The Bewilderment
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Southern hospitality & small-town customs
In the American South, friendliness can arrive faster than introductions. These postcards watch potlucks, nicknames, and football chants become the local constitution.
By NOBUNAGA (@japan_nobunaga). Featured in The New York Times · ABC News Live · Book.
Cultural FAQs
What are the rules of an American potluck?
Bring enough to share, label allergens if you can, and do not arrive empty-handed unless the host explicitly said so. Showing up with nothing is a classic first-timer mistake.
What does "Roll Tide" mean?
It is the rally cry of Alabama Crimson Tide fans. In Alabama it can function as hello, goodbye, or affirmation — not only game-day chatter.
What is Southern hospitality?
A cultural style of friendliness, food-sharing, and polite address common in the American South. It can feel intensely warm to visitors used to cooler public manners.
Who writes these American culture stories?
NOBUNAGA (@japan_nobunaga) — a wandering-samurai comedy project featured in The New York Times and ABC News Live. Stories live at wandering-nobunaga.com.
The Free
We sat at a table in a bright, loud eating house.
The Enormous
The waitress, a woman of sunny disposition, recommended a dish that, to my eyes, appeared to be…
The Sacred Rituals
USA. A potluck. Everyone brings one dish.
The Sacred Rituals
My host calls him “the weather man.”
The Free
USA. A Southern restaurant.
The Sacred Rituals
In America, a stranger will say “bless you” when you sneeze.
The Sacred Rituals
My nose tingled, a familiar warning.
The Sacred Rituals
The wind changed, the air grew heavy, and the sky above my neighbor’s house began to pulse with…
The Free
USA. A restaurant on my birthday week.
The Sacred Rituals
Over here, the school bus has an ARM, and when the arm extends, all of America stops.
The Sacred Rituals
USA. On Saturday mornings, a parking lot near my home becomes a…
The Sacred Rituals
Somewhere in America, your weather report is performed as THEATER, and I have become a devoted…
The Sacred Rituals
I bought water and gum.
The Enormous
A warm basket appeared before me, unbidden.
The Enormous
USA. The suburbs. My neighbor Dale complimented my lawn, and I…
The Renamed
USA. A family restaurant.
The Bewilderment
This country. A grocery store.
The Sacred Rituals
USA. Your weather report is performed as THEATER, and I have become a devoted patron.
The Bewilderment
USA. I walked in to ask about a job.
The Renamed
In Japan, mispronouncing a word gets you a polite correction.
The Sacred Rituals
In Georgia I entered a Chick-fil-A drive-thru line of forty cars.
The Renamed
In Alabama a man said "Roll Tide" to me as a greeting.
The Renamed
I left Alabama. I am in Georgia now.
The Sacred Rituals
In Nashville I ordered hot chicken.
The Enormous
There is a diner in the Tennessee mountains where a little girl showed me a book.
The Sacred Rituals
I got invited to a church potluck in Alabama. I brought nothing. I didn't know the rules.
The Enormous