Confessions of a So-Called Southerner

           For those of you who haven’t already figured this out, I am a huge fan of Southern Living magazine. In my opinion Southern Living is somewhat of a Southern bible, and if it suggests anything of its readers, I am the first one to preach its words to anyone who will listen. 

            In the May issue of SL they did a segment on Mother’s Day, specifically Southern mothers, entitled “Mama always said…”.  In this article there is a sidebar written by Aaron Deal containing eight rules every Southern woman should live by, and it is high time I shared my favorites with you. 

Number One:  It’s never too soon to send a thank-you note.

Number Two: Southerners never put dark meat in their chicken salad and always use real mayonnaise. 

Number Three: A real Southern girl should own an iced-tea pitcher and a deviled-egg plate.

Number one is pretty self-explanatory.  I’ve had this one figured out for a while, courtesy of my Southern mama.  She was always on my tail after every birthday making sure I wrote my thank-yous nice and proper.  Now, I will be the first to admit that although I write thank-yous for the traditional reasons, I am not quite as advanced in the art as some of the other Southern women I know.  For example, my cousin, Amanda, has definitely stepped it up and has taken thank-you writing to another level.  She writes notes “just because”.  I think that’s the mark of a very classy Southern lady, the kind that can make you feel special and thought of with a few strokes of a pen and the lick of an envelope. 

I don’t have a whole lot to say about number two other than I don’t care what kind of diet you are on, if you ain’t eating real mayonnaise, honey, the what the heck is the point?  There are some things that are worth the calories and real mayo is one of ‘em.

Number three is where I must make a confession.  Apparently, until yesterday, I wasn’t a real Southern girl.  I know, I know; you’re all shocked.  I was too.  Needless to say, ever since I read this article, an iced-tea pitcher and a deviled-egg tray have been at the top of my “need to buy” list.  It took me a good three months to actually purchase these items, but I am now proud to say that I am a real Southern girl (at least according to Mr. Deal)! 

So to all you so-called Southern ladies out there…make sure you’re reading your Southern bibles.  Apparently some of us have been breaking the 10 Commandments of Southern Hospitality, and I would hate for any of us to get talked about at the beauty salon for lacking in certain serving dishes….