11 Things People ALWAYS Ask When They Know You're From Kentucky
By Jenn Shockley|Published November 12, 2015
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Jenn Shockley
Author
I am somewhat a cliche'. I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky.
I love writing, art, sunshine, all animals and my incredibly patient husband, who tolerates my "crazy animal lady" side.
Whenever we travel outside Kentucky, one thing never fails: People notice our accents. This tends to immediately start a barrage of questioning. Of course, this follows them looking us up and down to see if we are wearing normal clothes and shoes, (especially shoes in my case.) Everyone may not experience this type of behavior from strangers in other states, but it has been our reception a few times. For those of you who have been spared a line of ridiculous questions, consider yourselves fortunate.
Here are 11 things people tend to ask when they know I’m from Kentucky:
No, though I think it is legal to marry a cousin in Kentucky. A county clerk IN Kentucky asked us that very question the day we got our marriage license…followed by: "Are you sure?" Much to my surprise, we learned that day it is apparently not an uncommon practice.
10 (a). Whats the difference between corn pudding?
There is both cornbread and corn pudding. We all know what cornbread and corn pudding are in Kentucky, but some other states have no clue. Trying to explain what they are to someone who cannot fathom the thought is painful.
No, though I did see him out in public a few times before he passed on. He was fond of going out to the Kentucky Derby and some festive functions. We also heard he enjoyed taking strolls in his neighborhood (which, by the way, we didn’t live in.)
Most states have an open container law, plus, I personally don’t care for the taste of bourbon. This has been followed by a gasp on several occasions, and another question.
I love mint, but no, I don’t like the taste of bourbon combined with mint or anything else. The one exception to my non bourbon palette is when I cannot taste the bourbon. We’ve never had a bottle in our home.
None. There are careers in Kentucky other then raising horses, farming and mining, though all are hard work and an honest way of living. We do love farm fresh food, and miss our days of living on one though.
Yes, once live and every year thereafter on television, if we watched it. Traffic is a nightmare and getting home, even when just a mile or two away, can take hours. Plus, pretty lights in the sky create air thickened by smoke and IFOs. If you are unaware, IFOs are identified falling objects, such as firework cardboards. Most go unreported, but the cleanup crew the next day collects an unreal amount of trash from the public and the displays. I helped with clean up once.
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4. Have you been to, or do you always go to the Kentucky Derby?
Yes and no. I have been less than five times in over four decades. The out-of-state person in most cases stares at me a few seconds then says,"Why Not"? If I feel talkative, I explain the abundance and hours of traffic, barrage of drunken people, litter, noise, etc. If not, I just tell them my husband use to bartend the track, and throw him under the Derby conversation bus.
No, our grass is a lovely shade of green. However, there is one type that gets a bluish bloom in the spring, which is how Bluegrass in Kentucky got its name. It evolves into green not long after it blooms.
Though they are polite enough not to ask, we have caught people looking at our teeth. Fortunately, our teeth are real and unblemished, but still. I know what they are thinking, when they obviously stare at our teeth thanks to television stars such as "Turtle Man." (Oh, and yes, I have done the discreet tooth check for food particles instantly following these encounters, and 9 out of 10 times, its clear.)
This comes in response to any number of things that might come out of my mouth in "hick." As a matter of fact, I’d say my most often asked question when we travel outside of Kentucky is "What?" My husband is well, but soft spoken, and my hick is fluent. Conversations with us can be a challenge if you don’t speak the accent or have hearing issues.
These are just a few of the things we have been asked over the years. If we sit and start chatting, we’ll likely remember more. It is possible I, in particular, might have blocked some of the moronic questions from the past. What, if any, questions have you been asked over the years when people learned you were from Kentucky?
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