Questions for Northerners by Southerners or vice-versa in the USA?

[ambula603]

Immediately know you’re not from the south if you aren’t drinking sweet ice tea or if you offer to bring sugar to add to unsweet tea. That’s a worse sin than not drinking it. A real southerner knows you cannot add sugar after the tea has cooled.

Curios to all of you who don’t like sweet ice tea. Do you like hot tea? I guess because I’ve grown up on ice tea, I just can’t do it. Don’t like hot tea at all with the exception of some of the herbal fruity ones and then only when I have a sore throat, but black or green tea, no. I can’t stand it. It actually makes me kind of sick to my stomach.

SO TRUE about adding sugar to cooled tea. Yucky granules!

I love all tea. Sweet, "unsweet" as we call it, hot, fruity, etc. But I don't like coffee!

 

[Moliphino]

SO TRUE about adding sugar to cooled tea. Yucky granules!

I love all tea. Sweet, "unsweet" as we call it, hot, fruity, etc. But I don't like coffee!

That's why you need simple syrup. That mixes into cold tea just fine.

I fell in love with Tiffins the first time we went when we ordered their iced tea and it came out with a little cup of vanilla simple syrup.

 

[ambula603]

That's why you need simple syrup. That mixes into cold tea just fine.

It has worked in a pinch, but isn't the same as mixing into the hot brew. I do use some syrups in my hot tea by the cup for fun flavor.

I agree that some restaurants do not have good sweet tea. I think it sits too long or something. But the ones who get it right, mmm so good!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Immediately know you’re not from the south if you aren’t drinking sweet ice tea or if you offer to bring sugar to add to unsweet tea. That’s a worse sin than not drinking it. A real southerner knows you cannot add sugar after the tea has cooled.

Curios to all of you who don’t like sweet ice tea. Do you like hot tea? I guess because I’ve grown up on ice tea, I just can’t do it. Don’t like hot tea at all with the exception of some of the herbal fruity ones and then only when I have a sore throat, but black or green tea, no. I can’t stand it. It actually makes me kind of sick to my stomach.

I grew up in the northeast where sweet tea was definitely not a thing. Someone in the family liked unsweetened tea, but I can't remember who. I was allowed a little bit of sweetener if I wanted some, but nothing more than a single packet of Sweet'N Low. As much as I like desserts and fruity cocktails, most sweet drinks are just too sweet to me. I can't drink full sugar soda and I water down any juice I'm served. The first time I tried sweet tea, it was so cloyingly sweet that it made me sick to my stomach. When my friends insisted I have it with lunch, I needed water chasers just to keep it down.

I don't love hot tea either, but I used to sing a lot and tea with honey and lemon is a necessity. While also crazy sweet, I can handle honey as a sweetener in my tea.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I live in New England, and I love Old Bay! I put it on fish, have added it to soup, and have been meaning to try the Old Bay Goldfish crackers I saw advertised. But I wouldn't really be interested in the butter or vodka.

I've seen those around here but haven't tried them yet. I forgot to mention in my prior post but I'll also tolerate it on fries but yeah butter and vodka sounded gross to me.

On the radio, sometimes the hosts talk about and try foods with Old Bay and one time they did an Oreo and said it wasn't that bad. Another time they did a banana and spat it out immediately.

 

[VandVsmama]

Southerners:

How serious is the Killer Bee situation these days? Whenever I am down there I think of them with a ton of angst.

Killer bees exist here in AZ. There have been a couple of times where a swarm attacked a hiker in Saguaro National Park near Tucson but that was like 5-6 yr ago.

 

[nighttowll]

Based on the comments here, I’d definitely recommend anyone trying sweet tea for the first time to ask for half and half to cut down the sweetness. It’s too much for most of us who have grown up on it at many restaurants.

 

[rangerxenos]

Northerners: are you bored during winter? I don't think I'd ever leave my house if it was snowing lol.

No, but the older I get the less I like Winter, LOL! I live in CT, and I will say Winters are not what they used to be, they are warmer and less snowy.

We have to pay someone to clear our driveway, and I think they came 4 times this past Winter, we had a lot more rain than snow.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Another Maryland question here - thoughts on Old Bay seasoning? Personally I think it's gross but I'll tolerate it on crabs. Anything else, no thanks. I saw someone buying Old Bay honey butter at the store today so that made me think to ask.

Also I've seen Old Bay flavored vodka in liquor stores around here to which I'm like no thank you.

I use old bay in a ton of dishes. I season meat with it, put it on corn on the cob and other veggies, and obviously use it on any kind of sea food. It’s so good. I LOVE old bay potato chips and I recently tried old bay caramel popcorn which was interesting but wouldn’t eat again. We go through about one little canister of old bay every two months lol.

 

[rangerxenos]

I’m in Maryland and we’re “the old line state”, meaning the mason dixon line runs through the northern part of our state so we’re both north and south I suppose. My question is to northerners: do you consider Maryland a northern or southern state? And to southerners, same question. It’s funny, when we were in Georgia recently someone saw we were from Maryland and called us “Yankees” which I’d never considered Marylanders to be and it made me curious.

I have a lot of friends in the Baltimore area, and this discussion comes up a lot in my circle -- I consider Maryland to be North, even though it isn't. Virginia to me is where the Southern U.S. starts.

 

[rangerxenos]

Northerners - what do you think about sweet tea?

I have no clue what Sweet Tea is -- is it Iced Tea?

 

[rangerxenos]

Another Maryland question here - thoughts on Old Bay seasoning? Personally I think it's gross but I'll tolerate it on crabs. Anything else, no thanks. I saw someone buying Old Bay honey butter at the store today so that made me think to ask.

Also I've seen Old Bay flavored vodka in liquor stores around here to which I'm like no thank you.

I like it, but in small doses.

 

[rangerxenos]

Here's a question -- lobster rolls, hot buttered, or cold with mayo?

It is very bizarre to me that in CT almost all lobster rolls are hot with butter, and properly served on a toasted/grilled hot dog bun. But once I get out of CT and parts of MA, hot lobster rolls are almost unheard of! And that goes for states further north, too!

I don't mind a cold lobster roll, but that's not what I think of when I think lobster roll, and definitely not what I prefer.

 

[rangerxenos]

This scares me! There’s no amount of clothing heated or otherwise that I can put on that would have me outside in those temps. I’m taking a jacket to Disney next week!

It always amuses us when we're in Florida in December, we're walking around in shirt sleeves, and we see people bundled up in Winter coats and boots!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I have no clue what Sweet Tea is -- is it Iced Tea?

Yes, made with a lot of sugar while it's still hot, then chilled to drink later.

Here's a question -- lobster rolls, hot buttered, or cold with mayo?

Both!!

 

[rangerxenos]

Yes, made with a lot of sugar while it's still hot, then chilled to drink later.


Both!!

I don't think I've ever had it! I like flavored Iced Tea, which I think usually has sugar in it, but I certainly wouldn't add more sugar. (I don't make iced tea from scratch.)

 

[nighttowll]

I have no clue what Sweet Tea is -- is it Iced Tea?

It’s a black tea with sugar added while hot. Then you add ice.

Restaurants usually make it with syrup instead of regular sugar and that ends up being sickly sweet.

You can’t add the sugar after the ice as it doesn’t dissolve properly and tastes different. It’s not good.

Some restaurants will have fancy versions with fruit or fruit flavoring added, but it has to be plain black tea.

Green and herbal are a different thing although.

It always amuses us when we're in Florida in December, we're walking around in shirt sleeves, and we see people bundled up in Winter coats and boots!

That would be me. I bought a pair of sweatpants in February at Universal and wore them over my jeans I was so cold.

 

[nighttowll]

I don't think I've ever had it! I like flavored Iced Tea, which I think usually has sugar in it, but I certainly wouldn't add more sugar. (I don't make iced tea from scratch.)

If you try it, I recommend asking for half and half sweet tea. This way it won’t be too sweet. Adding lemon really helps as well.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

It always amuses us when we're in Florida in December, we're walking around in shirt sleeves, and we see people bundled up in Winter coats and boots!

We used to think that, too, when we'd vacation down here from Indiana - then we moved to Central Florida 9 years ago and after our first year here, we are now "those people" that bundle up when it gets below 65, LOL!

 

[Minnesota!]

Love this idea! How about we kick things off with a fun one: snow days vs. heat waves? As a Southerner, I've always wondered how Northerners handle those crazy amounts of snow, and I bet Northerners are curious about how we survive those scorching summer days down here! Let's hear your thoughts!

Well, in MN we get both. Our summers are hot, humid, sticky. Just that it is only 3 months vs the 9+ in Florida. I LOOOOOOOOVE hot and humid. The humider, the better (which is why we vacation in Fl in August). Here, we spend it outside, IDC where. My fave place is eating outside, listening to music or swimming in a lake (another benefit to being not-in-gator-territory!).

I LOVE the cold, too. Snow is just fine...it's ice that gets me nervous. Give me 95' and 75 dew point, or give me -20. IDC. Just don't make me go into the office if there is ice