How to be accepted in the south

[John Harrelson]

You hear so much about "Power Lunches" where supposedly multi-million dollar deals are made, but down south we have another way of making big deals.

It's called "Hunkering" ....

In the deep south there are more country stores than skeeters. There seems to be one at every road intersection in the state, regardless of whether it's paved, graveled, or just plain dirt.

Just about all these stores have a full length covered porch across the front where the soda pop machine is and just about everybody over the age of 10 years old comes to one of these stores sooner or later.

While some of the more well-to-do stores have chairs or benches to sit on, most of them don't, so if you want to have a conversation with someone, you just "Hunker Down" against the wall or the porch post and do your talking.

In fact it's considered down right rude to stand up and discuss anything important, like the price of tobaccy, corn or the way the guvment is treating the poor farmers.

About the only way for a stranger to get accepted by the locals is to grab a "drink" and hunker down with them..

In the true deep south, anything that's not milk or alcoholic is called a drink, like Coke, Pepsi, RC, Yahoo, Orange Crush, etc....

So if you are planning a trip to the south,, remember to "Hunker Down" at the campground store of local country store..


I'm a Tarheel born and a Tarheel bred and when I die, I'll be a Tarheel dead"

(an old saying from a couple of hundred years ago)

[John Harrelson]

You hear so much about "Power Lunches" where supposedly multi-million dollar deals are made, but down south we have another way of making big deals.

It's called "Hunkering" ....

In the deep south there are more country stores than skeeters. There seems to be one at every road intersection in the state, regardless of whether it's paved, graveled, or just plain dirt.

Just about all these stores have a full length covered porch across the front where the soda pop machine is and just about everybody over the age of 10 years old comes to one of these stores sooner or later.

While some of the more well-to-do stores have chairs or benches to sit on, most of them don't, so if you want to have a conversation with someone, you just "Hunker Down" against the wall or the porch post and do your talking.

In fact it's considered down right rude to stand up and discuss anything important, like the price of tobaccy, corn or the way the guvment is treating the poor farmers.

About the only way for a stranger to get accepted by the locals is to grab a "drink" and hunker down with them..

In the true deep south, anything that's not milk or alcoholic is called a drink, like Coke, Pepsi, RC, Yahoo, Orange Crush, etc....

So if you are planning a trip to the south,, remember to "Hunker Down" at the campground store of local country store..


I'm a Tarheel born and a Tarheel bred and when I die, I'll be a Tarheel dead"

(an old saying from a couple of hundred years ago)

[ParTheCourse]

We hunker down up here also. In fact when we are now, it started last Monday when the snowstorm started and looks like it will continue for another week or so. Right about now we start hankering, as in hoping for spring.
Often while hunkering and hankering we dicker, that is most often done leaning back on the rear legs of a straight back chair with feet up on the potbelly stove. When the spat spat of the tabackie hitting the stove reaches a crescendo you know the dickering has turned into a haggle and a squabble is likely.

[CyberVet65]

And never, ever critique or compare the BBQ to something cooked "out West" or in "Philly"!
Just enjoy and compliment the cook!

Chet

[Don (W5IT)]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">And never, ever critique or compare the BBQ to something cooked "out West" or in "Philly"!
Just enjoy and compliment the cook! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


Doing that jest may purt-near get ya killed. (Or hurt)

Dem dad-gum Norderners jest don't know what gud food is.......

[diandtom]

Never move to the south then try to change the ways we do things down here! We get so tired of hearing "we do it different where we came from"! If you don't like the way we do things,then why did you move down anyway?

Dianne

[ParTheCourse]

Ya can hunker and dicker but slaw on BBQ has got to cause a snicker.

[John Harrelson]

hahahaha... love your rhyme PARTHECOURSE..thats neat..

And cole slaw with BBQ is great.. It's amazing how many folks think that just throwing any kind of meat on a charcoal grill is BBQ..

I try to educate them and explain that the only kind of meat that is truly BBQ is pork.. and it must be shredded off the cooked pig using a fork..

You can always tell when you are in a true southern restaurant and order BBQ.. because it always comes shredded pit-cooked pork and warm cream style potato salad with home made cole slaw, with a side of hush puppies...and a big, big glass of sweet tea..

You can always tell a non-Southerner because they will try to drink beer or some disgusting wine with BBQ.. Real southerners only drink sweet tea with BBQ..

A true southerner will never use ketchup or any other meat sauce on BBQ except the standard vinegar with crushed cayenne pepper marinated in it..

But thats not to say that you can't sit out on the front porch after supper and have a cold beer or a mint julep with your after supper pipe or cigar..

Lord, I wish I was back home now and could go to "KINGS" BBQ restaurant in Kinston, NC.. Wilbur King and I went to school together and Wilbur continued in his families tradition with the BBQ business..

oh well,,, one day..

John

[CyberVet65]

One time on a trip down South we stopped at a BBQ place called "Sticky Fingers". Now that is a great name for a BBQ place!
I got an education there on various types of BBQ sauces and rubs through a sample platter that weighed in the nieghborhood of 10 pound or so.!
Western BBQ = A tomato based sauce with brown sugar as the main ingredient.
Eastern BBQ = A honey and mustard based suace with various herbs to taste.
Southern Rub= They wouldn't tell me what was in it on the pain of torture! But it was gooooood!

Chet

[ParTheCourse]

On hunkering and dickering we agree
And southern fried chicken is sure finger licken, Reb or Yankee
But slaw on your Q
And sweet in your T
Makes me glad you're you
And I am me.

[vaughn]

One of my all time favorite writers is Pat McManus; one of his short stories is about how to get hunting and/or fishing priviledges from a southern land owner. It is ofcourse by hunkering down with them for a chat.
He has many such stories written both from the perspective of both an adult and frp, that of a 12-17 old kid.

Vaughn