Here Are All the Things Southerners Can't Understand About People in the North

There are regional differences in a lot of places. In the United States, the North and South are now only parts of a much bigger nation. Still, there are some regional differences that stand out to Southerners on vacation. These are some of the interesting differences you might notice between a trip to New York and a trip to Mississippi.

Language Itself

There are a lot of languages in the United States, but even if we're just talking about English, there are a few things that might puzzle a Southerner visiting up North. We aren't just talking about accents here, either.

While a Southern twang definitely sounds different from a western Pennsylvania drawl, we mean the words exactly. Put the same person from the South in Pennsylvania, and you might see them trying to figure out Philadelphia's "water ice" or ordering a "grinder" in Pittsburgh.

Sweet Tea

Southerners are pretty protective of a few things. If there's one drink that they often want made just right, it's sweet tea. In the South, you brew the tea, add sugar while it's hot, and then serve it over ice. In the North, it's the other way around: people chill their tea first and then add sugar.

If it isn't a complaint about how Northerners make their sweet tea, you'll probably hear the complaint a few times that tea in the North just isn't sweet enough. On the contrary, those in the North might have the opposite to say about Southerners' tea.

A Matter of Manners

One difference in mannerisms that you might see between these two regions is what's considered good manners. To some from the North, the South might seem a bit formal at times. We're not saying that Southern hospitality isn't accounted for.

However, the formality of keeping around "Sir" and "Ma'am" at such a frequency in casual conversation can seem a bit odd. On the other hand, we suppose it's a habit that many Southerners were raised with to be polite, and they might find it strange that others don't do it as much.

"Ma'am" and Who You're Speaking To

When you talk to people in the South, you'll hear a lot of people address women as "Ma'am," no matter what their age is. Looking around online, it's easy to see that there's a bit of a divide here.

Some people say that "ma'am" is just polite speech, while others argue that using it when you don't mean to might feel like an insinuation that you're calling someone old. What do you think? Where do you fall on the debate?