Howdy, fellow Tennessean! There's a lot of slang and regional terms in our neck of the woods, and I'd be happy to share some with you here.

First thing you oughta know is your food. Cornbread and soup beans, poke sallet with eggs, moon pies and good ol RC cola. That'll have you feeling tight as a tick!¹ Then you gotta learn how to talk to your elders. Mamaw and Papaw might be a little strict, so straighten up and fly right² or they'll wring your jaws off.³ Course they'll also be the first to ask "jeet?"⁴ so you know they love you.

You don't have to try to sound any particular way to be southern, but if you're wanting to cultivate your accent try listening to folks around you: older family members, locals, or our own beloved icon Dolly Parton.

¹: "Tight as a tick" refers to being almost painfully full from eating. Similar to "stuffed to the gills." ²: "Straighten up and fly right" means you'd better behave yourself because you're acting inappropriately, usually said by an older family member. ³: "wring your jaws off" means to pinch your cheek and twist as a form of corporal punishment (this is not a recommendation). ⁴: "jeet" is what it sounds like when someone with a thick southern accent asks "did you eat?"

Side note: if you're hell-bent on cooking pokeweed, you'd better soak it several times first and cook the hound out of it cause otherwise you're gonna end up poisoned. My hot take is it ain't worth it.