My Virginia

Years ago, I remember getting annoyed as a teenager when some dolt on "The Weather Channel" would refer to Virginia as part of the Mid-Atlantic region. Boy, was  I in for a surprise. Forget Mid Atlantic. Now we're considered the part of that frozen tundra called  "The Northeast".  Has the North moved South? Yes and No. But I think I don't really mind being called Mid Atlantic now. In fact I would long for it. Please call us Mid Atlantic or South Atlantic, East Coast,  or a border state. Anything but the Northeast!  If North Carolina is often referred to as "The Mind of the South", then Virginia is just above it. We are north of North Carolina,  and just below the Mason Dixon line. And we straddle the fence on what was once known as the "Upper South". But I don't think we are the Northeast. That is something I don't understand. How is Virginia the Northeast? Not by culture, certainly not by history, and no , not even geographically...

Does a "Sweet Tea" line in Virginia really exist? I'm afraid so. It didn't used to be this way, but when you get north of Richmond, its harder and harder to find places that will serve you sweet tea- or even give you a choice. In Northern Virginia and close to the District, you may get blank stares when asking for that sweet goodness- even if you're a native like myself who was raised on it. 50 years ago you could get sweet tea state wide. From Leesburg to Danville from Winchester to Virginia Beach- it was the drink of choice among Southerners, and Virginia was no exception. However, because of a major recent influx of Northerners and Midwesterners, Sweet Tea is almost extinct in many places of the Commonwealth. Even in Richmond- you will be offered "sweet" or "unsweet tea" but only if asked. The problem lies in a gradual homogenization of Virgina into a more Mid-Atlantic state, rather than a Southern one. A litmus test as to whether you...