What Does It Mean to Be Southern? | Lollygabbin’: Episode 1
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- What exactly does it mean to be “Southern?” In this premiere episode of Lollygabbin’, Talia, Ryan, Liz, and Adam examine the concept of “Southern” as a cultural identity and share their stories to determine what it means to them.
Lollygabbin' is our new vodcast where we tackle the southern questions everyone's been asking! #itsasouthernthing #lollygabbin #south 
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Mom didn’t want Mississippi on Ryan’s birth certificate. That is hilarious! 😂😂😂
It’s really southern that talia won’t say how old her mother is because she would get mad.
Atta girl! She’s someone who will keep your secrets and respects your privacy. Just when I thought I couldn’t love her any more…😊❤
Just want to tell Talia that I’m so happy she talked about being half Korean. My grandmother is from Japan and married my Southern grandfather, moved from Kyoto to North Carolina, and raised all her kids in the South. Talia *always* reminds me of my aunt when she starts talking country. The Asian - Southern combo is a beautiful thing!
My husband was Korean American and raised in MD, married me and came to NC. He loved living in the south, but never adjusted to pollen season. 😂
@@mercyp7151 move down here and come home! You’re more than welcome and we’d love for you to join us!
I am not American, I an Afrikaans South African... And we are about as Southern as you are! It is culture... We value/love people, we love food (and it isn't just about butter... It is butter and sugar), we love gathering around food, hospitality and courtesy is important, esp respecting your elders. And it not geographic here... It is cultural. You find pockets of it everywhere. I so loved this conversation, I think I might fit right in!
That's so cool to find out. Thank you so much for sharing that.
Head South Kroon. The people are great! Sound like it's your kinda place and we will welcome you!
Thanks so much for sharing this Hannah! Gosh you have made me want to visit!
I was born/raised in Alabama...
What are some cities in Afrikaans South Africa would you recommend us Southern folks visit if we were to go? Oh, and what month(s) are best ☺️
@@Jenn_80 So I wouldn't say that there are Afrikaans cities perse... Afrikaans is a language and you will find us all over. I grew up in Port Elizabeth, lived in Johannesburg and am now in Cape Town... Would definitely recommend Cape Town! But every part of our country has its own beauty (fields of kosmos and sunflowers in Limpopo and the Northern Cape has the most beautiful display of wild flowers in spring). And while I think Afrikaans people are particularly friendly, South Africans are generally quite hospitable!
My parents were both born and raised in Georgia. My dad was military and I was born and mostly grew up overseas. I consider myself to be a Southerner. My grandmother used to ship us grits and pecans because we couldn’t get them in the commissary. I grew up eating southern food. Between tours overseas we always went home to Georgia. My fondest memories are of being with my grandparents’ homes- one in the country and one in Atlanta. Eating at the Varsity and going to the Atlanta zoo with one set of grandparents, church on Sunday and eating vegetables fresh from the garden at the other. I may have been made in Taiwan but my soul is southern.
My parents were immigrants, and much of my extended family is still overseas. I was born in the US and raised almost immediately after birth in the South, but I’ve now spent more than half of my life outside of the South. When I was a kid growing up in the South, I started speaking with a Southern accent to try to fit in when I was old enough to go to school, but I always knew I was different. I never had a problem being different, though, and I still considered myself a Southerner then. I still consider myself a Southerner now.
Yes, mam!
Lollygabbin NEEDS to continue to be made on RUclips I LOVE THIS SO MUCH
Keep Lollygabbin'! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to y'all.
Ditto!
I live in one of the three Maritime provinces of Canada. EVERYTHING you discussed is a mirror of this area. Community, potlucks, conversations in a lineup etc. We were recently in the Southern USA and remarked on a number of occasions how the South felt exactly like home !!!
Well, for what it's worth, I just love you guys. It never once dawned on me that any of you weren't Southern. As a Texan who is a "certain age", I've lived long enough to know that Southern comes in all tastes & flavors. Please keep up the good work. Love & respect from East Texas. 🥰🥰🥰
Y'all should have had your parents show a reaction video of this discussion. It would have been great to have them all in a room watching and commenting.
Lololol that would be AWESOME to hear from the older generation what they consider being Southern is!!!
that's a great idea!
Once you get your grandma card, you get to "speak your piece". I love it!
Southern is a mindset of respect, manners, hospitality and not using gutter language ☝️
@@charlesandrews2513 Everyone knows Florida is Yankeeland
I know plenty of Southerners who cuss like sailors. I think that has a lot more to do w/ vocabulary level (which is tried to class & education) than where one is from. Although I will grant the South has more than it's fair share of religious type folks who choose not to cuss regardless of class & education.
@@thevirtualtraveler Those are all the Yankees that have moved South that have their mouth in the gutter. It has to do with personal respect. 😳
You haven't met my granny lol. She's 91 years old and still kicking. She is the queen of " bless your heart" and talks every strangers ear off. As far as gutter language, at home, she has a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush lol.
@The Virtual Traveler Yep, only the Florida Panhandle is southern.
My grandma moved to the west from Georgia, so my mom was geographically a westerner but culturally a southerner; I didn't realize how much so until I started watching It’s a Southern Thing.
I feel this. My dad was born in Virginia and grew up in Kentucky, but ended up in Las Vegas before I was born. He might have lived the rest of his life in Las Vegas, but he was a Southerner through-and-through until the day he died.
My dad is from Arizona but has a mix of Southern aspects: talks for a very long time with people at wherever we're at and like a Southern grandma, speaks his mind (because he loves us). Love ya, Dad!
My mom was a westerner who moved to the south where I was there born a southerner. The only real differences between her and me was the way of talking. I got the early California accent from her along with concurrent modern southern talk and accent, and then moved with her back to the west. I then gained a modernized western speech that still is awkward to this day, however, when my southern accent comes out, it scares some people off lol and bring others over immediately like a magnet. Having such a wide versatility in speech, comes in handy at times. The best experience I had was scaring off the people next to us at a fancy restaurant the other day with my loud southern accent talk, lol it was great. Had my space to myself the whole rest of the night, no stranger interruptions to my meal. Lol
You need to talk about “home training “ with this issue. When I was young (74 now) my mother (and other church ladies) would talk about home training (usually in the negative about some young adult) and its criticality to a proper person. It deserves a discussion like this one.
I wanna know what home training is now 😳
Whoever’s Terry Pratchet books are on the shelf in the background, i love them because he’s such an amazing author
🤣I was thinking the same thing about the John Scalzi novels, I saw. Enjoy Pratchet as well.
They must be at Talia's house.
GNU Sir Terry ❤
I just have to say this. My family moved to middle tennessee over 200 years ago. I'm definitely country southern, but I understand what you're saying. You are all as Southern as I am. Being Southern is not a legacay, accent, or 'look'. It's an UNDERSTANDING of what Southern is. Either you have it or you don't, and all of you have it. Love ya.
My dad is from Georgia and lives in North Florida, while Mom is form Ohio and her family moved to South Florida when she was in 5th grade. My sister and I were born in Sot=uth Florida, but moved to Colorado as teenagers. Until this video, I knew I had “quirks”, but I didn’t realize they were all from my Southern side! Thank you for this! (*And, yes, the Southern comes out when I talk! As an American teacher living in Poland, they all ask me why I say “Y’all”, which, apparently, I do a LOT!)
The Love Language of Food = Acts of Service, Gifts, Quality Time. It’s 3 in 1!!❤❤❤
Being born and raised in east Tennessee my whole life I definitely have an accent. I too get asked to say certain words. I've had many conversations with strangers. One of the things people from other places find strange in the South is how we pull over and stop for funeral processions. They don't get that it's a show of respect and boy does it get my goat to see an occasional person just blow right on by a funeral procession and keep on driving! People from other places also don't understand decoration day. Yes, some people do think we are dumb as dirt because of the accent. I'm not changing myself for people to like me. You can take me as I am accent and all or go jump in the pond. Lol
For me it was the opposite. Moving here from California, as a child, and with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles being cool ATT, everyone kept asking me to say "Cowabunga, Dude"
Those things are perfectly normal and considered required. No idea where respect for the internment procession and decoration day is not observed.
Eta, I realized I didn't say where from. Minnesota born and raised.
Love this lollygabbin'. Please do more. I'm not Southern & I talk to everyone no matter where I go. It's just how I was raised. Always be nice. The South is so diverse & wonderfully unique.
Born and raised in the south. My grandmother was an old southern cook. I am the same way. Lots of love (and butter, bacon grease, etc) goes in my cooking, and I cook for everyone! Spoonbread, deviled eggs, grits, fried chicken, pecan pie! My son has never figured out how I can talk to anyone, whether or not I know them. There is nothing like a Southern Momma! Bless Your Heart!
As a Midwesterner with family roots in The South, this was very interesting to me. Especially given that everytime I do one of those "How Southern Are You?" quizzes I always get some variation of "Confirmed Sotherner" as the result. I chalk that up to a lot of the southern "ways" being carried on by my family even though they were in Kansas.
at least you get either southern or midwestern. I can take the test five times and NEVER get the same thing or close to Southern or Midwestern which is so confusing!
Lol, I moved from the Missouri boot heel to the Mississippi/Alabama line when I was 8, and called a "Damn Yankee" until the day I left that school. I might add by then I had manged to pick up the accent enough to hide my origins, AND my new school got kids from the Navy Base so they didn't care as hard that I was "new". But my classmates were still mortally confused by the news calling Bill Clinton "a Southern Governor" since "Arkansaw isn't part of the South!"
I may have been born in the north but was raised like a southerner❤️. We moved to NC up in the mountains and I never met a person there I didn’t speak to and learn about their families and life whether I was at a store, doctors office even the gas station! My background is Swiss- Italian and growing up we too shared our love with family by gathering for food,stories and lots of laughs. To me southern is not only a state of mind but a state of your heart. Thank y’all for your wonderful skits,discussions and yes even mayonnaise testing 😊😊😊
I was born in the Midwest to two Northeasterners. Moved to NC when I was five. I wasn’t raised like a Southerner. I was raised like a Yankee, and we had no family close by. I say I’m from NC, but I don’t identify as a Southerner or a Midwesterner. Someone did ask me once where I was from, though, because they were confused by the way I talk because apparently, I use expressions from all three of those regions. I guess I’m just a mutt.
Ya’ll do sound Southern whether you think so or not! It peeks through. I think my most Southern trait is the inability to tell a simple story without going off on a lot of tangents. I call it making a short story long!
the part about where talia said that country and southern are not the same thing is spot on. like for instance im not southern im actually from upstate NY but now reside in the midwest and in my small town of the midwest they are and can be very very country or even more country than someone who grew up in the suburbs or another small town in the south.
I'm born raised Midwest & I hear ALOT of ppl with Southern accents & are very country. I love it !
I lived in NE GA for 30 years, and when I visited Vermont, I was very much struck by same mountains, same people. Sure some of them say App-a-lay-shuns, and others say App-a-laah-tchuns, but at the end of the day they're all just hillbillies.
I grew up in Vicksburg, MS and now live in Chattanooga, TN. It's very different than where I grew up, but the hospitality unites us as southerners! I was shopping at Trader Joe's (far on the other side of town from where I live) a few weeks ago and the cashier and his assistant were chatting with me. Somehow we got on the subject of moving stuff and I shared that I had recently moved to separate from my husband and the assistant acted like she was called away for a minute and came back with a bouquet of flowers for me. It's definitely a Southern Thing to feel comfortable just talking to a stranger as if you're with an old friend, even when you're about to leave and maybe never see them again. 💛 It was so sweet and an encounter that I will never forget.
I really enjoyed this. (Do more!) I think it was Adam who saying that the "friendliness" factor in the South isn't quite universal, and he's right. Perhaps through most of the region it's super-friendly. But I'm the child of East Kentucky hillbillies (lived in southern Cali my whole life though), and I tell you this: the first question they ask in those hollers is: Whose boy are YOU? I.e., you better have a good reason to be here. Those folks do thaw out eventually and are as friendly as anyone else, but there is a suspicion barrier at first.
My family was from East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia...Bristol area. Same thing there. When we visited, everyone knew we were Ruth's younguns or Kotolene and Herman's grands and we were accepted immediately. But if they didn't know your lineage, you were "from off." They're not rude, but there's an air of suspicion.
@@nancythomas5387 "From off" - love that!
I feel like Appalachian is a distinct subculture from the rest of the South. They're a special case.
@@lendondain1 Agreed. Though they definitely self-identify as Southern!
@@lendondain1 There are a lot of regional differences in the South. Low countries all have similarities but are culturally very different. Mountain areas can't help but be different from the low country, the piedmont, and the plateau...and you can find all of that just in Tennessee. And you really can't compare Texas to South Carolina! It's a huge region to try to pigeon hole as one.
A while back at work and at the office breakroom a bunch of us were sitting around a table having lunch and talking ...and happened to talk about our heritages. One person said they were French, another Italian, etc. Only one person was silently eating his lunch. So we asked him about his heritage and he smiled and said: 'I am Southern'. When asked about his heritage he just smiled and repeated 'I am Southern' as if he wanted to say that is all he needs to know about his identity. I loved that moment and I love this memory.
I might be an Ohioan but I sure enjoy this channel.
Same, I'm an Illinoisian with deep roots here (and not southern Illinois either) but I see IaST, I click.
Just want to say ... Thank you. I really enjoyed getting to know each of you a little better as people.
I grew up mostly in CA. I grew up in latin projects and they had a similar vibe to the south back then (dunno about now been gone too long). When I was in the Seattle area (Navy post), met my wife and having my kids, it felt so different. Why no neighborhood parties? Why always keep to yourself? I swear even talking to other parents at schools was impossible. God forbid you keep other people's kids in line when they are visiting your house 🤯
Regardless, my mother was southern, I had southern ingrained in me. I'm Acadian by blood. I now live in the south for the first time in 30 years and, while I've only ever really lived here 5 years of my life, I feel like I'm home. As my mawmaw always said, you can take the boy outta the south, but you can't take the south outta the boy.
My wife? Same thing, it's like a whole new amazing world to her and she loves every aspect related to the culture here. Hell, today she said: even if I died she'd never leave the south again. She's been here only a couple years and I'd call her a southern woman/mother at this point. Why would anyone think to say otherwise to her? Southern is welcoming, why be elitist about it.
As far as that "care for your community" aspect: the south is generally still extremely rural. Even the "cities" aren't the LA, NY, or even Seattle level of pop, except maybe Florida (highly tourist) and Atlanta (closest thing to NY down here) areas. Sure, maybe more but the point is even in "bigger" cities like Biloxi: while I cannot know everyone in that town, the neighborhoods live by that "takes a village to raise a child" kind of mentality. If you go to the same store all the time, you're part of that community.
I know what you are saying...Block parties are so much fun! No one does that anymore...it is sad.
I loved that Adam touched on 'surface friendly". Non-Southerners always talk about how friendly people are in the South. But one of the things that makes you true-Southern is understanding there's a huge difference between politely nice, and actually liking a person. We will smile and carry on the nicest conversation, and the moment you're gone be blessing you right on up to heaven.
I'll agree with you up to the last half of the sentence. True Southern ladies aren't backbiters. If we say 'bless your heart', it's because of some misfortune, not some catty comment. For example:
Woman #1: "Did you hear that Mary Ellen's husband was in a car accident? She says he's gonna be laid up at least three weeks."
Woman #2: "Oh, no! And her with that baby at home to take care of, too, bless her heart. I'll see if I can't bring her something by tonight."
I lived in Georgia for over 35 years and have lived in Florida over 26 years. My wife lived in NW Georgia for 50 years. We are authentic.
I think being Southern is being unpretentious, speaking plainly and simply, and being authentic. Being Southern is cherishing family, being tremendously loyal to friends, and being dependable. Being Southern is having a strong work ethic, strong faith, strong love of country, and having the ingrained traits of honor, duty, and sacrifice, if necessary. Being Southern is being helpful, friendly, and welcoming to anyone, anytime.
Certainly, there are exceptions, and as the years pass, these characteristics become diminished in magnitude and quantity due to the transient nature of our modern world and our modern culture. But I would say the above would describe what Southern is fairly accurately.
Thank you for all of your entertainment and conversation. My wife and I have enjoyed "It's a Southern Thing" enormously for Years. Bless y'alls hearts! - Paul Granger
I absolutely LOVED this! My husband is from North Carolina and comes from generations and generations as you guys said. I was born and raised in NYC and came down south when I went to UGA - GODAWGS!! I just fell in love with living down south and couldn't see myself moving back North. I've lived down south longer than up North but I still don't consider myself a southerner. My husband just calls me a damn Yankee and explained the difference between a Yankee and a Damn Yankee lol. 🤣🤣
I'm PuertorIcan and laughed when this came up. My North Carolina southern husband absolutely loves PuertorIcan food and culture and he coined the term 'Puertorednicans' because he said the two cultures were more similar in many things than different. For example, we both love pork, strong alcohol, and absolutely ❤ pork rinds (chicharrones).
I, too, am a Damn Yankee... since 1999. 🤣
Don't feel bad about mean comments. I got told growing up that i neither sounded black or southern and i just decided to sound like me. I don't need someone else to tell me how I should be. No one but God :) i love your work it's super funny and a rare clean thing to watch now a days.
I absolutely love everything about the south, the people, the southern drawl, and of course the food lol. That's why when I found your channel I fell in love with it. Y'all just brighten my day🤗
I'm 90 miles from Portland, Oregon, and have lived here for many years . I grew up in North Carolina and left there at 21 when I joined the Navy. I'm now 63 and, although I visit, I haven't been able to live there again. However, I will ALWAYS be a southern girl! My family is there, my heritage is there, and, more importantly, my heart is there. I've lost some of my accent (it comes out when I'm really tired or really angry) and I really miss it! Thank you for the reminders of all the ways I love and miss the South. Someday, I'm coming back to stay! Y'all are delightful and I appreciate you! 💛
We moved to New Braunfels TX. We'd only been in town a few days and stopped at a bakery. Within few minutes we were invited to a church service.
Like Adam, mother is Puerto Rican and father is southern (east Tennessean). The mix of cultures is amazing. I suppose we are Puerto Hicks or Tennericans. Mother came to Tennessee for college in the early 1960’s and met dad. She definitely is southern with hints of a Brooklyn accent. Deep faith binds us.
I like this conversation. I think it will help us keep a Southern identity in a world where locality and heritage is all being lost
I loved that Adam made the comment about being from the Deep South with his Puerto Rican family. I've always made that joke because my family is from Jamaica and I'm from Grenada (way down by South America). This was really great y'all and I can't wait for more episodes!
My best friend’s family is from Texas (now living up here in northwest Washington state) and when I met them in high school I had never experienced hospitality like that. There was (and still is) ALWAYS an abundance of food. They are not wealthy folks but there is always enough to go around and they will always feed you and love you and get you whatever you need. I feel like everything you brought up in this video is everything I’ve experienced from them and other southerners I know which may be why I’m now a Seattleite watching videos about the south 😂. I enjoy this channel so much. Thanks for making stellar content. ❤
Oh, yes! My husband (who is Texan on his mother's side, though his father was from NY, so I tease him about being half Yankee) laughs because I have the same philosophy my mom and grandmothers did when it comes to guests -- if they aren't whimpering from being overfull and yet still wanting to reach for just one last taste of something, I haven't been a proper Southern hostess. :)
Thank you Ryan, for saying that about 5 years of summers gives me a free southern card. I LOVE Alabama. I'm from Utah, but have lived in the south for 8 years. 4 of my 5 kids were born Southerners. I am in love with Alabama, but didn't know if I would ever be considered southern since I don't have the right accent, or any southern family (my kids have adopted some neighbors as stand in grandparents). My kids all consider themselves Alabamans since that's all they can remember. This chat gives me hope that someday I can feel like an insider too.
I want to know if mowing the lawn and sweating for an hour and a half after finishing counts? LOL
I am urban southern. I grew up in Nashville, my mom is from Nashville and Dad is from New Orleans. No one had ever said I wasn't southern. My grandmother will talk any strangers ear off. My husband is a NJ transplant and has been here over 30 years and has taken on that fun trait as well. I use that skill for networking, and it has helped me a lot in the corporate world. I really wouldn't want to live anywhere outside of the south.
My brother & his GF wound up in Franklin TN raising her daughter. Both of them were from the same town growing up & went to the same HS. Found each other late in life & her daughter’s dad was our neighbor from across the street in NJ. Anywho we got a big kick out of these east coasters raising a southern child. Went to prom in an old pick up truck 😂
I was raised in Indiana and my father's side of the family was from southeastern Kentucky, my grandmother's family being coal miners. I grew up spending a lot of time with my grandmother so I was exposed to the southern way of life and then my mother's side were corn and livestock farmers in rural Indiana. I moved to east Tennessee a year ago and have acclimated quite quickly because it just feels like I'm at home. I would never move back north. I am home!
It’s a GIFT to be able to learn a stranger’s entire life in 3 seconds. Some have it and some don’t. And yes, part of it is paying attention and actually listening as well as asking questions. Here in a small East Texas town, I find it totally amusing that individuals who live alone and don’t seem to do much except go to Walmart know everyone’s business and who’s having an affair with whom.
Southerners have manners and it’s so pleasant to experience ❤
You can make a new friend every time you step outside!
Grannies will slap the manners into you if you don’t learn manners. 😳😁
Unfortunately this does not apply to everyone who lives in the south 😢. I do, so I know
Talia's point at 15:00 hit me hard.
Living up here in Iowa on account of my husband, I crossed paths with a Louisiana man and it made me so excited to talk to another Southerner. When he found out I was North Carolinian he all but spat the word "yankee" and I about cried; it was the ugliest thing anyone has ever said to me, disrespecting my 8 generations NC heritage and more he doesn't even know about.
This was fun. I loved Ryan's comments about properly made mac 'n' cheese. For me, the test of a Southerner is okra. If you don't like okra, whether it's fried or stewed or pickled or whatever, you just aren't Southern.
Another thing that seems to be unique to the South is the friendliness you touched on. It's superficial but at least we put forth the effort. I have a friend from California who comes to visit me here in North Carolina every couple of years. He thinks it's hilarious that I wave to passing cars and strangers on the sidewalk in my subdivision. Hell, if I'm driving out in the country, I'm liable to wave at everybody. It's just a hand raised from the steering wheel, but it's a nice hello to a stranger.
Yes! When I worked downtown before the c word there were a lot of coworkers who were transplants and didn't understand southern friendliness. They thought old men were flirting or being inappropriate by holding doors open and striking up conversations in the elevator. I had to explain southern manners lol
Guess I’m not southern. Born and raised, but don’t like any form of Okra, sweet tea and can’t stand fake/forced “politeness/friendly”
My parents used to put pickled okra in their martinis instead of olives!
I think everyone probably has a different thing that is the litmus test of being southern. Mine is craw daddies/mud bugs. If you can't eat those, we can't be friends. I love okra, but I HATE sweet tea. I will drink it if it's put in front of me without asking if I would prefer something else because, especially for the older ladies, the glass of sweet iced tea for new visitors to the home is given the kind of reverence of a Japanese tea ceremony. I wouldn't rebuff tea offered in Japan and I wouldn't do it in the south either.
@@azurephoenix9546 I kinda like the “survived 5 summers” while doing outside activities test. You can call yourself southern after that even if you don’t like everything that’s stereotypical of “the South”.
Love this convo!
Had to listen to it twice because I was so enthralled with the bookshelf (and the books on it.) We need a bookshelf tour!
I would watch Lollygabbin' just for the title alone, but I loved the show! I do feel that being Southern is more about culture than geography. I was once in a restaurant in South Dakota where I thought the waitress was going to make me scoot over so she could "sit for a spell" to talk after she learned that we were from Alabama. I'd like to hope that our reputation for southern hospitality brings out the best in people anywhere we go.
I'm from Florida, born & raised. Core memories are family reunions in a place called Wewahitchka where Uncle Dean would make sweet tea by the jugs & pull us around in a wheelbarrow attached to his tractor 🚜 The kids would fight over who would get to sleep in the loft above his barn 😂
I related so much with Adam due to the fact I was from California but raised in Texas ❤. It is my home and has shown me life lessons I can never forget. I’m also from Hispanic origins which do share similarities with our southern brethren!
Never heard of lollygabbin, but I was often accused of lollygaggin while growing up. Lazing around, doing nothing. It's what I still aspire to.
As someone who went to a college in Florida, (which I understand is not always considered Southern), Southern people definitely had "a look" compared to people from other parts of the States. It was axiomatic that a Southern girl did not leave the house until she had done her hair and makeup and had a nice outfit on, usually with a skirt or dress, and matching purse for girls and khakis and a LaCoste type collared shirt for men. Others could look like they just rolled out of bed or didn't know the dress code, but Southerners never slacked. The greetings were also different. They were smiley and warm all the time. If they were out and about, the smile was on. Southerners had a lot of people skills and a heritage of handling awkward situations with grace. Others tended to be more direct or expectedly awkward in awkward situations. I see the pros and cons of both but as I get older, I truly prize a straightforward answer. RE: Where does the friendliness come from, I would say the Baptist and Sunday Church lunch influence.
Born and raised in Southern Illinois, but spent summers in SE Missouri where my family was from. I can relate to so much of what y'all were talking about. Yes, I say y'all. 😊 I now live in Missouri. Tracing my family history, I have discovered ancestors from N. Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia so far. So I guess our Southern roots followed our family, and things were handed down. No raisins in mac and cheese🤢, ❤ chocolate gravy, homemade pickles and quilts, learned self reliance, had a conversation tonight with the cashier at Quick Trip who I've never met before, and Mawmaw NEVER let anyone get away without at least eating a piece of pie if she couldn't get them to eat a full meal. Good memories. Thanks for sharing and making me think of all the blessings through the 60+ years the good Lord has granted me on this earth.
Im with Talia. My dads people were share croppers. They grew kids (9) and picked cotton. They lived in a small one room cabin out in the country. No town...just Walker County, AL.
I really love this format and I can barely wait for more of this. As a fellow southerner (Southern Middle Tennessee) this episode felt very southern. It was like we had been invited into your home and into your lives.
I've never been out of the southern US but both of my grown children have traveled a lot say that they always miss the southern manners when they are traveling ❤️ Love y'all
About the Southerners are friendly thing, my mom explained it like this: in this country and especially in the South, people think the words 'polite' and 'nice' mean the same thing and use them interchangeably. However, polite and nice don't mean the same thing. So, here's our rule: as long as you are polite, you don't have to be nice.
Let that sink in. It was the second biggest aha moment of my life.
All Southerners are raised to be polite. It's ingrained in the culture. The rest of the world thinks we're friendly because we are polite and they think polite and nice are one and the same.
As long as you are polite, you don't have to be nice. You *must* be polite.
I am a Floridian and have to defend my Southern identity ALL THE TIME!
I'm from North Central Florida. Both my parents and all my grandparents were from North Central Florida and then their people came from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Carolinas. I haven't had anyone ever question my "southerness" but I have heard others say stuff like Florida isn't southern. I find that so ridiculous. Not all of Florida is Orlando and Miami. Hahahaha!!!
Love this! We are northerner transplants who hope to live in the south for the foreseeable future. Many aspects of southern culture are similar to Midwest culture, and it feels easy to us to fit in. I’d love to hear a Lollygabbin episode on opinions of northerners
I was born and raised in the DC area. I have traveled the world and now have been living in the "south" for close to 25 years (West Florida and Middle Tennessee). What I love the most about the south (especially here in Tennessee) is that everyone makes you feel like family whether they know you or not. Life is different here, and I love it!!!
Being southern is more a mindset not just a language or a type of food : people from the south have a different way of thinking that’s not necessarily laxidasical but not too hard on themselves: speaking from experience by virtue of the fact that I’m from California but my family has roots in Alabama , Louisiana , Georgia and Texas yes I have to traverse between kings English and southern dialect but I’m so used to it that it doesn’t bother me but having to explain it is more the trying part of it
I think that's well said. And that means it's something that you can't put your finger on or explain, but it definitely and indubitably exists.
In western NC they subscribe to the philosophy of, "A cat might have her kittens in the oven but you still don't call 'em biscuits." I was born in Central FL but my family moved to rural western NC when I was six years old. Even though I lived there for my entire childhood and into my teens, and even though my grandparents and great-grandparents were from the area, I was still considered an outsider. Basically, if you weren't born here, you're not from here and you're not one of us and you never will be.
I worked for a place where my supervisor said to me, " I need you talk like you are intelligent! You have to stop talking like you were born here, you know, the south. Loose the accent and slang words and sayings." Seriously! I had to work hard at it! I was quiet for a long time, trying to listen and learn how to "Not" be me. I got to the point that I was amazed ", how" my family sounded at family reunions and I thought, "Was that What I sounded like?" But yet, I felt ashamed that I gave up "Who and What I am!"
I love how Talia was talking about how other southerners just hear folks talking and then when you go out of the south they’re like “woah you have a southern accent”
That’s happened to me so much 😂
I so relate to this lollygabbin’ episode. I never thought about being Southern until I moved to Southern NJ (NNJ and SNJ are two completely different places). When I first came up here, my parents too me to breakfast. While we were chatting I caught some of the conversation between the party in the booth behind my folks. I had no idea what language they were speaking and I mentioned this. We stopped talking while they listened. They looked at each other and with a completely straight face my dad said “honey, they’re speaking English”. I told them it wasn’t, it had to be something like Greek. They starting laughing and both told me it was a NY accent! Goodness, we laughed for weeks over that. At work, I got teased of pronunciation of certain words, like aluminum, umbrella and insurance. I’m like Talia, I’ll talk to anyone. My parents were the same. People up here thought it was odd. But the thing that hurt my feelings came from other Southerners. I was going to join a Southern ex-pat Meet up group; before joining, you had to speak to the guy who started the group. Not very Southern to begin with I don’t think. He told me Virginia wasn’t Southern! I reminded him that most Civil War battles were fought there, and we lost more soldiers than any other state. He had the rest of the group votes on whether I should be part of the group. They voted yes, but at that point, I was so hurt that I didn’t even join. Oh and Ryan, I make the best macaroni and cheese. Thank y’all can’t wait for the next episode!❤
The rainbow sherbet punch, mints, cake and mixed nuts wedding at dinner time after a long winded Preacher creates a special form of PTSD💜
Adam asked, "What are y'all's experiences?" That statement alone means he's Southern through and through. 😂
Yes in deed, that's what lead me to subscribing and commenting.
I am from Memphis, TN. I grew up with about a dozen speech impediments (including a stutter), so I was basically taught how to speak properly from preschool through seventh grade. So I talk with a very middle American accent with a hint of southern here and there. People often ask where I'm from because they can't place the accent and I have to explain my upbringing. The biggest blow came when I was on the phone with my sister in the car via Bluetooth, and I had a friend's wife who was from New York in the car. After we hung up, she said "I don't believe that was your sister." "Why?' "Because you have different accents." So now I have to prove I'm from the south based on how I talk.
Also, I boil down being southern into three things: Being proud of where you come from (Even/especially if it's not from a good place), food, and showing respect.
Born and raised not too far from Baton Rouge, La. The one thing that always shocks people is that I am NOT a good cook! Why is it that all Southern Women are supposed to be great cooks??? Love the show!!!
We love you Ryan! 🎉
“It’s the internet, you’re never gonna make ppl happy… “ bingo.. Blech miracle whip… lol 😂
If you ever get the chance, read Southern Ladies and Gentlemen by Florence King. It’s hilariously true about southerners and their ways. Great video!
I was raised on a USAF base, and as we all know, the military has a disproportionate population from southern states. When we moved back to the Northeast it was a huge culture shock. Now, 20+ years later I've moved to Oklahoma and it finally feels like home.
Lollygabbin in my favorite!!! Pls don't stop!!
I loved this. Please do more of these Lollygabbin videos. As a guy born in New Orleans and raised near Gulfport, this speaks to me. Even though I moved away from home a couple of times (Navy and then for work), I still hold on to my Southernness. It's funny when Adam said you could've moved to Portland, OR and still be Southern, because I moved out here about 4yrs ago. People think I'm weird because of my food choices hahaa
Born in the Louisville area with family on both sides of the River. The first arrived before the Revolution from Virginia and North Carolina. My dad was an Air Force officer and we moved a lot, but mostly within the South, which reinforced my southern background. I married a southern Californian, native to LA. Cultures clashed, the South won.
To me, southern is food, lots of love, sharing, family, and talking. My husband gets embarrassed when I talk to people in the stores but mamaw and mama were my role models. I would add good manners of all age groups is a southern thing. It was the first thing my husband noticed when I got him to visit back home. He was astonished. Plus he had and has trouble understanding accents.
And mac and cheese, made with the best ingredients, start with a white sauce. Sometimes I add bacon. My husband teases me and says he prefers Kraft out of a box. He does love my cheese and grits.
Southern is family and community oriented. We always lived in town but my grandmas seemed to know at least half the town and were related in some way. Here in southern California, I know my neighbors to nod but that is all.
And I do have an accent. It slips out sometimes when I least expect it, or when I am tired. I have a southern California accent to survive. This area is Hollywood dominated and they have always disrespected and misrepresented Southerners here.
Loved this. I grew up in the south, the panhandle of Florida ,to be precise. They called our area southern Alabama. Watching y'all it reminded me of sittin around with a bunch of the friends I grew up with. In adulthood I moved to western NY and I have to say...they are not as friendly(flat out rude) and everyone was in such a hurry. I hated it. But, my husband who's from NY always makes sure that people are fed when they leave our home. So I guess he has that southern gift.
Hey y'all, yep, once Southern, always Southern. I may live in Australia now, but I've taught my kids the love of sweet tea, good manners and cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet (and DD is a UGA grad!). Thank you for being a balm when I'm feeling homesick too. Love y'all.
I'm southern and I'm very proud of it! I was raised in da swamps of Louisiana on a little family farm we lived twenty miles from the closest gas station, so going to town was a once a month outing for the whole family, those were the good ole days God I miss them.
I moved to GA almost 9 years ago. I watch this channel to learn more about the South, not history wise, just culturally. I came down from NJ where I spent most of my life. I’m now married to a southerner born and raised in GA.
This is great, I have a childhood friend that moved back to Alabama when I was 8, we've stayed in touch ever since . . . She's the sister I never had, I still miss her!
As a born-and-bred Southerner, I have never heard the word "lollygabbing". I have, however, heard "lollygagging", which means to waste time.
Part of the reason that the south is more open and talkative is because in the north, they have to stay inside and away from people around 9 months out of the year, so they are used to not talking to anyone and not socializing. In the south, the people are able to be out and socialize more, so they have more practice. I have spent the majority of my life in the south, but I lived 11 consecutive years in Wisconsin. It was so refreshing and such a relief when we moved back down to Arkansas and everyone was actually nice and pleasant.
I find what you guys said about huge cities/city centers super interesting. I was raised in Georgia (raised in Augusta and now live in Dahlonega) and I feel like many people find Atlanta to not be as "Southern" as the more rural towns. Which I find baffling because it's in Georgia, a Southern state. Maybe it's due to the cultural aspects of it. It's known for it's museums, theatres, art, 5 star restaurants with Michelin chefs, 5 star hotels, and the list goes on... idk. But I do find it rather interesting how so many people don't consider Atlanta very Southern.
It’s southern, it is nothin compared to northern cities. But it’s not country, redneck, or backwoods. They still eat southern foods, they still talk in a southern manner, even if most don’t have an accent really, but they are cityfolk. This is the misconception some just seem to have, that being southern means your country or redneck or backwoods. Nah, there are all types of southerners, but there are lots of common things about them.
@@thejestor9378 yes! exactly!!
I think a lot of folks see Atlanta as "less southern" because there is a bigger mix of folks from all over. I worked at a company in Alpharetta. Folks worked there from New Jersey, Chicago, India, Lebanon, New Zealand, Delaware, and so many other places. It seems to be a melting pot much like Chicago.
@@linda.christie good point! I guess I'm thinking more of geographical location more than the mix of people who work and live there.
Lollygab again!! Real soon!!😀
From Oklahoma AND Texas. I am a true Texan with family fighting in the Texas Revolution, but I have ALWAYS considered Oklahoma part of the South… our accent, our food, our BBQ, etc… and well, Texas is it’s own country, y’all!! 😀🥰😀
southern is a state of mind... it's how you look at time and how you understand relationships...
My mama raised me that there are no strangers…just people you havent met yet…so I have never had a problem talking to someone and I have met sooooo many nice people from it. And I believe it helps make either me or them happy and smile.😁❤️😊
I’ve come to love these videos! Everyone is so fun on this channel! As a Floridian living in South Florida (Palm Beach) I wish I could claim to be a Southerner but Florida has this weird dynamic that the further south you live the more Northern things become lol. Unless you live on the Panhandle.
I'm from Orlando, so I feel that. But my parents (they're Jamaican) are very big on manners and interacting with folks. My grandma stored leftovers in an empty butter tub. There's a lot of similarities between how I was raised and what's southern (plus, I went to Florida State my first year of college and I'm still a fan. I ended up graduating from UCF and I wear my gear up in New England, so people know I'm from Florida (sometimes they still don't)).
I was born and raised in Indianapolis. So were my parents. Dads' parents lived on the south side in Greenwood, Indiana. My maternal grandparents lived on a farm. They raised corn, chickens, and pigs. I come from a large family. Family reunions were always a potluck picnic with many aunts, uncles, and cousins. We even had hayrides in the fall at an aunt and uncles farm. My dads' grandparents grew up in North Carolina. I feel like I know a few southern things and phrases that I learned growing up.
I love the south,, the food, the places y'all pretty much hit the point. Now is anyone else gonna join y'alls sit in convo. Great content
We lived in the Carolinas for six years. So many wonderful people. I talk to everyone, always have. I love that! Miss our beautiful home, neighbors, wildlife, the mountains, the beaches. I do like the graciousness of so many Southerners. We found most people in the South to be very helpful.
Lightin' bugs, tree frogs and tons of beautiful birds. I agree with Talia about mayonnaise. Can't say what happened to Adam, though. Just kidding, Adam. Thanks Ryan, Liz, Adam, and Talia! Keep those videos coming. We need more cooking with Talia.
I started chuckling when Adam spoke about friendly comments in the grocery store. Boy howdy, that’s what makes shopping at Aldi a culture shock. Haha. They move so fast I have to prepare myself.
With all the stuff you’re talking about I completely fell off of the South because of the culture here and people are so conversational. I grew up in the New England in Massachusetts.
If you talk to a stranger in the grocery store, they’re gonna look at you sideways and wonder what in the heck is wrong with you. Here it’s just normal part of life no matter whether of lived in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas or North Carolina. It’s expected strike up a conversation with complete strangers.
And I absolutely love it . I was seven girl born to a Yankee family. I never felt like I fit in.
I wanted like to be slower I love cooking with heart not just to get it done ; I love talking to people and helping others and giving gifts and being appropriately, friendly and speaking my mind when it needs to be spoken.
And bless your heart, is one of my favorite phrases that I learned down here … my mother-in-law still doesn’t understand. It usually comes up negative connotations. It’s such a nice way to let people know they’re being silly or foolish
This is a wonderful addition to this channel. These type of discussions are great!
I’m a 36/M from rural NC. My kids question me talking to people all the time. And I’ll drop a life story in a heart beat. And I love talking to old Southern people. It can be stressful if you’re in a hurry but it’s still nice. Food is a necessity. My wife and I can’t do everything but we can and do feed everyone that we have to the house. Gatherings without food are awful.
Very interesting! Thanks for this. I thoroughly love your work.
I was born in Germany but grew up in Louisiana. I consider myself Southern as all my memories are about Louisiana. I currently live in Colorado and get really irritated when people ask what part of Texas I am from 😂 Texas is not the only southern state 😅. Love this new series ❤🌸
Btw: I hate miracle whip and love Hellmans too! 😂😂😂
Yay for Hellmanns!