by Thomala Funderburk

Created on: November 28, 2007   Last Updated: November 29, 2007

Southern Fried Culture

When I first moved to Mississippi from the San Francisco Bay Area, I would have to admit that it was a bit of a culture shock. It was like stepping back in time in many ways. Things are slower in the South, there is not a sense of urgency about much of anything. There seems to be a prevailing attitude that things will just work out. Southern people do not force the issue, they tend to let things unfold. This is not to say that nothing gets done because it does, but with less stress and pressure.

The fast lane here would be California's slow lane. Traffic is non-existent. One can drive 60 miles on a four lane highway and have free reign of the road, sometimes not seeing another vehicle. Traveling at night one immediately notices the absence of street lights on even major highways. It is very, very dark. Traveling along these highways, one accepts that he will lose cell phone signals and advises those who may be concerned that he will call when he gets from Point A to Point B.

There is a lot of available land in the South. My son-in-law, born and raised in California cannot believe the expanses of open space. He asks, "Why don't they build something there?" I tell him because they don't need to yet. Which brings up the sometimes noticeable disrespect for the land seen in rampant littering along country highways and roads. There are few recycling efforts since there is enough open space to accommodate landfills for quite some time. The awareness of conserving and preserving resources is not bred into the southern mentality.

The first question I am always asked in social circles is, "Who are your people?" There is a desire to link a person to his ancestors and it is also a way, not entirely subtle, to evaluate your pedigree, i.e., are you descended from Southern aristocracy? Hair bristles when I say I moved here from California but when I tell people that my father was career military, originally from Chickasaw County and moved "home" upon retirement, those bristles always soften.

In the South almost everyone has rocking chairs on the front porch and they use them regularly. It is a Southern tradition to sit out in the twilight of evening and watch the traffic go by, usually commenting on those one knows who pass, pointing out some new observation or gossip as they go by.

Sunday dinner is a Southern ritual either taken at home or out "to a restaurant." Sunday dinner happens after church on Sunday. It is the midday meal not the evening meal. If

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