I too have enjoyed hearing about all of your favorites from the past. I have heard of sweeping yards, but had forgotten about it. I know people have mentioned RC and Moon Pies over the years in a nostalgic way, and I do remember Double Colas. We too in North Alabama where I grew up, referred to all cola drinks as a "coke," as in "What kind of coke do you want?" We only had red eye gravy with ham and biscuits. In the North West corner of Alabama they make chocolate gravy to go with biscuits. I've heard from people in that part of the state that it is very good. Cracklins for cracklin' bread- they'd be hard to come by now unless you know someone who raises their own hogs. I've seen them in the store, but they aren't nearly as good as the ones we used to get when people killed their own hogs. It's as big a difference as home -grown tomatoes and store -bought tomatoes, which shouldn't even be called tomatoes in my opinion, there is such a difference. Actually, the food we buy now doesn't hold a candle to the food we used to raise in our own garden as far as the taste goes. My Dad was from the country and used to talk about "Poke sallet " (salad) which I think was actually a weed. He also used to eat souse meat. That freaked me out. I've actually seen it in Wal-Mart. I was in the Wal-Mart by the campus here at Auburn and I over heard two college girls examining souse meat and trying to figure out what it was. I wondered if they read the ingredients. They would have been grossed out for sure. I think it is a bunch of left over hog parts and I know for sure it has snout in it. I think our ancestors knew how to make the most of everything. I never tried souse meat or brains and eggs either. My dad ate that too. I teach fifth grade, and the students are so far removed from the farm, that they comprehend very little of stories written about times earlier than 50 years ago. They have no idea what the simplest things are such as plowing. It's amazing to me that we came from an agrarian society and now all the food is grown by 2% of the population. Agribusiness. Speaking of things missed: I miss real Southern accents. Everyone generally talks the same now and it sure is boring to all sound like the generic accents we hear on the evening news. Occasionally, I hear someone use a good ole' Southern phrase and I think about how I miss it. Our regional dialects are slowly fading away. Janeane ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

When we were kids in Bedford County TN in the 1940's and 1950's, we used to go into the woods in early spring and "pick" poke weed. Mamma would clean it and cook it. She did something to take out the poison. I love spinach and turnip greens but never liked poke salad. You had to pick it just as it was poking out of the ground. We have poke weed growing along our driveway here in West Virginia along with ramps and some wonderful wildflowers. My father was from Cannon Co. I can remember as a small child going to the Thytira Cemetery in Cannon Co. I always thought they were saying "Flat tire". Even with my imagination I could not figure out why anyone would go some place expecting to get a flat tire until I married Dave. My mother was from Pennsylvania and did not like southern accents, but my niece and nephew who also lived in Bedford Co and are my age had heavy southern accents. My niece still does. I still slip and use a good ole' southern phrase "now and again" even though I lived in Sacramento Ca for 30 years. You can never get completely away from the south. Small town are wonderful. My husband is a caver and we were in Texas to attend our annual caver's convention near New Braunfels, Texas in 1978. We were in a small town on our way Devil's Sink Hole. To take pictures Dave needed #5B flash bulbs. They were not readily available even then. We stopped at on older family owned drug store. The owner thought he had some of those blue bulbs in the attic. He asked his daughter to "get these young folks a coke". Without a word, we were handed Dr Peppers. I was raised in Tennessee so Dr Pepper was my favorite but Dave expected a "Coca Cola" . We arrived in a small town near Devil's Sink Hole a couple of days ahead of our friends, we stayed in a motel with three guest rooms. We unpacked and decided to walk the few block to the center of town to have dinner. Without any form of introduction, we were greeted like old friends and everyone had ideas on how to spend our time until our friends arrived. The owner of the motel was not only talkative to us but to everyone in town. Since I grew up in a small town, I know one thing about small towns. There are no secrets. We were in Idaho in 1972 and our twenty year old van's "u-joint" broke. They did not have one at the local garage. The son of the local garage owner took Dave for a ride along the local canyons to see if they could spot an old van like ours that had been driven over the side. The garage owner was making arrangement for Dave to ride to Riggins, Idaho with the State Trooper and then ride back the next day with the same trooper. The former owner of the garage who was in his 80's walked in and "likened he had some of those in a box on the top shelf behind other boxes in the back room" . With some adjustment, Dave made one of those fit and we were on our way to another caving adventure. We drove that van on caving and camping trips for years with an adapted "u-joint" and every trip has been an adventure. Our own small town is great, we were gone for two months in 2003 and had stopped our mail. We came back on Sunday afternoon and stopped at the local "Service Center- gas station and store" to get a few things. We were talking to some friends outside for a few minutes. The next day, I was going to the post office to start delivery of the mail and to go into Lewisburg for groceries. Out of habit, I checked the mail box and there was that day's mail with a note welcoming us back and asking us to pick up the rest of our mail at the post office. There was too much mail for our box and our driveway is 1/2 mile long with a gate. Sandy Cowan On 5/13/07, SJaneane@aol.com <SJaneane@aol.com> wrote: > > I too have enjoyed hearing about all of your favorites from the past. > I have > heard of sweeping yards, but had forgotten about it. I know people have > > mentioned RC and Moon Pies over the years in a nostalgic way, and I do > remember > Double Colas. We too in North Alabama where I grew up, referred to all > cola > drinks as a "coke," as in "What kind of coke do you want?" We only had > red > eye gravy with ham and biscuits. In the North West corner of Alabama > they > make chocolate gravy to go with biscuits. I've heard from people in that > part of > the state that it is very good. > > Cracklins for cracklin' bread- they'd be hard to come by now unless > you know > someone who raises their own hogs. I've seen them in the store, but they > aren't nearly as good as the ones we used to get when people killed > their own > hogs. It's as big a difference as home -grown tomatoes and store -bought > > tomatoes, which shouldn't even be called tomatoes in my opinion, there is > such a > difference. Actually, the food we buy now doesn't hold a candle to the > food > we used to raise in our own garden as far as the taste goes. > > My Dad was from the country and used to talk about "Poke sallet " (salad) > which I think was actually a weed. He also used to eat souse meat. That > freaked me out. I've actually seen it in Wal-Mart. I was in > the Wal-Mart by the > campus here at Auburn and I over heard two college girls examining souse > meat > and trying to figure out what it was. I wondered if they read the > ingredients. They would have been grossed out for sure. I think it is a > bunch of left > over hog parts and I know for sure it has snout in it. I think our > ancestors > knew how to make the most of everything. I never tried souse meat or > brains > and eggs either. My dad ate that too. > > I teach fifth grade, and the students are so far removed from the farm, > that > they comprehend very little of stories written about times earlier than > 50 > years ago. They have no idea what the simplest things are such as > plowing. > It's amazing to me that we came from an agrarian society and now all the > food > is grown by 2% of the population. Agribusiness. > > Speaking of things missed: I miss real Southern accents. Everyone > generally > talks the same now and it sure is boring to all sound like the generic > accents > we hear on the evening news. Occasionally, I hear someone use a good ole' > Southern phrase and I think about how I miss it. Our regional > dialects are > slowly fading away. Janeane > > > > ************************************** See what's free at > http://www.aol.com. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TNCANNON-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the message > -- Sandy Cowan HC 69 Box 117 Friars Hill Rd Friars Hill WV 24938 304-497-3553 scowan@hrea.coop