I had never ever heard of... and now, now I know that, and will work on following this method to the best of my ability.
I also think that in part of the lesson was that I should never order the drumstick kind, but I will have to pretend that I wasn't really "learned" on that part, lol...I can't help it, I like them...
BTW, I can't help but wonder - geography aside, is Florida even really considered "The South"? I mean, when you consider "The Old South", civil war history and plantations and all that, do you ever, ever picture Florida? I never have... I picture South Carolina, I picture Atlanta, Georgia... But Florida? Not really the south... and based on the people I have met, it is a northern state hiding in the south. Culturally, it really has a unique feel, very different from the north, but very different from the deep south... Either way,it's home now... And I love it... :-)
Thank you for reading and sharing, I really appreciate it!
More to come.... xo
Monday, August 31, 2015
Monday, August 17, 2015
Hello! And thank you for reading!
As I write this, I am happily back home in Florida... I was away for two weeks, back up north in New Jersey. Having been born in the great state of New Jersey, I naturally felt very happy to be home. Home.... Home in NJ where most of my friends and family are....But now, I am home, home in Florida, home where I now live.
Now that I have had some time to reflect, I feel like I can now list a few reasons why I truly do identify as a northerner as opposed to a southerner.... And believe I always will...
In the North,
1) Pizza, Bagels and Chinese Food are real..... OK, and Subs..... In the south, they are pretending....
2) Accents make sense... In NJ, "see it" is 2 words meaning the obvious... In the south, it is one word, meaning "sit".... Sit..... I swear....
3) There are no confederate flags in view - In FL, there are tons of these ugly flags, and I am sorry if I am insulting you... and this is not political at all, this is pure aesthetics... They are an ugly form of "decor", and if I see one on your car, yes, my northern sensibilities will kick in and I will automatically assume you are a hick....
4) The beaches rule... Down the Shore in New Jersey is better than any other beach, even the gorgeous gulf coast beaches of Florida... I can't say why it is better, it just is... There is a unique vibe that only exists in this one glorious spot...
5) There are book stores everywhere... Here, I have to drive 30 minutes to find one... In NJ, there is one within a 5 mile radius... And not just the box chains, but there are also small local shops with tons of exciting new and used books to pour through.... Here in FL, not so much... In fact, our local B&N just closed down for what I hear is a teen clothing store... I mean really??
6) It is accepted that when you order food and it doesn't come out the way you asked, you can return it... In the south, they look at me like I have 3 heads....
7) People understand that I am not shouting... Everyone talks like this!
8) People are friendly and talkative... Southern hospitality is a myth... Not that southerners are rude, but the whole southern charm, "y'all come back and see us" thing? I have not seen it in play....
9) People have a standard pace for walking, driving and speaking... In the south, no, not so much.... It is painstaking to walk down the street, and do not get me started on driving! OMG!!
10) Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, there are DINERS!! Regular diners where you can order a cheeseburger at 3am and know it will be great!! Or breakfast at 3am, if you so choose...
And that's that... This is why I will be a Northerner living in the South... And will never be a Southerner....
This is not to say that the South doesn't have a lot of wonderful things to offer... It does. And the people I have met have for the most part, been kind and smart.... So this is not to diss everyone and everything southern.... It just means, no matter where I go, a little part of my heart will always miss New Jersey....
Thank you for reading and for sharing!!
As I write this, I am happily back home in Florida... I was away for two weeks, back up north in New Jersey. Having been born in the great state of New Jersey, I naturally felt very happy to be home. Home.... Home in NJ where most of my friends and family are....But now, I am home, home in Florida, home where I now live.
Now that I have had some time to reflect, I feel like I can now list a few reasons why I truly do identify as a northerner as opposed to a southerner.... And believe I always will...
In the North,
1) Pizza, Bagels and Chinese Food are real..... OK, and Subs..... In the south, they are pretending....
2) Accents make sense... In NJ, "see it" is 2 words meaning the obvious... In the south, it is one word, meaning "sit".... Sit..... I swear....
3) There are no confederate flags in view - In FL, there are tons of these ugly flags, and I am sorry if I am insulting you... and this is not political at all, this is pure aesthetics... They are an ugly form of "decor", and if I see one on your car, yes, my northern sensibilities will kick in and I will automatically assume you are a hick....
4) The beaches rule... Down the Shore in New Jersey is better than any other beach, even the gorgeous gulf coast beaches of Florida... I can't say why it is better, it just is... There is a unique vibe that only exists in this one glorious spot...
5) There are book stores everywhere... Here, I have to drive 30 minutes to find one... In NJ, there is one within a 5 mile radius... And not just the box chains, but there are also small local shops with tons of exciting new and used books to pour through.... Here in FL, not so much... In fact, our local B&N just closed down for what I hear is a teen clothing store... I mean really??
6) It is accepted that when you order food and it doesn't come out the way you asked, you can return it... In the south, they look at me like I have 3 heads....
7) People understand that I am not shouting... Everyone talks like this!
8) People are friendly and talkative... Southern hospitality is a myth... Not that southerners are rude, but the whole southern charm, "y'all come back and see us" thing? I have not seen it in play....
9) People have a standard pace for walking, driving and speaking... In the south, no, not so much.... It is painstaking to walk down the street, and do not get me started on driving! OMG!!
10) Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, there are DINERS!! Regular diners where you can order a cheeseburger at 3am and know it will be great!! Or breakfast at 3am, if you so choose...
And that's that... This is why I will be a Northerner living in the South... And will never be a Southerner....
This is not to say that the South doesn't have a lot of wonderful things to offer... It does. And the people I have met have for the most part, been kind and smart.... So this is not to diss everyone and everything southern.... It just means, no matter where I go, a little part of my heart will always miss New Jersey....
Thank you for reading and for sharing!!
Saturday, August 1, 2015
A hootin' and a hollerin'!
Hello, all! Thank you for reading!
So today was a very "southern" day indeed! And for me, authentic southern means "Cracker Barrel"! Hahahaha... Yes, I know, I am indeed a northerner...
But I enjoy the southern feel of Cracker Barrel, and I even like the southern food... I have gotten accustomed to whole "biscuits and gravy" thing, I actually kinda like it. In small doses. And if I add enough butter and maple syrup to them, I like grits too - they taste like Cream of Wheat, which I love! But again, if you add enough butter and maple syrup, you can make my flip-flops taste good..... Man, maple syrup and butter - now I am hungry again!
If you haven't been to a Cracker Barrel, you should know that in addition to their southern cooking (I prefer their breakfast to their other meals) they have a shop. Excellent business strategy, feed people and let them shop in one place... Well done! And so after you eat, you pay the bill and walk out through the shop - just like when you get off of a ride at Disney or Universal. And today, we saw that they have their fall and Halloween stuff out, and as part of that, they have their football collection. As part of their football collection, you see a lot of "Gators", lots of "Seminoles". Not that I am fans of those teams, but those logos are ubiquitous in Florida.
The sales guy was hovering around today, talking about the fall stuff, prancing around in a Halloween mask, just having fun. And he started talking about football, and said that his team is Alabama. Not really knowing anything about college football except that sounds like a team I have heard of, and I think they are Big 10 or whatever, and I smiled politely and said, "Oh, right, Alabama". Then as I left, he told my husband that "Come a few weeks, my whole family will be sittin' around the TV, a-hootin' and a-hollerin!"
And there ya have it. Pure, authentic southern charm, about to be mocked by a cynical northerner... To be fair, he was nice and just being happy and excited. But I couldn't help but wonder what other colorful euphemisms could be used to mean the same thing as "a-hootin' and a-hollerin'"... What do you think? What might a northerner have said? It couldn't have just been "celebrating", that is no where near as fun. Living it up? Partying? Letting our hair down? No, no... none of those work. Carousing? No, too scary....
What do you think? Is there another phrase that a northerner would have used that would be both as charming and blog-worthy as the turn a phrase I heard today?
Ah, the south.... This is going to be fun! Bye for now! Thank you so much for reading and sharing! <3
So today was a very "southern" day indeed! And for me, authentic southern means "Cracker Barrel"! Hahahaha... Yes, I know, I am indeed a northerner...
But I enjoy the southern feel of Cracker Barrel, and I even like the southern food... I have gotten accustomed to whole "biscuits and gravy" thing, I actually kinda like it. In small doses. And if I add enough butter and maple syrup to them, I like grits too - they taste like Cream of Wheat, which I love! But again, if you add enough butter and maple syrup, you can make my flip-flops taste good..... Man, maple syrup and butter - now I am hungry again!
If you haven't been to a Cracker Barrel, you should know that in addition to their southern cooking (I prefer their breakfast to their other meals) they have a shop. Excellent business strategy, feed people and let them shop in one place... Well done! And so after you eat, you pay the bill and walk out through the shop - just like when you get off of a ride at Disney or Universal. And today, we saw that they have their fall and Halloween stuff out, and as part of that, they have their football collection. As part of their football collection, you see a lot of "Gators", lots of "Seminoles". Not that I am fans of those teams, but those logos are ubiquitous in Florida.
The sales guy was hovering around today, talking about the fall stuff, prancing around in a Halloween mask, just having fun. And he started talking about football, and said that his team is Alabama. Not really knowing anything about college football except that sounds like a team I have heard of, and I think they are Big 10 or whatever, and I smiled politely and said, "Oh, right, Alabama". Then as I left, he told my husband that "Come a few weeks, my whole family will be sittin' around the TV, a-hootin' and a-hollerin!"
And there ya have it. Pure, authentic southern charm, about to be mocked by a cynical northerner... To be fair, he was nice and just being happy and excited. But I couldn't help but wonder what other colorful euphemisms could be used to mean the same thing as "a-hootin' and a-hollerin'"... What do you think? What might a northerner have said? It couldn't have just been "celebrating", that is no where near as fun. Living it up? Partying? Letting our hair down? No, no... none of those work. Carousing? No, too scary....
What do you think? Is there another phrase that a northerner would have used that would be both as charming and blog-worthy as the turn a phrase I heard today?
Ah, the south.... This is going to be fun! Bye for now! Thank you so much for reading and sharing! <3
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