Growing up Georgian

Another excerpt from "Not my native tongue" to lighten the mood:


We’ve all got our own stereotypes of different people and parts of the country. It’s human nature to take what you have heard as the truth until you’ve seen it for yourself. But, after spending the first 15 years of my life in Atlanta and then setting out on my travels to other parts of the world, I learned of one that never crossed my mind. Apparently, some people not from Georgia believe that we eat dirt. Now, without ever having been to New York, I would venture to guess that not everyone there is rude, walks fast and lives in Manhattan. I would also go out on a limb to say not everyone in California looks terrific in a swimsuit. And, finally, while I may be stretching it, I don’t think everyone in Las Vegas is related to the mob. So, let me help you out… beyond the mud pies I made as a kid, I’ve never eaten dirt. In fact, I don’t know anyone who has (there was that one episode of Oprah that talked about getting iron from the red clay, but I’m going on record as saying that doesn’t count).

That’s right, I said it. We don’t eat dirt. And, while I’m at it, I’ve never (knowingly) eaten roadkill, opossum or otherwise. I have heard of some who have eaten squirrel but, frankly, it sounds too gamey for my taste.

Now that we’re clear on that dirt-eating thing, let’s move on. We, and by we I mean a good number of people here, do walk around barefoot. Not because we can’t afford shoes and not that we have extra toes or webbed feet that don’t fit in Manolo Blahniks, but because it just feels good. It’s not natural to want to wear shoes - we all fight it as children – so why did you stop fighting it? My shoes are off as soon as I’m home. And, as long as it’s warm enough outside (55 degrees or more), I’m only wearing flip-flops when I do need to guard the bottoms of my feet. One word of caution – and I’m dead serious about this – when and if you decide to go barefoot, sandaled, mandaled (man sandals) or flip-flopped, make sure you have properly cared for your toenails and toes. Few things will draw more attention than poor pedi-maintenance.