7 things about Charlotte that make me scratch my Northern head
Charlotte is what I’d call a Southern-ish city. You’ll definitely hear “y’all”s flying around, but you’ll also see plenty of Ohio license plates in front of you as you head to work.
And though Charlotte certainly isn’t as culturally Southern as other places on the map, there are some elements of life in the Queen City that make me stop, scratch my Northern head, and go, “Hmmm. I’m not in Kansas New York anymore.”
Some of these facts include:
(1) Southern food is its own genre.
I thought I knew what barbecue was, but now I know that you haven’t fully lived until you’ve tried the Southern version. I didn’t even know pimento cheese was a thing until I moved here and my Charlotte-native friend forced me to try it, but now I’m a major fan.
The one thing that still hasn’t clicked for me? The appeal of grits. Despite many attempts and lots of butter and cheese, it’s just not happening.
@WaffleHouse one slice of yellow pre packaged cheese on top of grits does not qualify as cheese grits #Disappointed pic.twitter.com/UQEVGZzO3v
— Roman Green (@romanjgreen) October 31, 2014
(2) People are really, really friendly here.
I’ve probably had more conversations with strangers in the two years I’ve lived in Charlotte than I’ve had in the rest of my 27 years of living. People are interested in knowing about you, but not in a creepy, murder-y way.
(3) How are the lakes so clean?
In the Northeast, lake = body of water that feels like swimming in a toilet. Lake Norman totally changed my opinion on this topic.
https://twitter.com/QCHelicopters/status/647137464696504320
(4) Small nuances in language are amusing.
My Southern friends say a few things that make me remember we were raised in different parts of the country. A big discrepancy comes with the word “insurance.” They’re saying *IN-surance* and I’m talking about *in-SURance.*
Either way, still sort of a boring topic.
(5) ABC Stores are happiness.
When I first moved, I distinctly remember driving by several ABC Stores and wondering what they sold, since New York liquor stores are regulated differently and are called things like Bob’s Liquors. It only took one really long day and the need for a vodka tonic or two for me to figure it out.
https://instagram.com/p/3U6hDtm0Ko/
(6) South Carolina sounds far. It isn’t.
I’ve been here for two years and I still get a kick out of the fact that I can just hop down to a different state for cheaper gas.
How I love getting gas in South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/xGxU1VuzOR
— Chad White (@chadwhite704) February 6, 2015
(7) Why must the bugs be so unmanageable in size?
In the Northeast, you’re dealing with ants, small spiders and the occasional centipede. Here, the bugs are “Jurassic Park” status and they fly right at your face.
Just going to carry this around with me from room to room until it gets cooler. At night I'll cuddle it in bed. Nbd. pic.twitter.com/q1dwsYDjRi
— Lauren Levine (@lifewithlauren1) June 17, 2015
It’s terrifying, and yet Charlotte natives shrug their shoulders and say, “It’s just life in the South.” I have a hard time accepting this. As a result, I consider my exterminator a close personal friend.
Another thing I’ll never stop marveling over: The fact that it’s October and you can run out the door in a light jacket, without dreading the non-stop barrage of snow that’s to come in a few weeks.
What a beautiful, relaxing way to live.
Photo: Todd Sumlin/Charlotte Observer
This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 10:00 PM with the headline "7 things about Charlotte that make me scratch my Northern head."