Chances Are -

I remember -
That being a Southern Belle is a very special in Southern society.  We have been called "GRITS"  Girls Raised In The South and other descriptive terms and for the most part, complimentary; for a myriad of reasons -

Point One - Don't mistake the Sweetness of the Belle.  Her tea is sweet, smiles are sweeter and blesses most everyone's heart religiously.  Don't take any of that lightly.  The tea, though sweet, can have a bite, you have no idea what's really going on behind the smile and when your "hearts been blessed", watch your back.  Loyalty is paramount and most likely, the matriarch of an extensive family.

A lady who is not a Belle was probably born above the Mason/Dixon or is just plain mean and suffers from stinkin thinkin.  She doesn't know how to handle herself in polite (or any other) company and for some reason or other stays to herself.

Point two - Belles are accustomed to living a sweet southern life on the sugar white Gulf shores from Florida to Texas, the shadowed beaches of the inlets and bays, for example, Mobile Bay (formerly known as the "Bay of the Holy Spirit"); and the quiet of the summer's evening moments after sundown and just before Jubilee on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay.

Sweet corn, snap beans, fish, shrimp, crab, gossip (called "catching up) and family all over the house are hallmarks of a Belle's lifestyle.  Don't forget mamas cornbread! Social status, although noted, does not mean anything to a true Belle.  From an Azalea/Dogwood Trail Maid to the oyster shuckers in Bayou la Batre, the true spirit of a Belle is apparent.  And, thicker than thieves, make no mistake!

From what I gather - (I am after all, biased) - An apparent commonality across all social status indicators is that Belles are loyal to family (blood or not), hard working, creative, God fearing women who stand up for everything important, and down to no thing or no body that she feels threatens the above.

Pecan trees (that's pronounced Pe cahn, with the accent on the cahn y'all) in anything is the be all and end all where I grew up.  We loved potato season (this put all the high schoolers to work there or at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear). Corn and cotton fields were everywhere when the potatoes weren't around.
If you were lucky enough to live on the coastline of aforementioned shores, Fish, shrimp and crab were daily staples.  Personally, I liked mullet with potatoes, grits and onions in the mornings.  Only biscuits made it better.

Mullet?  oh my goodness!  broiled and plated with lemon on the side. 

Ok, here's a hint:  PeCAHNs pronounced improperly tells the world that you are not from here and as well with MoBILE.  Say that wrong, like, MObil, is a bulls eye as well. 

Back to food.  Collard greens and corn bread are great all year around.  Cornbread, although mostly eaten during the holidays, is good any time as well.  After all, it's mostly made from Cornbread.  Make no mistake.  Cornbread the way Granny Campbell made it at the turn of the century, 1900, not 2000, was cornmeal, a touch of flour, eggs and buttermilk.  Not a touch of sugar.  Cooked in bacon grease in an iron skillet in the oven is the appropriate way to prepare cornbread.  Now,  don't misunderstand.  Corn CAKES are another matter.

Cornbread is pretty diverse.  Straight from the oven with butter melted over the top (actually, the bottom once you turn it over).  You can add creamed corn, peppers, and the such.  Or you can make hush puppys and avoid the whole iron skillet thing.  Ovens in the summer should be avoided according to mama.

I know, I'm hopping from topic to topic like a rabbit.  But, I am realizing more and more that I am forgetting more and more.  Feel free to add some thoughts.

Jus sayin'