Nelda Rachels (neljrach@utm.edu) from 208.47.6.200 at 09/26/00 10:38AM
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    The South has changed significantly just in my lifetime. I think about "dinner" for one thing. It was always at noon when I was growing up. I'm having a difficult time, even yet, calling "dinner" lunch and supper dinner. Confused yet? Dinner was always the big meal of the day at noon because the farmer came in then after a busy morning in the field. The wife had a big meal out on the table for the noon meal. When the family was finished eating, the cook spread a tablecloth over it all, and they'd eat the leftovers for supper. Because agriculture no longer dominates the South, the little word "dinner" has become "lunch"! Also, go to a small community fair in the region and compare it with what our elders went too. There's a big difference! Canned goods won't be in the exhibits or competition as a rule. Homemaking has changed too. Sewing one's own clothing is no longer a necessary skill. Home Economics classes don't demand the apron (beginner's project), sleeveless top or shorts, and dress with sleeves as graded projects anymore. Integration has also changed the South, for the better. Though prejudice still exists, trust me, it's much less now than it was in the 60s. Go to a school at recess, and first graders--black and white--slide on the same slide and one hugs the other at the completion of a successful slide. It's a wonderful sight to see! Funerals? They are changing too. We used to stop the car and turn on the lights and wait while a funeral procession went by. That doesn't happen much anymore. The Internet will also change the South. The more "connected" we become with the rest of the world, the more we will blend in with all other regions. In some respects this is good, but I hope we don't lose our uniqueness as a region completely. It's a romantic notion maybe, but I'd like to think we'd always be known for our dinners in the middle of the day.