February 16, 2007
Southern- Fried Carnival #4
Southern hospitality is a phrase used in American English to describe the idea that residents of the Southeastern United States are particularly warm and welcoming to visitors to their homes, or to the South in general. A large component of the idea of Southern hospitality is the provision of Southern cuisine to visitors, hence there are a number of cookbooks that promise recipes advancing this purpose. *Wikipedia
Having only been here 10 years now, I don't think I've grown into that hospitable mode yet.
I'm not sure I ever will.
People annoy me basically.
But I've had the pleasure of meeting many very, true southerners who fit the whole idea of Southern hospitality.
There's this one woman I know in her mid 50's I'd guess, who is just the sweetest thing ever.
She has that long southern drawl, is ever so charming, and is just the nicest woman I think I've met since being here.
I met her about 4 years ago when I was walking to catch a bus to get to a doctors appointment very early in the morning.
She only lives a block away from me, and I guess she had seen me walking a few times.
She pulled to the side of the road and asked me if I needed a ride. I told her I was walking to the bus stop so I could get to my doctors by 9am. In order to do this by bus, I had to catch the bus at 7am, ride that one downtown, catch another one that would land me at my docs at 8:45.
I didn't tell her all of that, just the part about catching the 7am bus and the doctor.
She asked me where his office was and I told her.
She exclaimed in this most adorable accent, "That's just too far by bus sweetie, hop on in!"
I'm very hesitant about rides with strangers, but she was old, what could she possibly do to me?
I hopped in, and she drove me to my doctors office talking the whole way, asking me questions, saying she had seen me and my sons many times walking to and from various places.
Se asked me if I had a Mr. and when I told her I didn't, she said, "Well that's it, I'm adopting you sugar!"
When she dropped me off at the doctors, she asked for my number and address, I gave it to her. I figured she'd add me to her Christmas card list or something.
Nope.
When I got home later that day, the boys who had the day off from school, said an old woman had come by with a box for us, and were told to put all the contents away right away.
I asked them what it was and they said it was all kinds of food.
I went and looked and my fridge was packed with groceries. Milk and lunch meats, hamburger, cheese, loaves of bread on the counter, cookies for the kids and other stuff.
She had left her phone number so I called to thank her.
She said, "No thanks needed sweetie, I told ya I was adopting you and your boys."
Every year we get a Christmas card from her and a box of goodies left outside our door. She brings over a pie every Thanksgiving, and any time she sees me walking, she hollers at me to hop in.
It's rather nice I must say to be cared about by such a sweet woman.
Every time I try to say thank you or offer her anything in return, she always very politely, turns me down telling me it makes her happy to do it and nothing else needs to be said.
February 9, 2007
Southern- Fried Carnival #3
I missed last week because I was out of state and couldn't access my graphics and stuff.
But this week I want to talk about some southern food oddities that northern people just don't get.
While up north in Maine, as far a way from southern as you can possibly get, my folks were watching this show (warning, annoying pop over scroll picture deals) on the Food Network.
It's called Paula's Party. She's this southern woman who has tables set up and everyone in the audience is a target guest who gets to help her cook, answer personal sex questions, for her amusement etc.
The Food Network was having a marathon of her show, and we all just sat and watched her deep fry just about everything she could possibly deep fry.
Then she deep fried an ice cream sandwich and both my folks were all what the heck?!
I started laughing because having moved here 10 years ago, I've had plenty of deep fried ice cream, something completely unheard of up north.
I explained they deep fry everything down here from ice cream to candy bars.
"Candy bars!?" They asked.
"Yes, candy bars. Snickers, Milky Ways, 3 Musketeers, Oreos."
I've tried them all at the state fairs, and even tried a batch of deep fried Oreos myself once cuz the boys asked to try them out.
It's pretty damn tasty.
The Florida State fair starts this weekend and I can't go and I'm completely envious.
This year, some food booth is having deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches coated in powdered sugar.
Sounds awesome.
January 25, 2007
Southern-Fried Carnival #2
This weeks theme is recipes.
I am not a true southerner, but I still love fried chicken. In my attempt to still eat the things I love and not get fat(ter), this is the kind of friend chicken I make and the teens love this recipe.
It's called Southern style un-fried chicken. It's might tasty y'all.
1 broiler-fryer chicken (about 3-1/4 lb.), cut up
1/2 cup Kraft Light Ranch Reduced Fat Dressing
1 pkt. Shake N' bake Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix
REMOVE skin from all chicken pieces except wings. Place chicken in resealable plastic bag. Pour dressing over chicken in bag. Seal bag, turning to coat all chicken pieces well. Refrigerate at least 30 min. to marinate.
PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Place contents of seasoning packet on plate. Remove chicken from bag, one piece at a time. Dip chicken in coating, turning to coat lightly. Arrange on baking sheet. Sprinkle any remaining coating from plate over chicken.
BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until cooked through (180°F).
January 19, 2007
Mind your manners.
One of the things a lot of people in the Southern-Fried Carnival talked about, was manners of people in the south.
Maybe other parts of the south people have manners, but they do not here, and it's not just the young people here who don't have any, it's the old people, the ones who should know better and actually demand respect.
Take for example the other day when the boys and I were walking to the grocery store.
We were on the sidewalk waking in a line, just the three of us. These two old ladies, ok older, mid to late 50's, maybe 60's, were behind us.
They sped up and were right on our heels huffing and puffing.
They were literally one pace behind Sebastian's steps.
They did not say excuse me so they could pass, oh no, they started to shove my son out of the way.
I grabbed him and pulled him out of their path, and they just kept going. No excuse me, no thank you for moving, no apology for shoving my son.
I yelled really loud after they had passed us but were just a few paces ahead of me; "Excuse you!"
They didn't flinch.
In the store, we are often shoved out of the way by grocery carts commandeered by oldies. They need that loaf of bread or gallon of milk. Now.
It always amazes me that people say manners are a thing of the past and it's the fault of young people today.
No it's not.
I have raised my sons to be polite, say please and thank you, hold doors open, let ladies go first, to say excuse me etc. It's the old people, the ones who know better, the ones who demand it, who have taken manners away.
They demand that people respect them and be polite to them.
You get what you put out.
If you're a disrespectful old codger with no manners, don't be shocked if people aren't being polite to you. You kind of deserve it.
My sons have held open doors for people, gotten them carts at the store, helped them get things off top shelves that their shortened old bodies can't reach, and not a one of them says thank you.
It baffles me.
Someone is being a genuinely nice human being and they can't even say thanks.
There's a reason the youth of today says screw you and gets on the bus before the old people, or doesn't say excuse me or thanks, it's because the people who demand that kind of respect and treatment, aren't giving it themselves.
They just think everyone owes them something simply because they are old.
I'm disabled myself, I have a right to sit in the front seats of the bus, use the motorized cart at the grocery store, park in the handicap spot. But I don't demand it. I don't think I'm entitled to be treated any differently than anyone else, but I do use my manners, I taught my sons manners, and it would be so nice if the old folks who demand it from us, could brush up on their manners themselves.
January 19, 2007
Southern-Fried Carnival #1
This weeks topic is, "What I love about living in the south."
I moved here to Florida from Maine 10 years ago this coming June.
Maine is a cold, frosty state, even in the summer.
The hottest I ever recall it getting was the year I was pregnant with Mark in 1991.
It stayed near 100 every single day that whole summer and here I was, gestating until August.
I was miserable that whole time.
But in 1997, the year I decided to move here, was a horrible winter.
Long freezing days, too much snow and ice on the ground to take 2 small toddlers anywhere. In order to just go to the grocery store, it required bundling up those 2 toddlers in layers upon layers of clothing, heavy socks, boots, mittens, snow suits.
I spent most of that winter trapped indoors, and I was also in a not very satisfying relationship.
When that relationship ended painfully in late May, I called my sister who had been living down here, and asked her if there was work. She said yes, and then we talked for hours about why I needed/wanted to move down here.
I needed a drastic change in my life. It had fallen apart at the seams. My relationship ended, my sons' father lived 8 blocks away and never saw them, didn't care too.
I packed up what we would need, their toys and clothes, favorite blankets and books, their collection of Disney movies, and my needed/wanted items.
I shipped all that stuff down here by UPS, and then had a yard sale to get rid of everything else so I had some money to start over with.
From phone call to move date, was less than 5 days.
Stepping off the plane was complete culture shock. The first 5 months, was culture shock. I was so out of place here. The kids just fit right in with their new daycare and friends, I had the hard time but I was determined to make it work.
I was determined to love it here.
And I do.
Almost 10 year later, I don't regret the move.
I love the weather even if paying FPL is like being robbed every single month.
It rains for 20 minutes and the sun comes back out. It doesn't snow. It doesn't get cold.
Some would argue with me that it does, but after living in Maine for 27 years, this is still t-shirt and shorts weather, even in the dead of "winter" and the weatherman tells us to bundle up because it's going to be a cold day out there.
I love the people here for the most part. The employees at my local Publix kick much butt, always smiling and happy to help.
I've ridden with the same cab company since I moved here and they all know our house and names by heart.
It took awhile for me to fit in here, but I do now, at least I think I do.
The boys have best friends they've known since we moved here, and they come spend the weekends with us.
We can go outside whenever we want without layering on clothes, we can play outdoors any day of the year.
I love living here in the south because it's mostly laid back and relaxed, kinda like Maine.
Just hotter.
That's ok with me.
January 12, 2007
Hey y'all fellow southern bloggers!
There's a new blog carnival out there called Southern-Fried Carnival.
It's a carnival to celebrate all the things we love about living in the south.
This carnival will celebrate our wonderful southern bloggers. If you live Texas or eastward, Virginia or southward, I want to hear from you. If you were a southerner, and have since moved, you can still play. If you are a transplant who plans to stay, you are also welcome.