The most basic of questions that Southerners ask each other, usually right after meeting, is “Where are you from?”
This gets you confused, weird looks from just about anyone not from the south, who ask you things like “Do you mean where was I born? Or where do I live now, or what??”
No, I mean where are you FROM. Every southern person over the age of 3 knows this.
Here’s an example: I’m in my 60’s. I’ve lived in 4 states, but only one place I’m FROM – is where I was born, and where “My people” are.
Southerners are always naturally looking for connections between each other; they probably know your 2nd cousin, or something. If they keep digging, they’ll eventually find a connection, sort of like a regional game of “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”. One thing this obsession also leads to is blanket statements like “Everyone knows all those Smith’s in LaSalle Parish are crazy”.
Although the modern world is changing this, South Louisiana residents used to take this to an extreme. They know exactly where they’re from, because they still more than likely live in the same town/street/house that they grew up in. Or right next door to mama & papa.
