I am a member of a rare and hidden breed. We are elusive, mystical creatures roaming the campus unnoticed. Are we unicorns? Fairies? Leprechauns? No, even more uncommon: North Carolinians at Duke. In a school that seems to be a containment area for relocated New Jerseyians (Jerseyites?) and Californians, it can be near impossible to find members of my own kind. To help me find my fellow North Carolinians, I’ve compiled a checklist of sure-fire identifiers that every North Carolinian is assured to have.
1. They know that Cookout serves more than milkshakes.
Mmm, cheap greasy goodness.
2. They all have VIC cards and are members of the Free Cookie Club.
And they silently judge you for saying “Harrison Teeter” or “Harris & Teeter.”
3. They know every line of “Carolina in my Mind.” And “Carolina Girls.” And “Wagon Wheel.”
4. Seriously. We love Wagon Wheel. But not the Darius Rucker version.
Old Crow Medicine Show is it. Anything else is sacrilege.
5. They try to hide their southernisms, but sometimes they come out anyway
Bless your heart, I gotta mind to teach you some southernisms. I might could teach y’all if yer fixin’ to learn!
6. They look like this when they hear non-Carolinians talking about the weather…
…little do they know this is just the beginning…
7. But mostly, we just love to introduce all y’all non-Carolinians to the hidden gems of the Old North state!