If you live anywhere below the Mason-Dixon line, you know that life is a little bit different down South. We like to take life a little slower, a little preppier, and a lot homelier. There are some aspects of our lives that are constantly questioned, and I guess only a true southern belle or southern gentleman will understand.

1. Tea can only be made one way: sweet.

The sweeter the better, so dump a couple cups of sugar right in there, please and thank you.

2. Fried food is its own food group.

Chicken, cheese, pickles, and Oreos, you name it, we have deep-fried it. Sorry if that’s not healthy enough for you, try some of our veggies: mac n’ cheese and fried okra.

3. Always mind your p’s and q’s.

Manners area must. Always say please and thank you, hold the door for others, and tack “ma’am”and “sir” at the end of every yes and no. Even if they’re only a few years older, we say it anyways.

4. Southern hospitality.

As soon as you walk into a friend’s or a stranger’s home, they immediately offer you food, drinks, and a nice place to sit and talk for a while. We can make a pitcher of sweet tea and sit on the front porch and chat.

5. We like for our lives to move at a slower pace.

No need to drive too fast or speed walk to destinations, we’re too busy talking to strangers and looking at the scenery. I’d rather go for a leisure walk any day.

6. Yes, we do like country music.

No, country music does not just mean backwoods and banjos, although that might be a part of it.

7. Farm questions.

When we go up North, people like to ask us how big our farm is, how many cows we own, and do we have a picture of our tractors? Sometimes we live up to that stereotype, but other times we hear the question so many times we make an entire story up just for our own amusement.

8. Grits.

Grits are a breakfast staple, embellished with bacon, cheese, and maybe some well-seasoned shrimp. The rest of America is really missing out on the perfect breakfast side.

9. We may talk slow, but we aren’t stupid.

We hate when people assume we’re stupid just because of our accent, talking speed, or regional heritage.

10. Florida is not the South.

When I visit Florida on vacation, they ask me what part of the South I’m from. Geography is not everything.

11. “Bless your heart” is not a compliment.

If I say “bless your heart,” you probably said something dumb and I’m just using my southern charm to tell you so. Don’t take it too personally.

12. An inch of snow constitutes a “snowpocolypse.”

We don’t know how to handle even a dusting of snow. As soon as we hear a snow warning, we shut down all of our schools and rush to the nearest grocery store for milk and bread. We live for these days.

13. You or someone you know is a debutante.

Becoming a debutante is a true crossing over into the high society of southern belles. The white dresses and old-fashioned dancing are the picture of “Old South.”

14. College football’s not like religion, its much more important than that.

That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but college football is a big deal. The players are basically celebrities, the tailgates are elaborate, and the game day outfits always show proud team spirit. Saturdays are reserved for game time.

15. Y’all.

A commonly used phrase on any southerner’s lips, complete with a little (or a lot) of drawl.

Southerners may sometimes get a bad rep, but I wouldn’t change my heritage for anything. Because in the south, our tea is sweet, words are long, days are warm, and faith is strong.