I have to say, as a Southerner, I have always heard about Southern hospitality. There is a standard there you are expected to meet. It comes in all shapes and sizes.
Opening your hearts and home to people is probably the central thrust of it. I have done wacky stuff like host people I haven’t met because they went to college with a dear friend. Thy includes picking up three Swedes at the Memphis airport unexpectedly and showing them around Memphis a few days. It always seems hospitality pays in long-term dividends of friendship!
Well, if I was under the illusion the South had some sort of monopoly on it, I learned otherwise a long-time ago. My landlord in New York would regularly invite me sit down to eat when I went to pay rent. And with her Italian cooking I found it very easy to politely agree.
I have seen it in small towns across America as farmers and ranchers are some of the most generous people I know. This Labor Day holiday is the kind of travel that I need to capture so you understand it in case you haven’t ever experienced it first-hand.
Troy &; Stacy came to welcome me to their home airport.
Val and George met me there and brought me to their part of the Dakotas and later took me on a tour. And Mark has let me borrow a vehicle that lets me fit in.
Jenny and Mark showed me around their part of North Dakota & fixed a great meal. Chocolate milk wasn’t part of it other than a discussion about Mark’s passion.
Katie invited a bunch of our line friends over for dinner (which was awesome) and when i got to the house I was greeted with beautiful pictures her girls drew.
The Wilsons made an awesome cake and put JP on it.
I feel pretty certain Dakota hospitality deserves the same legendary status as Southern hospitality!
Janice,
I think hospitality generally knows no bounds. I know there are exception to the rules. You will always find people that don’t want to be friendly or truly don’t care but they usually are the one’s that lead a miserable life…. 🙁
Aaron
They can keep that stuff to themselves! I don’t have time for it!
My sentiments exactly Janice…. 🙂
Aaron
JP I have to agree with you. When I first came home to meet the Husband’s folks I got the same treatment. Over the years I have watched, experienced and learned the art of Northern Hospitality. It may not be southern, but it is second to none.
Hope you continue to enjoy your time in the north country.
Am loving it and have so much to write about!
JP, it was such a delight to have you as our guest and I only wish we had more time! You are always welcome in our home on the prairie, any month of the year. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your trip and I am excited to see the blog posts from it.
SO great to see you! THANKS for sharing the picture of the cake the girls made, lol. Glad it tasted better than it looked after a three and five year old worked on it and then it melted in the pickup 🙂 They were so proud to show you some ND love! Hope you come visit again soon!
Thanks Sarah again for all of the hospitality! I hate returning to the real world!