2018 TICA Annual

Immersing Yourself In Southern Culture

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"You ain't from around here ..."

More accurately pronounced as ‘you ain’t from ‘round heauh,’ this little page is to help folks not from the Southeastern US better navigate and communicate.  A few things you should know (and check back as we may well add new suggestions)

So let’s get the key words out of the way here – “Ain’t” and “Y’all.”  “Ain’t” is a contraction of is/are and not and means the same.  “Y’all” is a contraction of you and all and of course is used to refer to a group of people, i.e. “Where y’all going?”  Both are now found in the Webster dictionary.

If you order tea – it will be sweet and iced unless you specify otherwise.  It will also most likely come with a wedge of lemon.  Some places will ask sweet or unsweet or lemon or not – but they will ALWAYS assume you mean iced.

If you are ordering hot tea and want milk or cream, be sure to say that too.  Otherwise, you will get none and a wedge of lemon.

Turn signals – we aren’t going to say don’t use them, but don’t be surprised if the locals don’t.

Speed limits – not going to say don’t obey them – but beware everyone thinks they are a NASCAR driver, especially on I-459.  Absolutely do not drive on that interstate in the left lane below 70 MPH, maybe even not under 75 MPH.  People will pass on the right and give you some colorful hand gestures.

‘I’d like a Coke please.’ –  We do not order soda and we sure enough (or sho nuff) don’t order pop.  Carbonated beverages are generally ordered by name – and ordered as Coke brand products, i.e. Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, etc.  If an establishment doesn’t carry Coke products the server will simply say ‘We have Pepsi products.’  Then you just ask for the Pepsi equivalent.

Food – yup, we like it fried.  Or boiled in fatback for a good while.  BUT you can still get salads and steamed vegetables in many places.

“Meat and 3” – refers to a common way of dining in the South.  Many restaurants offer lunch/dinner plates where the diner selects an entrée and then a number of sides (vegetables/starches).  Typically, the most sides you see someone get is 3.  These places typically offer Meat and 2 and Meat and 1 options as well vegetable plates of just 3 or 4 ‘sides.’  “Meat and 3” establishments may seat you first and you order from a menu or you walk down a cafeteria line and make your selections and then are seated.

BBQ, Barbecue, Bar-B-Q – No matter how you want to spell understand this – it is a NOUN not a VERB.  Barbecue is meat that is slow cooked over coals and smoke.  In this part of the world, the most common meats are pork ribs and pulled pork meat (off of pork butts).  You will find chicken most places, but ribs and pulled pork are where it’s at.  Cooking hamburgers and hot dogs is a cookout.  Cooking steaks, pork chops or chicken is grilling.  See Dining for some awesome local options.

Adult Beverages – we do still have a few dry counties (places where alcohol isn’t available for purchase at all).  Luckily the Annual is in Jefferson County where such things can generally be purchased 6-7 days a week.  Hard liquor does have to be purchased from certain places and preferably before Saturday evening.  Wine & beer are available at most places up until 2AM Sunday and then after Noon on Sunday.  There is a grocery store close to the hotel.

"Bless Your Heart!" – A quick explanation of this very Southern phrase is better explained in this newspaper article - It could mean "I'm so sorry you lost your grandma."  It could also mean, "How do you make it out the door in the morning or remember to breathe you moron?!"  It's all in the context and delivery.

A tale of Southern service and culture - Some stories just touch your heart.