Def Leppard took what could be the most innocent of all Southern colloquialisms and appropriated it into a song dripping with sexual innuendo, but if you ask any southern child to “gimme some sugah,” he understands not to bring you a bag of Dixie Crystal from the pantry. Everyone knows this is an affectionate phrase meaning show me some love.
Honey. Sugar. Sweetie. Spend enough time in South Carolina, and you’ll notice our language is syrupy, the words saccharine, and your mood sanguine. The dialectal of the South is ripe with sweetness. We pour syrupy nicknames upon strangers and friends alike. To a Southerner, every living, breathing soul is coated in stickiness. A stranger could be a fruit (peach), a vegetable (pumpkin), or even a flower (sweet pea). Any item in the world with a hint of sweetness is fair game.
Our sweet terms not only convey intimacy, they also suggest indulgence. Each of our sugary names implies pleasure in the person’s company. This combination of intimacy and indulgence gives the stranger a sense that an individual would welcome him into the family, not only as an act of kindness but also because she truly wants to.
Change will undoubtedly come as our language rolls on, like a sticky, slow-motion river, but this search for healthy alternatives is a fool’s errand. Whatever the future holds for our honey-dripping words, may we cling to the openness of our language. May we always make the stranger family, the newcomer an old friend. After all, our identities are stuck to these words. They define and reflect us, all in one breath. If you are what you eat, you are also what you speak, and Sugah, in the South, the two happen to be one and the same.
But I guess, for now, the internet doesn’t speak my language. I googled ‘canning stories,’ and was directed to “Tales of the Rod: Omnibus Edition: a collection of erotic adult caning stories.” Lord have mercy on our souls.
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
I’m hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet
Pour your sugar on me
I can't get enough
Blueberry Jam Recipe by @ali_rosen
