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Here is “Round Four” of your insights into how to know if someone is from North Carolina. You may also want to check out Round One (February 2004), Round Two (March 2004), and Round Three (May 2004).

If you can think of anything to add to this list, send it to us:

E-mail: Carolina.country@ncemcs.com
Mail: P.O. Box 27306, Raleigh, NC 27611.
Phone: (919) 875-3062.

From Terri McKay, Mt. Olive

• You know pastry is a chicken stew, not a dessert item.
• Every time you visit someone you’re offered something to eat and a glass of tea.
• Your granddaddy always wore overalls and your grandma always wore an apron.
• After a day at the beach, you have sat in sandy bathing suit bottoms all the way home.
• In summer you have home-grown tomatoes with every meal.
• You got teary-eyed when you read all these, because it made you nostalgic and so proud to be from this great state.

From Barbara Jones, Lewisville

• You don’t use the expression “you guys” for females.
• You say “y’all” for one person.
• “Ain’t” can mean the word aren’t or the word not.
• Yesterday is pronounced “yesterdee.”
• You remember when EMC used to be REA.

From Stephen Matthews (from Catawba County) and his wife (from Caldwell County), who live in Conover:

• You go to the “fire” instead of the “fair.”
• A poke is a bag.
• A spider is a cast iron frying pan with legs.
• Snits are dried apples.
• You’re invited in to eat possum and sweet taters, or ground hog and gravy.

From Vickie Cruthis, Trinity:

• You know what “standards” are on pick-up trucks.

From Alice Carter of Lexington:

• When it rains and the creek rises, everyone gathers to see how high it rose.
• Summer vacation comes in the fall, because you raise tobacco and that comes first in the summer.
• A cuspidor “spit cup” is an accessory in the living room.
• You buy “Cheerwines.”
• You’re more comfortable barefooted.

From Sandra Hobbs:

• You burn your grass instead of mow it.

From Zinny:

• You know that “chunk” the ball means to throw it.
• You know a hamburger “all the way” means it has chili and slaw on it.
• You know what livermush is and love it.
• You know the difference between a creek and a branch.
• You can recognize a copperhead and your heart drops when you see one.
• You know that to “nuss” a baby is to hold and rock it.

From G.W. Baker, Hertford:

• You have been hit with a dried cow pie, or hit someone else with one, while messing around in a pasture on Sunday afternoon.
• You made a tractor out of grandma’s sewing spool with a rubber band and a Popsicle stick.
• You made a cherry-popper out of a reed and used it. (Spitballs work almost as well as fresh wild cherries.)
• You gigged a water moccasin while after frogs.
• You walked behind a mule breaking wind while using a drain buster.
• You sat down to a black lady’s table (assuming you are white) and pigged out and didn’t even realize you weren’t kin folks.
• You had the opportunity to play with the neighbor’s kids and become friends and hardly knew they were of a different race until you started to school and had to go your “separate but equal ways.”
• You think that those “Yankee interlopers” from Virginia are carpetbaggers, when all they are is kin coming back home.
• You appreciate that the good old R.E.A. sure has helped make living in the countryside a lot more comfortable.
• You grew up to eat aged beef that was knocked in the head, butchered, fried with onion gravy and the whole process started that morning.
• You had to ring the neck, scald and pluck the prized pullet for the Methodist preacher’s clan for Sunday dinner.
• You had to be at grandma’s house when she took out the backbones from some herring grandpa had pickled from the winter run and had to eat the meat that was left on the backbone.

From Luthon Reynolds, Morven:

• You know what Red Rock, Moon Pie and Squirrel Nuts mean.
• You have at least one relative that raises collards.
• Every vehicle you own has a gun rack.
• When you talk stock you’re talking chickens, cows, turkeys, and cars.
• You have two pairs of boots: one for hunting and fishing, the other for racing.

From Deborah Suarez, Hope Mills:

• Your preacher regularly says “ain’t.”
• You don’t inform on someone, but ‘atelling you now.
• You know the definition of “onliest.”
• Your window has an ‘r’ in it.

From Angie Hawkins, Waynesville

• Your son’s wardrobe consists of work Carharts, school Carharts, and Sundee Carharts.
• After running into an acquaintance or two, they say to you, “I’m glad you got to see me.”
• Your weekend entertainment is seeing who can shoot the tater out of the tater gun the farthest.
• “Getting lucky” means you got that ‘possum when he crossed the road in front of your truck.
• Most of the photographs in your house show one person and at least one dead animal.
• Your Christmas tree lights had empty shotgun shells on each bulb and your ornaments were brass bullets tied with red string.

From Jeannette Williams

• You know what a nab is and that there are only two kinds to choose from: Lance or Toms. You only eat one of the two and believe yours is the only choice that makes sense.
• You go to Sunday School at 10 when it really starts at 9:45. You go to church at 11:15 when it really starts at 11. And you complain if you get out a few minutes after 12. You also fuss when the back pews are full first.
• You know who Spud Webb, Lorenzo Charles and Chris Corchianni are.
• You know how to pull, tie, crop, top and sucker bacca. And you believe that those were the good ole days.
• You know what a boweavel is, but do not know how to spell it.

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