20 Unspoken Rules of Etiquette That Every Southerner Follows

There’s social etiquette and then there’s Mama’n’em’s etiquette. None of these rules are written down. Southerners just absorb them through cornbread and the liquid sugarcane we call sweet tea.

We took a quick poll of our Facebook Brain Trust and found some common threads. It should come as no surprise that many Southern rules for proper etiquette revolve around food.

First of all, we’re happy to report that the more draconian dining/entertaining rules for children have loosened considerably over the years. Back in the day, children were to be “seen and not heard” when company came over. Or at the very least “speak only when spoken to.” When Mama entertained the preacher, the young’uns didn’t eat till the good reverend had finished, and he always got the “pulley-bone.”  Nowadays, there’s plenty of Publix fried chicken for everybody. Still, some dining restrictions apply . . . and Mama has other rules, as well.

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