There's Tailgating, And Then There's Tailgating

 
                                                                                    

     This is tailgating in the north. This is the world I was born into. Think raw meat on a grill, a Corona with lime, a T-shirt and jeans, trunk open, the local radio station broadcasting the game. 

     In the north, what you see is what you get.  People pretty much say what they mean, do what they say and assume the shortest distance between two parts is a straight line.  Their mantra is, "Why do I insist on doing it the hard way when the easy way will do?"   

                                                                            And then.......

     This is tailgating in the south. I had no idea it existed! Think chandeliers, Greek columns and banquet-worthy spreads of food, blazers, bow ties, sun dresses, pearls, mile high heels, and live music. Who can resist a divine potluck, cocktail hour and a fashion show all rolled into one? 

The south, like anything worth knowing is complicated.  It's a land of stark contradiction. It's nothing if not a place of infinite mystery.         

    I'm definitely a northerner by birth, but I got to the south as fast as I could!