Things That Only Exist in the South

koozie/croakie

Meeting people born and raised in England has been one of the best experiences of being in London. Not only do you get to learn about growing up English, the English culture, etc., but you also get to explain how things are at home.

I always knew the way of living in the south was different than anywhere else, but I guess I didn't think it was that different. The food, the little things, weren't that different.

Turns out I was wrong. So here are some things that apparently only exist in the south(east) portion of the US of A (and maybe a couple other places too, but whatever).

1. Pigs in a Blanket: I honestly don't get how people live without these. They are tailgating and wedding STAPLES in the south. If these aren't at your tailgate and/or wedding, you're doing it wrong.


2. Koozies: even my roommate, born in LA and goes to school in Boston, didn't know what koozies are. Does anyone else? They are a way of life in the south! I may or may not have had my mom ship me some of my koozies from home!


3. Big College Sports: obviously, these exist all over the United States, but when I've explained how big and important college football is (especially in the best football conference of all, the SEC, thank you very much), it's like I'm talking gibberish. I actually had a friend say he thought that it was only like that in the movies...uhm, no it isn't my friend, no it's not


4. Croakies: yet another completely southern thing. Not only are they efficient at keeping sunglasses on your person at all times, whether in the water or not, but they also come in cute colors and styles! It's like a bracelet around your neck...a necklace...for sunglasses.


5. Grits: when I talked about grits, one of my friends actually said "yeah we have that, that's what we put on the ground when it snows or rains" I can't even.


6. Seersucker: maybe it just doesn't get warm enough in England to ever need seersucker? Granted, it's a very summer-y style, so I would give someone a weird look if they wore seersucker at any temperature under 75 degrees. For those who have their degrees in Celsius, that's like 24 degrees, and in the south, that's springtime. Summertime, it easily gets to the mid-30s.


7. Tailgate Parties: someone, who will not be named, asked me WHAT TAILGATING IS. Like...really? I thought that was a thing with any sport. Granted, in the south tailgating is taken a lot more seriously than other places, I know, but still. At home, whether a noon game or a night game, you get together your chicken, pigs in a blanket, coleslaw, cookies, deviled eggs, etc. The people I tailgate with usually also got a giant order of Moe's tortilla chips and queso...which sets the bar pretty high in my opinion


8. Monograms: I know I've posted about this before, so I won't go on, but literally. No. Monograms. Sad face.

Anyway, these were just a few things I've noticed - has anyone else noticed something while abroad that was missing that you never thought was specific to where you lived? I knew grits weren't big outside of the south, but generally I just assumed that everything else I was used to were also relevant other places!

PS - I do realize that every place you visit, especially somewhere as old as England, will have different backgrounds, cultures, and norms. I'm not insinuating that everywhere is like the south. Promise I'm not that close minded! :)