I have lived most of my life in Upstate SC. Being born in Kentucky, just outside of Louisville, I wasn’t surrounded by “the south” as much as I was when we moved to SC in 1989. Somehow, I have never latched on to the southern accent. I have had people ask me where I’m from because they can’t place the accent. They are befuddled when I tell them South Carolina. Others ask if I come from the North or Midwest USA. I am still trying to understand this.
Here in South Carolina, I have had to repeat myself or explain what I mean because I don’t use southern slang. I don’t pronounce words like others here in the south. I say names the way they are written and the way they are generally pronounced. Sharon, to me, is Sharon, not “Shay-run”. You guys, or you all, replaces “y’all” for me. It’s not that I don’t want to speak with a southern accent. I think southern accents are beautiful. It’s not even that it’s not me, it’s just, well, I can’t. Ask my husband. I try to say words with a southern drawl but it doesn’t work. It makes him laugh. Noah even laughs! I sound like someone with a speech impediment. My tongue and mouth are not made for Southern Twang.
I guess I don’t always behave like a Southern lady, either. I grew up in a house where my Dad, sister, and I would rate each other’s burps. We laugh at jokes, talk loudly, and we aren’t afraid to speak our opinion. I will let you know what I think, unless it really is completely the wrong forum. My mom would say she always tried to make us dainty, but failed.
That does not mean that I am not southern. Trust me, I live in the south and survive each summer’s humidity right along with everyone else. Myrtle Beach is a vacation spot for me, and I love it! My High School had Farmer Week, and each year, I dressed to the nines as a farmer. I even ate southern food right up until the doctor (and me) told me to stop.
So, what was I going to do when I went to the most Southern of all restaurants for dinner last night? Cracker Barrel prides itself on Country Cookin’. Pardon, kuuuuntry cookin’. Scott got a gift certificate from a coworker to Cracker Barrel, and that’s where we went for dinner. I told him I would have to plan ahead and see what they had that I could eat. This wasn’t an easy feat. I’m not sure exactly how healthy this is, but here is the healthiest item on the menu I could find, and it’s what I ate:
Grilled chicken tenderloin salad with a sliced macintosh apple, bacon, and bleu cheese. I had it with fat free Italian dressing. I could have had it with the bacon, but I wanted the bacon. Oh well. Still healthier than chicken and dumplings.
I also had one half of a biscuit with a little bit of blackberry preserves.
All in all, I think I did okay. There really is no way to eat completely healthy at Cracker Barrel, especially when they overseason their veggies and they won’t steam plain ones for you. So, in case you’re wondering, you can sort of eat healthy at Cracker Barrel. It just takes lots of planning. I lucked up and got an item that was seasonal.
At work today, I bypassed this glory:
And I am so proud of myself! I just don’t need all those calories and all that sugar right now. I smiled at the cake and walked out of the room. I couldn’t have done that a month ago.
So. Proud. Of me!
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