Coming home

I have lived in the South for almost 14 years, which means I have been a Southerner almost as long as I’ve been a Yankee. Some of you may be thinking that a girl born in Pennsylvania and raised in New York and Ohio will never truly be Southern, but I’m giving it my best shot. The word “y’all” is second nature to me now, and every once in a while I’ll let a “might could” slip out. The secret to becoming a true Southerner is in the cuisine. If you don’t eat like a local, you’ll never be a local. Becoming a Southerner has been a culinary adventure, to say the least, but in my 14 years in Alabama, Texas and North Carolina, I think I’ve acclimated quite well. I now know how to make the perfect gallon of sweet tea, and shrimp and grits is perhaps my favorite meal. I can debate the merits of vinegar-versus-mustard-based barbecue sauce with the best of them. Sure, I still get a hankering for a bagel every now and then, but give me Krispy Kreme over Dunkin’ Donuts any day. You can’t get any more Southern than that.

Nora
nora.shoptaw@skirt.com