a slice of southern pie

Last year at a Piggly Wiggly in Columbia, S.C., the checkout lady exclaimed after hearing the woman's accent in front of me, "Why, you ah a Yankeh!"

Last week during my cab ride to the Atlanta airport, the driver said quickly, "Now up ahead, we'll pass by the spot where General Sherman first began the march that destroyed Atlanta" as if it happened last week. Needing no encouragement from me, he offered an impromptu tour of historic Civil War sites.

Some say Southerners haven't forgotten the Civil War. While I don't believe the general population thinks about Sherman's March to the Sea while eating their morning cornflakes, I'd agree that the Civil War is brought up with more frequency below the Mason-Dixon line.

In fact, the only time I hear "Yankees" spoken up north is during baseball season. Yet, it's always accompanied with a Rebel yell. Hm.