It's a Southern thing, ya'll

Living in the North, a lot of the things I took for granted growing up, have gone by the wayside in my mind.  But occasionally something will strike a chord that takes me back to my Southern roots. . . like tonight on Facebook, someone posted a photo of a banana something or other thing.  It looked like a cross between banana pudding (a Southern institution) and banana cake.

My thoughts turned back to my childhood in the South and Southern things!  Like boiled peanuts (they really are delicious), grits (now DON'T say they are like Cream of Wheat!), hush puppies and fried fish.  And pecan pralines (it is Pah-cahn, NOT pee-can).

And Divinity. . . that is the sweetest candy you will ever eat.  Black-eyed peas and corn bread.

Then there is sweet iced tea that Southerners drink year round.

I rarely eat seafood up here.  When you grow up on the Gulf of Mexico and eat fish that slept in the Gulf last night, well, you just can't tolerate fish that has been trucked in.  You really can't beat the taste of fresh fish.  Or walking along the shore early in the morning at sunrise and catching crabs as they wash in with the waves!  Crabs are delicious to eat, although a pain to separate the shell from the meat.

And the other Southern tradition that I miss up here. . . the Blue Angels, stationed at Pensacola Naval Air Station (my hometown, Pensacola).  Imagine moving to Rochester many years ago and being told I had to pay to see the Blue Angels or the Air Force Thunderbirds perform!  No! No!  In Pensacola, you grow up watching them fly over your yard in practice sessions.  And to see their complete show, just drive over to Pensacola Beach and watch them for free.

I can count on one hand the number of times I hear someone here say, "Well, bless your heart,"  or "ya'll come, you he-uh?"

And while many people in the North are very friendly, the kind of people that never meet a stranger, you just can't beat that genuine Southern hospitality!