Collards and Cornbread

Photo by Marianne M. Smith

“What’s for dinner?” my friend asked on the phone.  “Collards and cornbread,” I replied.  “Wow!  Are you Southern, or what?!” he shot back.

That got me to thinkin’.  What exactly defines a Southerner anyway?  Is being Southern a state of mind, a state of grace, or a state of the Union?

Is it simply knowing that grits are never singular?

That tailgating is an art form?

That “ya’ll,” “thank you,” “please,” and “Bless her little heart!” hold the keys to the kingdom?

That banjo music and casseroles are sacred?

Is it about wraparound porches, screen rooms, Rugers and Rottweilers?

I mean, what really defines us?

I remember being in a quandary when I was young because my grandmother did not think I was “appropriate” for presentation at the Nineteenth Century Club in Memphis.  (Can you even imagine that?)

To me, that was quite the mysterious institution.  I do recall getting to go by with my grandmother when they were cleaning and setting up for meetings.  There were always wonderful smells:  lemon furniture polish, linen napkins with heavy starch, and the scrumptious aroma of cheese grits. 

My nose loved that place, but the rest of me was baffled by The Rules of Conduct and The Air of Expectation. ( I fully expected a magician to appear in the Grand Dining Room and pull a rabbit out of a hat.)  And of course I wasn’t appropriate.  I was young, naïve, and asked way too many questions.



Nineteenth Century Club, Memphis, TN



Even though I can now make my own cheese grits, I worry about the fate of the Nineteenth Century Club.  It has been put on the market because the service club doesn’t have the money to make needed repairs ordered by the court.  Any of my readers able to come to their rescue?

My good friends flatter me by saying that I can be charming and gracious when the occasion warrants it.  (That's why they're good friends!)  Wouldn’t Grandmother be proud?  I truly believe that Southernness is passed down, generation to generation.

I can’t separate myself from the South, even when I travel elsewhere.  Nor can I think of a good reason that I’d want to.  To me, Southernness is truly a state of grace.

What defines Southernness for you?  I’d love to hear your take on it.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com/
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com