Words, Foods, and Customs From the Southern USA Quiz

Answer: May as well; I do not have anything better to do.

The answer is an abbreviated code for "May as well. I don't have anything better to do." Dancing is a favorite activity; so it becomes a metaphor for something better than what is available. In many circles, this is pronounced, "Cain't daince." Actually, the Rebel Yell is beginning to look like a pretty good option.

Answer: Not sweet.

True Southern cornbread is not sweet. My mama--who was born in Bishopville, South Carolina, was raised mostly in Virginia, and lived most of her life here in Florida--has the last word on this. Sweet cornbread is Yankee Style. I actually like it. Very sweet cornbread comes out of a box. Cornbread made with jalepeno peppers is delicious; we love it! But, it is not Southern Style.

By the way, the Lovely Boy I married disagrees with me on the correct answer. He believes that cornbread should be slightly sweet.

But then, his Daddy was from Chicago, and was indulged by his Mama. She adjusted her recipe to keep him happy.

Answer: He looks terrible.

All of these meanings look like they could be worthy of this Southern Expression. The real answer is that he looks terrible. His grooming, hygiene or general appearance is seriously deficient. This renders his appeal equal to 50 miles of bad road. This expression dates from the days when there were lots and lots of bad roads in the South. We would go almost any distance out of our way to avoid them. Use your imagination.

Answer: Dead

The answer is Dead. "That thing is dead as Hectah!" My Aunt Margaret barked those words as she flung her hearing aid battery to the floor in irritation.

Answer: Ground corn, cooked into a sort of hot cereal.

This question is dedicated to a northern player who asked about grits in response to another quiz. And yes, I know. All of them could be right. But, this is food. Grits, either yellow or white, is a good starch dish that complements fish, pork, bacon, fried chicken--almost anything. Do not mistake corn meal mush for grits. For our mighty fine Italian friends, grits=polenta. Very important to the flavor: You must add salt to the boiling water before you stir the grits in. If you don't believe me, check with Paula Deen. For creamier grits, add butter at the same time you add the salt. Here are some delicious variations on plain grits.
Cheese and Grits: Stir grated cheese into the hot cooked grits.
Shrimp and Grits: Into the cooked grits, stir in raw shrimp (shelled and cleaned) with any or all of the following: diced tomato, garlic, onion, diced bell pepper, cheese, red pepper flakes.
Yankee Grits--and I love this for breakfast!: Stir butter, sugar and milk into the cooked grits. Disregard the derisive hoots of Southern laughter, and just enjoy it!

Answer: She got rid of him, one way or another.

She got rid of that boy. She sure did! In the process she may have indeed done the other three things, in some order or other.

Answer: A child born out of wedlock.

A woods colt is a child born out of wedlock. I first heard this term when I started teaching in a rural area of Florida. I was 22 years old, and absolutely horrified when I heard this. The origin of this expression? This is another one for which you just must use your imagination.

Answer: She would like to buy him for what he is worth and sell him for what he thinks he is worth.

She would like to buy him for what he is worth and sell him for what he thinks he is worth, thus making a huge profit. I do not have to tell you what kind of person he is.

Answer: He used snuff.

Good gracious! Great-Granddaddy was no embezzler! He used snuff, a form of smokeless tobacco. He dipped the snuff from a tin. And, truth be told, Great-Grandmama may have dipped from time to time, as well.

Answer: Black-eyed peas and pimiento cheese

The two foods that are known as "the caviar of the South" are black-eyed peas and pimiento cheese. The absolute correct answer depends upon where you live in the south. Mullet roe would make more sense; but we aren't about that. I do not know who coined this term, or I surely would credit them. Suffice it to say, it is in very wide use. Here's how Mama makes pimiento cheese:
Ingredients:
12 ozs. extra sharp cheddar cheese. Mama likes Cracker Barrel 2% fat cheddar.
A 7 oz. jar of diced pimientos, including the liquid.
3 rounded tbs. mayo. (Adjust to your taste.) We like Dukes, because we are southern.
3 tbs. apple cider vinegar.
6 drops of your favorite hot sauce.
6 drops of Angostura bitters.
Bring the cheese to room temperature. Mash it up with a fork. Dump in the other ingredients. Mix well. Refrigerate until firm.
Serve on crackers or in sandwiches. Or, just stand at the fridge and eat it with a spoon. Keeps well for one week in fridge.

Answer: Y'all

"Y'all" is correct in The South. It is the contraction of "You all". I have seen "Ya'll" on signage, and thus know for sure that it was written by a northerner.

Answer: That we include a vegetable in tonight's dinner.

The answer is that we are going to cook up a pot of collard greens for dinner. This is a vegetable with large, firm leaves. Collard greens are delicious. Just be sure that they are thoroughly washed. Helpful hint: Cart them to the laundry room. Put them in the washer. Set it to hand-wash, rinse. No soap, please! Turn it on, and voila! Perfectly clean collard greens. Strip the leaves off the large vein. Chop them up, and you're good to go!
Basic collards: Put a little olive oil in the bottom of the pot. Add some bacon or ham. Add the collards with enough water to steam them. Cook until desired tenderness is achieved. You may have to add water along and along.
Bean and collard soup (Caldo Gallego): This is popular in the Tampa Bay area, with its rich Spanish influence. Use cooked white beans and cooked collards. Frozen chopped collards work great in this. Add onion, garlic, paprika, chorizo sausage, potato, chicken--whatever strikes your fancy.

When the food is ready, call those Collard boys on over, play Collards-21, and drink you some Collards on the rocks. (Just kidding.)

Answer: Hearts of palm

This delicious vegetable is harvested from the trunk of the cabbage palm. I am not sure how swamp cabbage came to be known as "hearts of palm". I suspect it was a marketing device. In the mid-20th Century--when cabbage palms were still plentiful--it was probably difficult to get tourists to eat something called swamp cabbage. As hearts of palm, it became a great delicacy.

Answer: Moon Pie and R.C. Cola

The correct answer is Moon Pie and R. C. Cola. Sound good to you? Perhaps you just had to be there. "Proverbial" is the operative word in this question. The actual popularity of this combination is questionable. I threw in the the bagels and lox, because I love them.

Answer: Bubba

Bubba, of course!