Fresh Bread and What I Love about the South

I went out this morning to buy coffee and bread and I had the good sense to go to Publix, the grocery store chain whose motto is "Where shopping is a pleasure." Who knew that grocery stores had mottos? I wonder if they have a flag, too? Any way, I am happy to report that this Publix makes bread fresh, from scratch, not just daily, but several times a day, and that this store is just 6 minutes, by car of course, from my house. The baker was very friendly, offering suggestions for the breads I might try I order to satisfy my craving for rohliky. In the less than 3 minutes time we talked, I learned her name, where she is from, her own preferences for bread, her favorite hard-to-find dish (saganaki, Greek flaming cheese) and where I could get it, and that I could look for a Chicago bakery that bakes Czech bread from which I might order some. Amazing, isn't it, that strangers should learn so much so quickly? In the South, this is quite ordinary, though it is less common than it used to be. Encounters with strangers which last longer than the obligatory "Hey" quickly lead to "who are you, where are you from, and who are your people?" And if we don't get beyond the initial "hey", we still speak to that same person every time, almost, that we see them, even if we see them several times a day. It is what I was taught was "being friendly" and "mannerly". It is just plain rude to pass a stranger without some courteous gesture of acknowledgement. You don't have to speak, but you should at least smile a little, nod your head, or if you are a man, touch or tip your hat.
Children--- good, Southern children are also taught to address their elders with respect; this means, saying "ma'm" to women and "sir" to men. Bram was resisting this lately, but when I explained to him that it was as much a part of his heritage and who he is as Babicka, "Dobry den" and removing your shoes in the house is to the Czechs, his response was to answer me with "yes, ma'm." He hasn't missed it since.

When I went out to my car, I was happy to learn that good old southern chilvary is still something I can see every day. I found that some other Southern women had reared their sons in the Southern tradition when two men came from different directions to offer their assistance to an old woman who was having car trouble. They approached us, one smiling, the other touching the brim of his cap, addressed up both as "ma'm" and assured the woman that they would take care of the problem for her. I think Southern men should tip their hats and speak, say "ma'm" and "sir", open doors for women,and offer their help to anybody who seems to need it. And the rest of us should offer our help to anyone who seems to need it, especially the old and the very young. It isn't a rule. It isn't a law. It is habit. It is who we are. There is a slogan you can see on bumperstickers, caps, and tee-shirts sometimes: "American by birth. Southern by the grace of God" I rather like that. Yes, ma'm. Yes, sir, I do.