When is a Yankee not a Yankee? My wife and I have been living in North Carolina for 25 years. We are both from New England. I am from Connecticut and Christine is from New York State.
We still have not been accepted into "The Good Ole Boy Network", even though we say ya'll, eat grits and hush puppies, drive a pick-up truck, and know who Dale Ernhardt is.
Some folks around here call us Yankees, no... make that Damn Yankees. I am told that the difference between a Yankee and a Damn Yankee is the Damn Yankees are the ones who came down south and never went back home again!
We were born and raised in the north, but our home is here in the south. I was always told that Home is were you hang your hat. Well our hats are hanging in Wendell, North Carolina and we are here to stay, so all ya'll better get over it! We are never going back up north again, except maybe for an occasional visit. (Frankly, it's just too cold up there in the north.) I guess our blood has thinned out from living here in North Carolina for so long.
Just curious if anyone knows how long it takes to no longer be considered a northerner and lose the label of Damn Yankee?
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5 comments:
It takes about two generations. BTW...where I was raised, people in North Carolina are considered dam'yankees...if that helps you feel any better.
From what my parents (grew up in Boston, raised me in Maine, now live in North Carolina) have told me..."never."
Jay's right.... two generations, as long as the parents or grandparents haven't retried back up north.
cmmdtp:
I'm not sure complete acceptance ever happens. I had an uncle from New York who married a lady from South Carolina, and he never really ceased to be a Yankee even after living in S.C. his whole adult life.
About the same time it takes a washashore to become a native on Cape Cod - at least a generation.
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