Pig farm in US-southern state.

aruna

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I'm trying to create a plausible scene. It's a small farm run by a poor black single middle-aged woman whose adult children have all flown the nest. She has a few pigs and chickens. It doesn't matter which state: at present I have her in Georgia but really I have no idea.

questions: her little farm is leased from a bigger farmer. What kind of farm would that farmer have? Corn? Cotton?
She has guests. What would she serve them, if they turn up unexpectedly? I'm thinking of a little snack she'd have in the house. What drink would she serve?

The guests are pastors. It doesn't matter what church; she herself is a church member. What church do you suggest, common for that state? How would she address the pastors .. Reverend? One is local, the other from San Francisco. They could be of different denominations.

She's upset about her run away daughter. Would she use an expression in which she talks of hauling her little ass back home, or would ass be too strong an expression for a church lady, in front of a pastor, even if she apologizes afterwards? This is in the late 70's. And this is really just one short scene.

Thanks for any tips/suggestions.
 
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Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Not black and not from the South, but I am from the era.

Common black churches would have been AME Zion (African Methodist Episcopal) and Black Southern Baptist (but it would have had another name then). There were Pentacostals too.

I think she'd have called them Reverend, yes.

I would suggest you read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, which gives a good look at Southern, churching going black culture.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

Tazlima

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I don't know about during the 70s, but I currently live in Southern Louisiana, which has a climate similar to Georgia. My first thought when you mentioned crops would be strawberries (the annual strawberry festival was this past weekend, so I have strawberries on the brain). Sugar cane is the biggest crop around here, and tomatoes are also pretty high on the list.

It rarely falls below freezing, and there's plenty of rain, so most plants thrive here. Rice does very well, hence the traditional Monday dish of red beans and rice (using up leftovers from the Sunday ham).

It's really too wet to be optimal for grapes or citris on a commercial scale, but apart from that, it's a gardener's dream.
 
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Twick

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Not southern, but in my area nice, churchgoing ladies always have pie of some sort available. If not that, then a pan of squares.

If the pastors required something beyond a sweet, sandwiches, perhaps based on canned meat if there isn't a cold chicken or ham available, could be made quickly.
 

Tazlima

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For drinks, lemonade or iced tea would be pretty standard, certainly something cold.

However, if she actually offered them a "cold drink," it would be understood that she meant soda. Just as they say "pop" in the north, around here "cold drink" is the catchall term for soda (even if the soda is warm - which confused me no end when I first moved here).

It's hard to describe in writing, but the syllabic emphasis and speed is slightly different when one says "cold drink" meaning any drink that happens to be cold, vs. "cold drink" meaning some variety of soda. The soda version has the emphasis on the word "cold," with the same cadence and pitch as if you were saying "shoe store."

Another fun term I learned when I moved here: Old-timers refer to avocados as "alligator pears." It's such a lovely, evocative phrase, and makes perfect sense to boot.
 
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braveboy

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In the 40's and 50's when I was a kid in small-town South, we were all equally poor, black and white. but when it was our turn to host the preacher, it was ALWAYS fried chicken. us kids learned to
like wings and backs and gizzards.
 

mrsmig

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Peanuts would certainly be a plausible crop for the "big" farmer. Georgia is the biggest peanut producer in the U.S.

Sweet tea (meaning sweetened iced tea) is a Southern staple, particularly in the summertime. It's cheap and refreshing. If the weather is cold she might serve coffee instead. I second Twick's suggestion of pie. An icebox pie of some kind (lemon is pretty common) would be appropriate for summer; pecan pie for cooler weather. If you opt for her renting from a peanut farmer, she might well offer something made with peanuts: peanut brittle, maybe, or a peanut butter cake or cookies.
 

ironmikezero

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Sweet tea, fried chicken, field peas & greens, cornbread, and ice-box pie would be a Sunday-best supper laid out for the Reverend and his special guest. The hostess would always be addressed as "Miss (first name)", or "Sister (first name)" if she's a member of the Rev's congregation. No matter the presumed social standing or economic strata, politeness and courtesy were (still are, actually) hallmarks of expected social decorum in the South - especially when the preacher came to visit. For poor folks, church congregations provided a significant social network and infrastructure; a planned preacher's visit to one's home was a very big deal. This would be the fodder for the ensuing week's gossip amongst the "church ladies". Even if the personal matters discussed by the hostess and her spiritual advisor were kept confidential, fanciful speculation would likely run rampant through the ladies of the congregation - tongues would be a-waggin' (mostly because there wouldn't be much else to talk about in such depressed farming communities of the era).

Oh yeah, it'd be hot an' sticky; a cool breeze would be like a blessin' from the Lord, Amen!
 

aruna

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This is all superb stuff, thank you so much! I can now imagine the scene far more clearly and it's coming together nicely -- yes, peanut farm it is, and she offers them sweet tea and peanut cookies at first and when they stay longer cooks a dinner of fried chicken! Just wonderful. Reps for all later today. And she is now Sister Hannah.
 

WeaselFire

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her little farm is leased from a bigger farmer. What kind of farm would that farmer have? Corn? Cotton?

Could be anything. Hogs, peaches, tobacco, onions, turnips, cattle, chickens, rice, sweet potatoes, peanuts, pecans... Not as likely cotton, but possible. In the 1970's, cotton was all moving off shore. If you make it onions, sweet potatoes, pecans, peaches or peanuts, there will be plenty of unused land to lease out along river beds or hilly areas, and she can do fine there. And it's hogs, not pigs. Quite common to raise hogs or even a bull for slaughter or sale at the end of the season. Chickens would be for eggs to sell, plus the meat for herself.

She has guests. What would she serve them, if they turn up unexpectedly? I'm thinking of a little snack she'd have in the house. What drink would she serve?

Sweet tea. Possibly a crumb cake, maybe cobbler or pie. Depends on the season. If it's lunch, it'll be fried chicken, cold, collard greens or turnip greens, boiled peanuts and a sweet potato, pecan or peach pie, washed down with sweet tea.

The guests are pastors. It doesn't matter what church; she herself is a church member. What church do you suggest, common for that state? How would she address the pastors .. Reverend?

Baptist. Reverend or preacher.

She's upset about her run away daughter. Would she use an expression in which she talks of hauling her little ass back home, or would ass be too strong an expression for a church lady, in front of a pastor, even if she apologizes afterwards?

Never ass, it's not a common word in the 1970's and not polite. What she's called depends on the age, "sweet cheeks" would apply to an older teen.

Jeff
 

blacbird

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Fried catfish is another common option for dinner in the southeastern U.S. But having lived in Louisiana for a few years, I'll second Weaselfire's cuisine recommendations, too.

caw
 

DrDoc

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If the dinner is unexpected then it's unlikely she had a chicken in fridge, if she had a fridge. Fresh food is always on the hoof until its needed, that way no waste. Greens for any dinner, always greens. And maybe some hot chicory 'coffee' after dinner. Mint water is a cheap refresher, especially on hot days. Back to the chicken. Such a meal is a big deal. Hard to imagine a poor family raising fryers, so the chicken is probably a layer, or a rooster (preferred). Sacrificing a layer for one meal will put future breakfasts at risk, something to consider when every penny counts. If she has kids, then it could be catfish they caught that day.

FWIW
DrDoc
 

Chris P

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I haven't read all of the replies, so apologies for anything you already know.

Northern and central Georgia would likely be cotton, soybeans, and corn. Peanuts are more popular in southern Georgia. This site might help you out, based on where you want your character to live. There is also a fair amount of fruit production in Georgia, particularly peaches, but probably also a good bit of citrus. Why that's not reported in the USDA site I can't tell you (because it's a secret--no, not really, I just don't know).

When I lived in Mississippi, most of the black churches were Missionary Baptist (MB), but in the Carolinas African Methodist-Episcopal (AME) seemed more common. Black families are also well represented within Jehovah's Witnesses, at least in the part of Mississippi where I lived. I'm not sure how popular the "megachurches" were in the 1970s, and these seem less tied to any particular denomination and although largely white are more ethnically diverse than the more traditional churches. This site provides a current overview of religions in Georgia.

"Ass" would be too strong for polite company (remember Americans' historic pathological aversion to swearing!). "Behind" would be much more appropriate. "Reverend" would be the most accepted catch-all term for a minister. "Brother" would not be inappropriate, but from what I've seen is only used in certain denominations. "Doctor" for ministers (common in black churches, regardless of any degrees held, but when held is usually Doctor of Divinity) is a more recent thing.

Sweet tea would be a staple, as would chicken, perhaps some type of stew and cornbread. It would be socially taboo to let your guests leave without feeding them, and it would be socially taboo for them to refuse your hospitality. "No thanks, I'm good" is simply NOT said!
 

Hunt & Peck

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I'm trying to create a plausible scene. It's a small farm run by a poor black single middle-aged woman whose adult children have all flown the nest. She has a few pigs and chickens. It doesn't matter which state: at present I have her in Georgia but really I have no idea.

questions: her little farm is leased from a bigger farmer. What kind of farm would that farmer have? Corn? Cotton?
She has guests. What would she serve them, if they turn up unexpectedly? I'm thinking of a little snack she'd have in the house. What drink would she serve?

The guests are pastors. It doesn't matter what church; she herself is a church member. What church do you suggest, common for that state? How would she address the pastors .. Reverend? One is local, the other from San Francisco. They could be of different denominations.

She's upset about her run away daughter. Would she use an expression in which she talks of hauling her little ass back home, or would ass be too strong an expression for a church lady, in front of a pastor, even if she apologizes afterwards? This is in the late 70's. And this is really just one short scene.

Thanks for any tips/suggestions.

In the south, it would likely be a cotton farm. Would serve guests sweet tea.

Baptist church. Reverend.

Rather than "ass," I'd suggest "tail."