As a New Yorker born and raised, when I used to visit the South on road trips and vacations there was a lot about the South that I didn't understand. It’s a different culture altogether, and for the longest time I preferred the fast-paced life in New York state. I deeply disliked country music, having fried food in every meal got old, and had to strain to understand thick Southern drawls. But my family and I have taken vacations in South Carolina nearly every summer since I was a toddler. Then I decided to attend a college in South Carolina. The culture shock was surprising in the best way, and here are my favorite things that make up the Southern way of life.
4. There’s no snow.
To any Northerner, that's all you could ask for. Southern winters are known for 50-degree weather and the occasional frost at night. Compared to blizzards in the North, it is such a welcomed change. The South doesn't really have seasons, so the part of me that loves apple picking and leaves changing in the fall and a white Christmas won't experience that in the South. But for months you get to enjoy the hundreds of beaches and islands where the Atlantic Ocean seems to go on forever.
3. The food is really different.
Southern cuisine is loved so much because it is comfort food to a tee. I personally would eat side dishes like mac and cheese and cornbread for every one of my meals. And the fast food restaurants have to be on your bucket list if you're a foodie. Chick-fil-a is super addicting, but make sure you don't get a craving on a Sunday.
2. Their accents and sayings are strange but funny.
Being from New York, my family and I hear from locals in the South very often, “Ya’ll talk funny.” It’s true: I would be more likely to refer to a group of people as “you guys” rather than “ya’ll”. I probably wont ever loose my New York accent. But I try to add a couple Southern sayings to my vocabulary that I hear. So far, I know that it is not a compliment when you hear “Bless your heart.”
1. Southern people are more friendly.
It’s a fact: maybe it’s the humidity or something, but Southern people are probably the friendliest in the United States. Any old stranger will say hello to you and actually mean it when they start conversations with you. And everyone holds the doors for each other, no one is in a rush or just doing it to seem nice like in the North. Southerners are just raised to be respectful and I believe that’s a tip the rest of the country could learn to adopt.