::REpost::26June08::

The difference between the North and the South at last clearly explained:

• The North has Bloomingdale's; the South has Dollar General
• The North has coffee houses; the South has Waffle Houses
• The North has dating services; the South has family reunions
• The North has double last names; the South has double first names
• The North has Indy car races; the South has stock car races
• The North has Cream of Wheat; the South has grits
• The North has green salads; the South has collard greens
• The North has lobsters; the South has crawfish
• The North has the rust belt; the South has the Bible belt

FOR NORTHERNERS MOVING SOUTH....

• In the South:  If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic.  Four men in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly.  Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way.  This is what they live for.
• Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store...do not buy food at this store.
• Remember, 'Ya'll' is singular, 'all ya'll' is plural, and 'all ya'll's' is plural possessive.
• Get used to hearing, 'You ain't from round here, are ya?'
• Save all manner of bacon grease.  You will be needin' it later on to cook with.
• Don't be worried about understanding what people are saying.  They can't understand you either.  The first Southern statement to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective 'big 'ol,' as in 'big'ol truck' or 'big 'ol boy.'  Most Northerners begin their Southern-influenced dialect this way.  All of them are in denial about it.
• The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.
• If you hear a Southerner exclaim, 'Hey, ya'll watch this,' you should stay out of the way.  These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.
• If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store.  It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not.  You just have to go there.
• Do not be surprised to find that 10-year-olds own their own shotguns.  They are proficient marksmen, and their mammas taught them how to aim.

AND REMEMBER:  If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't think we will accept them as Southerners.  After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we wouldn't call 'em biscuits.

Post-edit:  I hope you enjoy the series of re-posts from my old {now formerly closed} blog while I am on vacation.  I ran this post by my Southern mama and she laughed at just about everything so it must be true!