Despite the last 7-8 months, I consider myself a bit of an outsider here, and I've dedicated much of this blog to noting the differences between The South and the rest of the US. I consider it my duty to share what I learn; up to this point, I've spent a lot of time describing my interactions with the locals, people who want to know when the CliffsNotes for
Harry Potter are coming out, assume I don't know that Capote's
In Cold Blood was in fact published in 1966 and not just recently because of the film, and who call the bookstore to ask what the difference is between a dictionary and an encyclopedia (I still have to tell you about that one).
But those interactions are not so different from people anywhere else in the US. However, instead of me talking about the people themselves, I'd like to discuss what people from The South eat.
The last few weeks I've clipped grocery store ads for items somewhat unique to The South, or at least unique to my experience as an Oregonian, a Massachusetts-ian (?) and a Nebraskan. This will be an occasional blog topic, running until I run out of clippings.
Let's start with Sweet Tea. I never heard of such a thing until moving here. I like tea, especially rooibos, green and Earl Grey. It is light and easy to make and a nice alternative to coffee. Sweet tea, as you can see, is purchased at the grocery store in big gallon jugs. It is cheap. It is also offered at all restaurants and coffee shops. But what is it? I know about iced tea, where you brew and then pour the tea over ice; that is pretty straightforward and usually leaves one with watery Lipton. (I don't like iced tea.) I've even heard of sun tea. But sweet tea?
Last week, when I was covering the cafe at work, a woman asked me if our sweet tea was presweetened. Umm...one would think so, yes? Hence the name SWEET TEA. Not having an answer, I had to ask another employee. (Yes, it is presweetened.) (Actually, I don't remember. Maybe not.) Then I ask the woman if she wants it iced and I she looks at me like I'm an idiot (YES!) So I pour brown liquid that's been stewing all day over a cup of ice. Thanks, and have a nice day.
For clueless Northerners like me,
wikipedia is ready with an answer:
Sweet tea is a form of iced tea in which sugar or some other form of sweetener is added to the hot water before brewing, while brewing the tea, or post-brewing, but before the beverage is chilled and served. And is not always presweetened; you can have unsweet tea...which is regular tea?
Really, I'm lost on the whole thing. It looks like just another way to get more sugar (and therefore, calories) into your system. Next!
Alabama is well within the Bible Belt, a fact easily noted by the prevalence of church busses, God Bless Yous, comments on my name "Sarah is a powerful and holy name; you are lucky!" (we have name tags at work), religious literature thrust into my hands (again, at work), and, most recently, burning churches. (!) And yet, despite all this holiness, you can go to your local supermarket and purchase a tub of Heluva Good Dip! Isn't that awesome? It's like it isn't
really bad because it isn't HELL OF A Good Dip, but "Heluva." Also, it prompts positive commentary such as, "This
is a hell of a good dip! And this is a hell of a good NASCAR race!" and then everone chuckles at the appropriateness of the observation. Unfortunately, this product does not do too well with fundamentalists, who avoid it out of fear and damnation.
Finally, there are the crawfish ads. I am familiar with crawfish, aka crayfish or crawdads. My family attended a couple crawdad feeds when I was little -- for the Swiss side, I think. Someone would toss a mess of the freshwater crustaceans in a big pot, like tiny lobsters, and cook them up. Good stuff! I assumed they were caught by other family members, more inclined towards fishing and things. Here, you can get a whole bag of the tails for only $4.99 with no risk of getting pinched. Rock on.
More later -- thanks for the back comments; I'm doing a little better.
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