I’ve lived in Arkansas my entire life. I’ve traveled as far east as New York and as far west as Arizona. Out of everywhere that I’ve traveled and everything that I’ve seen, there is no place in the United States I love more than the south. Yes, we are 50 states united under God, but there’s just something different when you cross that Mason-Dixon Line into the south. There’s a different air, smell and feel. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve experienced my fair share of country towns and places in states such as Wyoming, but it’s still not the same.
If you’ve never experienced the south, I’m about to give you a little insight on why I love it as much as I do.
1. Southern "twaaang"
Not everyone has an accent, but those of us who do, man do we! Our accents become more prevalent the angrier we are. We also have a habit of drawing out our vowels, hence the southern draw. It’s almost a guarantee that if you have an accent and travel anywhere up north you will be asked, “Where are you from” at least five times. Come for a visit and you’ll soon be tossing around y’all, ain’t and bless your heart like you’ve lived here your whole life. You'll also grow accustomed to leaving the "g" off of the end of your words.
2. We love football
If you’re not an SEC fan, you don’t know football. We are die-hard fans. You can’t compete with our tailgates. Even if you don’t attend the major university in your state, like I don’t attend the University of Arkansas, you still root for that team just like I bleed Razorback red! It’s also a requirement that if you don’t live in Alabama, you hate the Crimson Tide. The only exception is if they’re headed to the National Championship, which they usually always are.
3. Sweet tea
I’ve never been able to buy sweet tea in the north. They offer iced, unsweetened tea or hot tea. Hot tea? What even is that?! I want ice-cold sweet tea that is so sweet it has the capability of giving me diabetes.
4. Country music
No I don't mean Luke Bryan or Thomas Rhett. They’re fun to sing along to and maybe dance to. But we love real country. I mean Waylon, George Jones, Merle, Willie, Hank and Johnny Cash. “Country Girl Shake It For Me” just can’t compete with “Mama Tried,” “Luckenbach, Texas” or even “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
5. Backroads
I mean dirtroads that go on for miles. Where I’m from, that’s what we did and still do on Friday and Saturday nights. Driving around with the windows down and some country music playing can cure almost anything. We can drive around for hours without touching pavement once. Now I don’t condone a DWI, but we’ve all been known to have a few “road pops” tag along with us, too.
6. Crawfish Boils
We love us some crawfish down here! Even at my university, we have two huge crawfish boils every year. A huge crawfish boil with all you can eat crawfish and lots of people just cannot be beat!
7. Fried Food
We fry everything down here: from deer meat to quail to pork chops. If we can cook it, we’ve probably fried it! Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for eating healthy. But in all honesty, I’d much rather take anything fried over something baked or grilled.
8. Southern hospitality
There’s no doubt that as a group we are just more polite. Wherever you go, you’re sure to be greeted with a “Hey, how y’all doin’” or “Y’all come on in!” Saying ma’am and sir is programmed into our minds. Even if our waitress is younger, we still address her as ma’am out of respect and politeness. We’re also brought up to open and hold doors for one another regardless of gender.
9. Jacked up trucks
People in the south are in love with nice jacked up trucks. It isn’t just the boys! Everywhere you look someone is driving a truck with a six-inch lift on 35’s.
10. Hunting and fishing
We love to hunt down here. Most people lose his/her spouse during hunting season because they live in the woods for those couple of months for the most part! A lot of students also skip school and class to go huntin'. We also love fishing. When a fishing tournament is going on, nearly everyone and their momma is weighing in!
11. Coke
No, it's not pop. It's not soda. It ain't even Coca-Cola. Every type of carbonated drink is referred to as Coke. When you're at a restaurant you'll usually always be asked what kind of coke would you like, not what type of pop would you like.
12. ‘Merica
We bleed red, white and blue a little extra down here. Granted not everyone is a Republican in the south, but you can be sure to see many people wearing Reagan and Bush ’84 tanks and t-shirts. You can bet most of us have at least one American flag in our house. We fly the American flag in the backs of our trucks and always remove hats during the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem. We're One Nation Under God... 'Merica!
But don't just take my word for it. Come find out for yourself! You'll fall in love with the south just like I have been my whole life.
