Manners mattered.
You were raised in the south if people told you, “Were you raised in a barn? Go shut that door!” Your parents also probably taught you that it is nice to hold the door open for others, that it’s acceptable to smile at strangers and ask how they are, to always say “please and thank you,” and to address your authorities as “Mister, Misses, and Ma’am” (even if they insisted you to call them by their first name). In the South, we place extreme importance on being nice. That whole thing about southern hospitality? Yeah, it’s true.
You have big family gatherings, and the more, the merrier.
Is it truly a family get together if Aunt Margie and cousin Billy aren’t there? I’m sure your family functions consist of all your extended family, and sometimes even extended-twice-removed-remarried family members too. As my grandma always says, “The more, the merrier!”
The men in your family served in the armed forces.
You probably have at least two men in your family who served in the armed forces. Maybe your great-grandpa served in the Navy in World Word II, or maybe your grandpa served in Vietnam in the army. Your family has dedicated some major time to protecting our country and they wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
You’re related to a farmer.
Maybe it is your grandpa or it was your great uncle Joe, but chances are, you are related to a farmer.
Your family has recipes that have been passed down for multiple generations.
Did Great-Grandma Owens pass this recipe down from her mother who passed it down from her mother and so-on and so-forth? And does everyone throw a fit if it’s not at every family function? Yep, so does mine. Sure, we may have some Nothing Bundt Cakes at our parties, but nothing beats Grandma’s famous cherry pie that she learned how to make from her mother. It’s basically a tradition in the South to pass down recipes.
You grew up in the church.
Not only were you and your family at church every Sunday, but you went to every activity the church hosted, from Vacation Bible School to the Fall Festival, and maybe you even starred as Mary or Joseph in the church play.
You know southern lingo.
I’m not sure how people in other regions of the country live without the word “y’all,” but apparently they do. The word “y’all” is a Southern STAPLE. It’s a word that everyone uses and it’s a part of the imaginary Southern dictionary. Your family probably says words like “ornery,” which means difficult to deal with or stubborn, and “britches,” which means pants. I know my family loves the word “tumped,” which means something spilled or fell over. Weird, I know, but it’s true.
You sound a lot like Billy Ray from Hannah Montana with all of those country clichés you spout.
You know how on Hannah Montana, her dad, Billy Ray, would always say funny things like “well that’s as clear as mud?” Expressions like that really do exist in the south.
“What does that got to do with the price of tea in China?”
“Six of one, half dozen of the other.”
“She’s madder than a wet hen in a tote sack.”
These are truly southern idioms that everyone uses in their day-to-day lingo.
Football is a HUGE deal.
Whether it is NFL, college, high school, middle school, or even elementary school, Southerners will watch football and cheer on their team even if they are losing. Football in the south is a competitive sport that is pretty much played year round. Everyone is involved too—parents, students, teachers, and cheerleaders.
'Mums' are a thing.
No, this isn’t me trying to make fun of the way British people say the word “mom.” If you were raised in the south, you know exactly what I mean by the word “mum.” A mum is something your high school homecoming date gives you Friday morning of the homecoming game, and it consists of ribbon, bells, and other various pieces of décor. Guys have a similar object the girls give them, and it’s called a garter, which a high-school guy will wear around his arm (it’s pretty itchy and uncomfortable, from what I’ve heard). These are truly a big deal at high schools, and if you were raised in the South, you know what I mean.
You can’t live without sweet tea.
Luckily, in the South, there is not a short supply of sweet tea. You can have it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner! You can also find a pitcher of sweet tea in just about every Southerner’s fridge.
You’d rather have everything fried.
Who needs to eat baked fish when you can fry it? Not only did you eat fried chicken once a week growing up, but you still have to eat fried food to get your fixin’ of it.
