At Popeye's last night (hey, don't judge - we're closer to Louisiana here!), I stepped up to the counter to place my order. Confidently, I ordered a #7. Here's how the rest of the conversation went.
Cashier: Yawanna drank?
Me: Yes, I want to get the combo.
Cashier: Spasseyrmalld?
Me: <loooong pause> Mild, please.
Cashier: Wuddayawanferyersahd?
Me: Fries are fine.
Cashier: Anythinels?
Me: No, that'll do it.
I seriously had no idea what she was saying when she asked if I wanted spicy or mild chicken! Luckily, my brain switched into "Southern" mode after a few awkward seconds :)
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Sweet tea
About a week before we left Seattle, we met a guy who had grown up in Tennessee. I asked him what we needed to know about life in the Volunteer State. He waxed poetic about sweet tea. "It's NOT the same as iced tea with sugar added," he stated emphatically.
I'd tried sweet tea at McDonald's before and didn't see what the big deal was. His beverage passion left me scratching my head. But now after living here for a bit, I'm starting to get it. Sweet tea IS different, and it's quite tasty! Most of the restaurants here have big tea brewers, so you're drinking fresh brewed tea that is sweetened while it's still warm, and the sugar crystals dissolve completely. I guess it's kind of a big deal.
In fact, one time when I ordered sweet tea, the waitress said, "We only have Gold Peak - is that ok?" I said sure. Nice of her to warn me, though. I've never been alerted when a diner is serving Folgers or worse :)
In an attempt to be semi-healthy, and because I actually like to taste the flavor of the tea, I'm opting for half sweet, half unsweet when I remember. But I need a cultural ambassador to tell me if there is a term for this - do they call it half & half here? I thought that was for tea & lemonade.
I'd tried sweet tea at McDonald's before and didn't see what the big deal was. His beverage passion left me scratching my head. But now after living here for a bit, I'm starting to get it. Sweet tea IS different, and it's quite tasty! Most of the restaurants here have big tea brewers, so you're drinking fresh brewed tea that is sweetened while it's still warm, and the sugar crystals dissolve completely. I guess it's kind of a big deal.
In fact, one time when I ordered sweet tea, the waitress said, "We only have Gold Peak - is that ok?" I said sure. Nice of her to warn me, though. I've never been alerted when a diner is serving Folgers or worse :)
In an attempt to be semi-healthy, and because I actually like to taste the flavor of the tea, I'm opting for half sweet, half unsweet when I remember. But I need a cultural ambassador to tell me if there is a term for this - do they call it half & half here? I thought that was for tea & lemonade.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Humidity: June
Summers in Memphis are usually described as "sticky," "sweltering," and other such words. So far, though, I'd say Memphis has been splendid! Yes, it's humid here, but it doesn't seem as gross as Washington DC. Caveat: when I lived in DC, I was walking 12 minutes one way to the Metro station in my work clothes, whereas my current lifestyle rarely requires that I step outdoors. Limited exposure may have something to do with my perception of Memphis weather as tolerable. Also, I've heard that it hasn't really gotten "hot" here yet. Ummm, it hit 95 the other day...that seemed pretty toasty.
Overall, I don't mind humidity. It makes my skin feel healthy and keeps the plants green. When we were on vacation in the Caribbean, it was soothing to be surrounded by tropical, lush sea breezes. As long as I have an air conditioned apartment where I can camp out, I enjoy limited exposure to this June weather.
Of course, I reserve the right to come back in July or August to post a whiny rant about how much I hate Memphis in the summer :)
Relative Humidity Map - USA
Overall, I don't mind humidity. It makes my skin feel healthy and keeps the plants green. When we were on vacation in the Caribbean, it was soothing to be surrounded by tropical, lush sea breezes. As long as I have an air conditioned apartment where I can camp out, I enjoy limited exposure to this June weather.
Of course, I reserve the right to come back in July or August to post a whiny rant about how much I hate Memphis in the summer :)
Relative Humidity Map - USA
Monday, June 24, 2013
Critters
Life in the south is full of creepy-crawly critters. My coping skills aren't very well developed. So far there's been a lot of shrieking, squashing, and scurrying away.
Here's a list of what I've found INSIDE the apartment so far:
In addition to the above, this is what we have OUTSIDE:
After the cockroach sighting in the bathroom, I went into full combat mode. I decided it probably came in through a hole in the back wall, under the sink, where the pipes are. So, after fully disinfecting the bathroom, I used packing tape to cover every possible crevice or little hole where a bug could come through. We are also closing the drain stopper in the sink when not in use. I put in a maintenance request with the building management to come seal up the holes, but who knows if they will take my concerns seriously. Some people here have the philosophy of, "It's the south, so you're just going to have roaches." Uh, no, I am not interested in that!!
Here's a list of what I've found INSIDE the apartment so far:
- Spider carcass (upon move in)
- Mosquito
- Clear spider
- Brown spiders
- Slug (seriously, since when do slugs come indoors?)
- Fruit flies
- Cricket
- Potato bugs, aka pill bugs, aka roly-poly
- A couple other unidentified small bugs
- Little cockroach
- HUGE cockroach
In addition to the above, this is what we have OUTSIDE:
- Mud wasps/dirt daubers
- Other wasps
- June bugs
- Cicadas (no visual confirmation, but I hear them)
- Lots of ants
After the cockroach sighting in the bathroom, I went into full combat mode. I decided it probably came in through a hole in the back wall, under the sink, where the pipes are. So, after fully disinfecting the bathroom, I used packing tape to cover every possible crevice or little hole where a bug could come through. We are also closing the drain stopper in the sink when not in use. I put in a maintenance request with the building management to come seal up the holes, but who knows if they will take my concerns seriously. Some people here have the philosophy of, "It's the south, so you're just going to have roaches." Uh, no, I am not interested in that!!
Friday, June 21, 2013
The Uses of Y'all
Y'all = you all. It's used for a group of 2 or more people, regardless of gender. This is common in the southern U.S. I have tried using it once so far and felt like an awkward Yankee! I didn't realize how much I say "you guys" until I was surrounded by "y'all."
Quiz: list the different ways "y'all" may be used in a sentence.
1. Pronoun
Example: Where are y'all from?
2. Possessive Adjective
Example: Bless y'all's hearts! [Context: we told someone in the apartment leasing office that we had just arrived from Seattle via moving truck. This was her response.]
3. Possessive Pronoun
Example: Is this y'all's? [Context: checker at Target, asking if the items on the conveyer belt belonged to us, or to the next customer.]
Those are the three uses I've encountered so far. I wasn't sure about apostrophe placement, so I hope this site led me in the right direction.
Quiz: list the different ways "y'all" may be used in a sentence.
1. Pronoun
Example: Where are y'all from?
2. Possessive Adjective
Example: Bless y'all's hearts! [Context: we told someone in the apartment leasing office that we had just arrived from Seattle via moving truck. This was her response.]
3. Possessive Pronoun
Example: Is this y'all's? [Context: checker at Target, asking if the items on the conveyer belt belonged to us, or to the next customer.]
Those are the three uses I've encountered so far. I wasn't sure about apostrophe placement, so I hope this site led me in the right direction.
Welcome to the blog!
Your wait is over - the Salmonista blog is going live!
This blog will chronicle our adventures in and around Memphis, TN. We're using pseudonyms because we prefer to remain anonymous for now. I'd imagine that most of the people reading this blog will actually have met us in real life, but you just never know who's going to stumble across your website.
Cast of Characters
We're a 30-something couple who relocated to Memphis from Seattle for work.
Salmonista: female, blog author, originally from Oregon. Never set foot in Memphis before moving here. The closest I came was a 3-day conference in Nashville a few years back.
Das Fenster: male, originally from South Dakota. Might have driven through Memphis before on a family vacation but doesn't quite remember.
That's it so far. We don't really know anyone who lives here yet. Maybe I'll mention some other family members or friends along the way. I'll make up other names for them (inspired by KYP, who has a great anonymous blog :) )
This blog will chronicle our adventures in and around Memphis, TN. We're using pseudonyms because we prefer to remain anonymous for now. I'd imagine that most of the people reading this blog will actually have met us in real life, but you just never know who's going to stumble across your website.
Cast of Characters
We're a 30-something couple who relocated to Memphis from Seattle for work.
Salmonista: female, blog author, originally from Oregon. Never set foot in Memphis before moving here. The closest I came was a 3-day conference in Nashville a few years back.
Das Fenster: male, originally from South Dakota. Might have driven through Memphis before on a family vacation but doesn't quite remember.
That's it so far. We don't really know anyone who lives here yet. Maybe I'll mention some other family members or friends along the way. I'll make up other names for them (inspired by KYP, who has a great anonymous blog :) )
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