Monday, February 1, 2010

Southern Snow-Frenzy

Most of you will be aware that the Southeast (which is what I'm refering to when I say "the South" - yes, Texas is geographically south, but I only really include it as the red-headed step-child of Tennessee, which founded it) got whollopped with winter this past weekend. My cousin, Lisa, called me Friday to let me know they were expecting 15 inches of snow in central North Carolina. (Uncle Don, who has been known to drive two to three hours to find snow, is ecstatic, I'm sure.)

The mysterious thing about snow in the South is its connection with white food. Snow sends Southerners into a somewhat bizarre (and hilarious) frenzy over bread and milk. And to a somewhat lesser extent, eggs. If the lightest of flurries are in the forecast and you haven't already gotten to the grocery store, you're out of luck. The bread and milk will be gone. Weather men and women must stop on the way to work or call their spouses to give them a head's up before they go on the air. Whoever it is that is getting there first, this phenomenom has been around longer than I have. Snow = we need white food staples!!!!!

I've often wondered what happens to all that bread, milk, and eggs. I can't imagine that there's too much craving for cereal in the cold. I'd like to think about all those kids snowed in at home instead of going to school stuffing themselves with a hot brunch of french toast before they go out to plow through the yard. The milk is necessary for that treat, Snow Cream, and some people put eggs in it (which I suppose would make it Snow Custard). But mostly, I think people are probably sitting there trying to figure out what to do with the extra gallons of milk before they spoil and feeding stale bread to the birds out in the snow. Eggs, as most Southerners know, don't really go bad.

Friday, when Lisa called, she was chuckling. She'd just come home from the store, where she'd gone to get some medicine and cheese for her husband Nathan who was sick and apparently develops his own craving for grilled cheese sandwiches when snow is in the forecast. She'd gone to the dairy section to get the cheese and laughed all the way home because the canned biscuits were gone. One more white food fallen to Southern snow-frenzy.

4 comments:

  1. I don't know how I missed this post, but I just now found it! Too funny! Thanks for making me chuckle again. The forecast here for today is flurries, so I am sure the "white out" is on at the grocery stores this very minute. I'm staying home...

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  2. let's try snow cream if we get a chance! :)

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  3. I never thought of the "white" connection before. Very clever. :)

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  4. Jennifer,
    I am loving your blog, which I somehow landed on through facebook. The milk and bread is for milk sandwiches, of course!! Don't forget the poptarts--those leave the shelves pretty fast, too!
    Thanks for reminding me why I hope to never leave the South!

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