Saturday, March 7, 2009

Southern Style

Here's a little tidbit about the South for all y'all who don't live here.

We like to eat. Seriously.

If it is considered fun here, it involves food.
Anything is solved with food.
Every emotion is celebrated or corrected with food.

Your sister died? Everyone she knew, and everyone you know is now going to bring or send you homecooked dishes - enough to feed you for the next three years. This includes everything from appetizers to desserts and every course in between.

Your boyfriend broke up with you? Not thirty seconds later, your friends will be arriving at your home to force feed you ice cream, pizza, nachos, and pigs in a blanket, while you guzzle wine, listen to Alanis Morissette, and they tell you what a douchebag he was anyway.

You got a promotion at work? Heck yes! You and your buds are celebrating with all-you-can-eat ribs and wings, while they buy you pints of Newcastle and Blue Moon and high-five you every ten minutes.

Going to a [insert sport here] game, birthday party, wedding shower, or housewarming? You can bet you won't leave hungry! And screw the little hors d'ouvres - this is fat at its finest. Barbecue is standard, along with macaroni and cheese and black-eyed peas.

Meetings and mergers are conducted over full meals, and coming home means you will have a fully belly when you walk back out the door. Events and dates are not planned around what you're doing, but where you're eating.

Here, things are cooked with a spoon full of love and a whole lotta lard. The South is where "Man, this is just like momma used to make!" is one of the highest compliments you could give to a cook.

Note to Self: This also explains why the rates of obesity rise as you drive lower in the US.

6 comments:

Maki said...

Oh my god! Look at those wonderful food - I LOVE Southen style food, such comfort foods. They warm you up inside and out:)

Hope you're having a lovely weekend, MJ!

xoxo

Anonymous said...

Southerners don't corner the market on obesity. We got a bit of that up here in the north too. I like to think of it as insulation for the cold weather, but really, it IS just fat. ;) LOL. By the way, this post makes me hungry.

colbymarshall said...

Haha...don't I know it!

Danielle said...

I've been amazed at how much food there is at, well, everything! Back home, we had food at our parties and showers and stuff, but here, it's never just hors d'oeuvres and dainties, it's a full-on spread! But it's all delicious... mmm... can't wait till the bridal shower at work on Thursday!!

MJ said...

Maki - Thanks! I love Southern food too, but my waistline hates it.

Teeni - Yeah, we don't have the cold weather excuse down here...

CM - Yes, ma'am!

Danielle - I seriously look forward to parties, and I anticipate the extra time I will have to put in at the gym to counteract the effects...

Anonymous said...

Hi MJ,

Amen!

the Grit