Do What???

Okay, first of all I want to say that I really do love the South. I love the Southern hospitality, the trees, the "The Cracker Barrel," the sweet little Southern lady who calls me "Honey" everytime I stop at the gas station. I love all of it, I really do! But there's one thing that really irks me about the "dialect" so to speak in the South. It's the question I have heard countless times and sometimes unnecesarilly in my opinion. "Do what?"

What does that mean anyway? Where I come from, Queens, NY we said things like, "Excuse me?" or "Pardon?" or "I'm sorry, what?" and "What was that?" when you didn't hear something someone said. You know the normal responses. But here in TN and other Southern states I'm learning "Do what" seems to be the typical response when someone wants you to repeat something you've said. I don't know what annoys me more, the question or the deep Southern sometimes unrecognizable to my Big City ears accent that comes with the response.

As much as I love TN, I'm literally lost in translation at times. Like I said before, I love the Southern hospitality but there are days I find myself missing the push and shove, the bluntness, the accent and the overall culture of the "Big City." I guess as much as my ears sting at the sound of that "phrase" I will have to put up with it. But something that I've declared to all who surround me here in the little world of hills, biscuits, honky tonk, and country ham festivals is that I will never say "Do what?" or my other "favorite" phrases, "Doggone" and "Y'all." My Southern-bred husband will second that.

Now, I hope I've made myself clear. So don't you dare ask me that question!

Mrs. H ; )