Southern English
Coming from a different part of the Carolinas, I was brought up to look on Charlotte with trepidation. It was "yankeefied," people told me: that is, you might have to specify "iced" and "sweet" when you order tea, people leave work in a bad mood and honk at each other in traffic, and nobody knows your mama. Just how incorrect those assumptions were, though, became obvious to me when I began doing research for Changing Places. New Charlotteans arriving from the Northeast find this city very Southern indeed, and they have a difficult row to hoe as they learn how to navigate Southern manners and communication.
In my research for Changing Places, I spent a great deal of time reading online message boards for Charlotte newcomers. Northerners really band together on these sites-they offer each other emotional support when they feel alienated, they make plans to watch Giants or Red Sox games together, and they argue passionately about where the best pizza is to be found. They also compare notes about the aspects of Southern manners that are most bewildering to them. Again and again, Northern newcomers complain of Southern nosiness; as an example, they are very likely to cite the fact that, when they first moved to town, their neighbors asked whether they had found a home church yet. "Where I come from, that's nobody's business," they write. Or, "Why do they assume that I go to church, or even that I'm a Christian?"
Curator's Pick -- Taste of the World
East Charlotte is this region's most ethnically diverse place to eat. This fall, neighbors on the east side join togther again for TASTE OF THE WORLD on October 8.
Curator's pick: Uruguay Festival!
Culture, music and food of Uruguay will be celebrated at Plaza Fiesta on Sunday afternoon, August 23 at the "Celebración de la Independencia de Uruguay." The food should be especially wonderful -- Italian immigrants brought their baking traditions to Uruguay generations ago, and mouthwatering sweets have become a favorite part of the national cuisine. It's no coincidence that the Uruguay bakery at Plaza Fiesta is one of the sponsors of this festival. And of course all of the other eateries -- Mexican, Colombian, Peruvian, Greek and more -- will be open as usual that Sunday for your strolling and sampling pleasure.
Loganberry is Here!
Our family stopped by Taste of Buffalo Pizzeria recently for wings and pizza -- and found a new soft drink.
The restaurant, near the north branch Public Library at I77 exit 25, is a perfect piece of upstate New York, set down intact in North Carolina. Owners Donna Battaglia and husband Brad are featured in the CHANGING PLACES documentary that's being shown throughout this year on WTVI, and they are also pictured in the exhibit at Levine Museum. http://www.changingplacesproject.org/taste-of-buffalo/
