So what do you call these things in TN?

[thirtyish]

All this talk is cracking me up. I'm sure to sound like a westerner and that's fine by me. We can giggle with each other.
What are grits? Is it oatmeal?
We pay big bucks for "organic" foods in Calif. What about in TN?

[dreamofmonterey]

I didnt know grits until I was in north Florida. They are a kind of corn meal. they are good with cheese. Organic foods- supermarkets sell some- but there is no "Whole Foods" in NE Tennesse, at least. There is a nature's health food store in my town.

sunny

[mbmouse]

A "Grit" is made from corn, it is actually from the hominey part of the corn (close to the cob) and believe it or not is very healthy for you. Can't remember the name of the mineral (or vitamin) that it has in it, but it is good.
I prefer to eat them at diner as a side dish instead of potatoes or rice (as it is from corm which means a starch) but I bake them with garlic, cheese and some spices and they come out more like a cake consistency and you eat them with a fork, not a spoon.

[amd218]

lol, this thread is great! I grew up in Rhode Island and I too can attest for the fact that every state in New England has a slightly varied accent. Boston was only 40 miles north from where I grew up, yet my accent is entirely different from those who hail from Boston. I have lived all over - from NYC, to LA and now Nashville...

Some Rhode Island sayings/words:

we say "wicked" a lot. Ex. "I'm wicked tired right now" OR "I had a wicked good time last night". You'll also hear that phrase throughout New England.

A drinking fountain in RI is called a bubbler (which actually sounds more like bubbla with the accent). I still have a hard time breaking away from this one. I just avoid saying it now b/c I get many strange looks!!

Subs/hoagies are called Grinders - hot or cold.

You'll hear the term "side by each" a lot in RI too. Instead of saying side by side.

"I'm all set" -- I say this all the time! Let's say someone asks me if I'd like a glass of water - if I don't want any, I'd say "no thanks, I'm all set". Even if I don't even have water already.

We also have coffee milk in RI - they're even in the school lunch rooms with the regular and chocolate cartons. It's just like chocolate milk, only coffee flavored.

a milkshake is called a cabinet.

Gravy refers to red sauce (spaghetti sauce). NOT the kind of gravy you put on biscuits. (we have a huge Italian population).


I could go on and on...RI and New Englanders have a lot of quirks in general. But, I suppose that is true of any region.

This is a fun site to look at:
http://www.quahog.org/factsfolklore/index.php?id=43

I've lived in TN for almost two years now and I think it's a fantastic place. The south is very nice - especially the people! The whole "ma'am" thing takes some getting used to though. I'm not angry when I hear it, it's just that in my head, ma'am is used when referring to an old woman. I just wish they'd call me "miss"!! When I first moved down here, I really had a hard time understanding people. Sometimes I still have to ask people to repeat what they say, but I'm catching on!!

Luckily, I escaped New England without a really heavy accent. Probably because my parents are from MN. I don't drop my r's, but you will catch me saying "cawfee" and "tawk" (coffee and talk). lol.

My mom got me this great book called the Rhode Island dictionary. It's hilarious! RI is more like one big town, rather than a state.

[amd218]

LauraC -- we drop our r's in new england too - brothah, sistah, nevah, ovah (over)...I've lived in both NYC and RI and it's the same in both areas.

Of course, we add r's to certain words -- like idear (aka idea).