Anyone up for a chat thread?

[RileyG]

My dad was a product of boarding school and then the military, before he married my mum. His culinary skills were a work in progress in my childhood. These days he's a very capable cook, but I was there when the promise of future greatness was but a glimmer on the horizon.

Would hillbillies mostly be farming folk? I'm sort of surprised their diet would be heavy in processed food, rather than what they might raise themselves.

"Redneck" is mostly the poor, working class from the Southern United States.

"Hillbillies" are more mountain folk.

Some find them derogatory, but some like using them. Like the song "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson.

I cannot think of any specific terms used for my region, the Midwest.

 

[Shane R]

My dad was a product of boarding school and then the military, before he married my mum. His culinary skills were a work in progress in my childhood. These days he's a very capable cook, but I was there when the promise of future greatness was but a glimmer on the horizon.

Would hillbillies mostly be farming folk? I'm sort of surprised their diet would be heavy in processed food, rather than what they might raise themselves.

It was both. They did farming but mostly of vegetables. They tend to live in parts of our country where the ground is not actually that fertile. They were kind of forcing and willing it to yield produce. They were known to raise hogs and chickens as well. But the canned meat was cheap and readily available. My great grandmother actually thought it was fancy. Homemade ham was around all the time but a canned ham came from the store. She used to buy the 3 pound Hormel Black Label can for our major holidays.

 

[Shane R]

Most Americans are not big on consuming sheep. I'm guessing that is quite common in much of Australia? Also, those who do eat them tend to eat lambs and not mutton. I don't actually know of a place that I can buy mutton locally.

 

[RileyG]

Most Americans are not big on consuming sheep. I'm guessing that is quite common in much of Australia? Also, those who do eat them tend to eat lambs and not mutton. I don't actually know of a place that I can buy mutton locally.

That's true. Many do not eat much duck, either.

 

[Shane R]

This is stereotypically hillbilly:

I do admit I like to chew a wad of Beech Nut now and then, generally when working outside. I don't mind a dip of Red Seal moist snuff either. Not addicted and not a regular user but sometimes it's nice.

 

[The Liturgist]

No. SPAM is a very salty version of ham.

I love spam musubis (which is spam on sushi rice wrapped in black sea weed of the sort used in sushi rolls).

 

[RileyG]

I love spam musubis (which is spam on sushi rice wrapped in black sea weed of the sort used in sushi rolls).

I really love sushi rolls, and maybe I should try that

 

[The Liturgist]

Would hillbillies mostly be farming folk? I'm sort of surprised their diet would be heavy in processed food, rather than what they might raise themselves.

No, that’s an urban stereotype. Hillbillies from my understanding are the traditional folk of the Ozark mountains and are very nice people who are the victims of unfair condescension from the urban elite; Appalachians and Cajuns and people with Southern accents generally also experience this, which is why fewer and fewer people, particularly intellectuals, speak with the kind of gracious Southern accent like the one spoken by my father or my great aunt Clara, may their memory be eternal, or by the bishop into whose jurisdiction my two mission congregations will probably be merged.

 

[The Liturgist]

Most Americans are not big on consuming sheep. I'm guessing that is quite common in much of Australia? Also, those who do eat them tend to eat lambs and not mutton. I don't actually know of a place that I can buy mutton locally.

Well, lamb has always been pretty popular in high-end restaurants I’ve dined at, but mutton is very unpopular in the US. I once had the opportunity to have some splendid rabbit at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, but I opted not to do it as I’ve always found rabbits to be adorable, but I now regret that decision, since I love lambs as well, and chickens, and pigs, and cattle, but I eat their meat.

 

[FaithT]

It'd be nice to just chat about life, the universe, day-to-day life of faith with like-minded folk... doesn't feel right to gate crash someone else's chat thread.

Anyone?

As a light and fluffy starter topic, we could talk about pews. My parish council are busy arguing over whether to buy new ones or not. (I'm so hoping we do!) So what do you like in a pew? Or do you prefer a chair? Or do you even care?

I like pews only because they come with kneelers, but when I was Lutheran we had these cushy, comfy chairs that I liked a lot. I’d always nod off during church. Mostly because I went to 9:00 am service and I’m a night owl but also in part because the chairs were comfortable.

 

[Shane R]

No, that’s an urban stereotype. Hillbillies from my understanding are the traditional folk of the Ozark mountains and are very nice people who are the victims of unfair condescension from the urban elite; Appalachians and Cajuns and people with Southern accents generally also experience this, which is why fewer and fewer people, particularly intellectuals, speak with the kind of gracious Southern accent like the one spoken by my father or my great aunt Clara, may their memory be eternal, or by the bishop into whose jurisdiction my two mission congregations will probably be merged.

So we've got a somewhat different experience. For me, the hillbilly is the people living in the Appalachian parts of WV, KY, VA, NC, TN, and maybe GA.

 

[RileyG]

So we've got a somewhat different experience. For me, the hillbilly is the people living in the Appalachian parts of WV, KY, VA, NC, TN, and maybe GA.

What about people in the Ozarks?

Granted, I never visited them.

 

[FaithT]

What about people in the Ozarks?

Granted, I never visited them.

I’ve been there. Yes, people from the Ozarks are sometimes called hillbillies, too, but I just googled it and it’s considered an insult.

 

[Paidiske]

Most Americans are not big on consuming sheep. I'm guessing that is quite common in much of Australia?

Beef, lamb, pork and chicken would be the staple meats on our tables. And assorted fish. There's a bit of a "thing" about Australians eating lamb; every year an industry body does a themed lamb ad for Australia day, often with tongue-in-cheek commentary on contemporary Australia (see a good example here:

).

Good cuts of lamb are generally expensive, though, so something like a roast leg of lamb would be very much a special occasion meal. This was what I did for our Easter lunch last year.

In most supermarkets I would also expect to be able to find kangaroo, turkey and duck, although relatively few people would be eating those often.

Also, those who do eat them tend to eat lambs and not mutton. I don't actually know of a place that I can buy mutton locally.

Yeah, for that I'd probably try a specialty butcher (also for rabbit).

 

[The Liturgist]

So we've got a somewhat different experience. For me, the hillbilly is the people living in the Appalachian parts of WV, KY, VA, NC, TN, and maybe GA.

I don’t regard Appalachians as hillbillies, although some people do. But in my experience the term when applied to Appalachians is discriminatory, and it might be discriminatory applied to the Ozark people as well, but if you are aware of Appalachians who like to be called hillbillies, I would change my views.

 

[The Liturgist]

What about people in the Ozarks?

Granted, I never visited them.

Well I had always heard of them liking to be called hillbillies, and I do have a friend from the Ozarks in Missouri. But I don’t know for sure.

The Applachians represent a specific civilization with two groups: Northern Appalachians in Kentucky, West Virginia, and places to the north, and Southern Appalachians in the south of Kentucky, and in Tennessee (Knoxville being the closest major city), the Carolinas and Georgia. I believe the Great Smokey Mountains National Park is in the Southern Appalachians, whereas the Shenandoah National Park near Charlotte, Virginia is near the edge of the Northern Appalachian region. The mountain range itself extends all the way through Maine into Canada.

 

[The Liturgist]

Beef, lamb, pork and chicken would be the staple meats on our tables. And assorted fish.

Ours too I daresay, along with Turkey, which is very popular.. Venison, veal, duck and bison are also popular but less common. Ostrich is exotic, and alligator is rare outside of Louisiana and a few other places in the south where alligators are bread and also hunted in the wild to control the population (but not Florida Crocodiles, which as far as i am aware are not legal to hunt).

Kangaroo meat sounds interesting.

 

[Shane R]

I don’t regard Appalachians as hillbillies, although some people do. But in my experience the term when applied to Appalachians is discriminatory, and it might be discriminatory applied to the Ozark people as well, but if you are aware of Appalachians who like to be called hillbillies, I would change my views.

Oh yes. It is openly embraced here. My grandparents, from Kentucky, have considered themselves hillbillies all their lives. The WV folk seem to embrace it too. And half of my former church leadership was from NC and they all said, "Yeah. We're hillbillies."

 

[Paidiske]

Ours too I daresay, along with Turkey, which is very popular.. Venison, veal, duck and bison are also popular but less common. Ostrich is exotic, and alligator is rare outside of Louisiana and a few other places in the south where alligators are bread and also hunted in the wild to control the population (but not Florida Crocodiles, which as far as i am aware are not legal to hunt).

Kangaroo meat sounds interesting.

Venison would be very much a specialty item here. I've never eaten it, and it's the sort of thing I have only seen on menus of expensive restaurants. Veal is around, but probably not eaten so much as ordinary beef (it's expensive, and some people have ethical issues with its production). I love duck, and might have it as a treat, but like turkey, it's very expensive; too expensive for everyday, for most people!

I have heard of crocodile meat, especially up north (where there are crocodiles), but it's not commonly in the supermarket.

As for bison... a quick google tells me it is available as an exotic meat, but I've never seen it anywhere.

Kangaroo is promoted as a healthy meat; relatively lean, high in iron. It's got a stronger taste than beef; a bit game-y. Cooked well it's really good, but it's easy to cook badly. Kangaroo sausages can be a good option.

 

[RileyG]

Ours too I daresay, along with Turkey, which is very popular.. Venison, veal, duck and bison are also popular but less common. Ostrich is exotic, and alligator is rare outside of Louisiana and a few other places in the south where alligators are bread and also hunted in the wild to control the population (but not Florida Crocodiles, which as far as i am aware are not legal to hunt).

Kangaroo meat sounds interesting.

I feel Turkey is most popular around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ham (Pork) is more common for Easter. Although, people will eat ground turkey, turkey bacon, turkey jerky etc.

Chicken, Beef, Pork and sometimes fish is the most common.

Like @Shane R Lamb, at least in my neck of the woods, is rather rare.