I Know I’m Supposed To Like Buc-ee’s, But

Just to be clear, it’s not that I don’t like Buc-ee’s, I think they’re a wonderful company, executing their business model to perfection every day.  It’s just we’ve made a mess of it by how we’ve decided to gush over a convenience store.

It’s becoming a rite of passage.  “Well, you’ve been to one, haven’t you?”  “Really, no?”. “Oh, you’ve got to see one of these”.

I’ve been to I think four Buc-ee’s…the one on I-95 by Florence.  A couple around Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida and one in Kentucky.  The reason I keep going back, especially when travelling with her, is the bathrooms.  We’re tasked on the road, with making sure that the places we stop, in order for her to use the restroom are not the Parisian “cop & squats” she encountered in France.  The better the restroom, the more we’ll stop.

But my gosh, at times, trying to navigate getting in and out of a Buc-ee’s is at times, like trying to land a 747.  I realize it was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but last year, we spent 45 minutes, 45 MINUTES trying to leave the location near Florence.  Did I mention it was 45 minutes!

That’s on us.  Because we’ve just got to stop, cause we’ve never seen that many gas pumps.  Or that many soft drinks.  Or that much candy.  Are the brisket sandwiches good? Absolutely!  Don’t let me forget about the nuggets, ah the Buc-ee’s Nuggets.

Again, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying.  I marvel at their business.  They realized that we were craving a HUGE stopping point in our travels.  A one stop shop for just about anything and everything.  And clean bathrooms.

We’ll be hitting the road on a few occasions over the next few months, and I have no doubt that there will be more visits.  Which reminds me, I should really think about the holidays and picking up some Christmas gifts.  Let me know what you would like.

These are some things only people from The South will understand. Now I'm not saying that other parts of the country don't do the things we're going to talk about. I'm just saying that these things are deeply a part of our culture. These things have been a part of the southern way of life for a long time. If you're from The South, or you've been here for a while, odds are you've all done these things at some point.

Odds are you've probably heard people say, "It's a Southern thing" if you've been here for more than a few weeks. Or if you've lived here your whole life, you've definitely told people "It's a Southern thing". There are certain things that just resonate with people in The South than they do in other parts of the country.

I was looking at the website WhenInYourState.com and they were talking about things only people from Georgia would understand. Of course, being from Georgia, I had to read that list. However, I didn't want to leave our friends across the river in South Carolina out. So I took some of the things that we all share and used them to help me come up with this list.

Down here in The South, we may do things a little slower, but there's a reason for that. In my opinion, the reason we move a little slower is we're trying to soak in everything around us. We know that we have limited time here and we don't want to miss anything.

Another thing you hear about people from The South is that we're so nice. I think that's true for the majority of us, now don't get me wrong, you'll find some Southern people that aren't so great. We just look at them, say "Bless your heart" and move on.

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I've heard this phrase a bunch living in The South. "If you don't like the weather, give it a minute, it'll change." One day it might be 90 degrees, and the next it could be 50. Let's not forget about those pop-up afternoon showers that have the chance of happening every day between the months of May and August. The weather in The South can be nuts, but most of us are used to it by now.

Whether you cheer for Georgia, South Carolina, Clemson or whoever, Saturdays in The Fall are sacred down here. Every Saturday, you see people decked out in all of their game day gear. When the game is on, we don't want to be disturbed. Another funny thing is in The South we don't say "Georgia has a tough game this weekend", we say "We've got a tough one this weekend". I love football Saturdays, and I know y'all do too!

Down here in the South, we love a good fair or festival. It's a great chance to see your friends and neighbors. It's also a great chance to try new food. Fairs and festivals are just things that people look forward to down here, and I bet if I put you on the spot, you could name your favorite festival or fair. Trust me, we've all got one. Mine is the Columbia County Fall Fair.

It doesn't matter if it's fried chicken or BBQ, we've got the best food in the South, and we love to eat. If you've having a family get together or a football party, everyone brings something, and it's their own special recipe, which they may or may not be willing to share with you. I love a good "hole in the wall" Southern comfort food place, and don't worry there is no shortage of those down here.

That's one thing you hear a lot about is Southern hospitality. We want to treat people nice when they come to visit. We're always willing to show people around, and we want to make sure they eat good. When people come to visit us down here in The South, we want them to leave saying "I had the best time". I think that is what really sets us apart from some other places in the country, the Southern hospitality.