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Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

I loved the spat about Appalacia - I have always wanted to visit on account of bluegrass music. My liberal US friends tell me it's pretty grim, though. Who am I to believe??

Back to the question: Italians are fabulously kind, generous and hospitable people, as long as you aren't in a car. Then they become the most selfish, unreasonable and ignorant people you will ever meet anywhere.

Like with anything, it depends on how you see people, how much you know of the culture, and how adaptable you are to local customs. In the words of John Steinbeck (Cannery Row) "Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, "whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches," by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peep-hole he might have said: "Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men," and he would have meant the same thing.

Chancellor · Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:51 pm Post subject:

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:45 pm Post subject:

lostdegaine · Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 35

Of course, Appalachia is a huge region and includes cities such as Asheville, NC, which is constantly listed among the top places to live in the US.

According to Wikipedia:

� Modern Maturity named it one of "The 50 Most Alive Places To Be," AmericanStyle magazine called it one of "America's Top 25 Arts Destinations," Self magazine labeled it the "Happiest City for Women," it is one of AARP Magazine's "Best Places to Reinvent Your Life," and was proclaimed the "New Freak Capital of the U.S." by Rolling Stone. Asheville has also been called "a New Age Mecca" by CBS News' Eye On America, and named the "most vegetarian-friendly" small city in America by PETA. In the 2008 book The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner, Asheville was cited by the author to be one of the happiest places in the United States.�

johnslat · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:53 pm Post subject:

And then, there's "Deliverance" (banjos playing in the background.)
Regards,
John

Vanica · Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 368 Location: North Carolina

There are really nice people in New Mexico. And there are really nice people in NC. The secret is: Stay away from the white people. They are REAL BAD.

Seriously the nicest people we met were at the Jemez Pueblo near Albuquerque and on the Gullah islands on the SC coast.

Blingcosa · Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 146 Location: Guangdong

Yeah, white people - don't trust them. Ninja's are black - just for the record.

In my travels (sorry never been to Appalacia or New Mexico) my list of the friendliest people would be as follows:

1. Afar (Djibouti)
2. Maori (NZ)
3. Latin Americans
4. Polynesians
5. Chinese

Blingcosa · Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 146 Location: Guangdong

Special mention: Turks - hospitality is second only to the Afar

johnslat · Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:48 pm Post subject:

Dear Vanica,
"There are really nice people in New Mexico. And there are really nice people in NC. The secret is: Stay away from the white people. They are REAL BAD.

Seriously the nicest people we met were at the Jemez Pueblo near Albuquerque and on the Gullah islands on the SC coast."

Aw, you should have come up to Santa Fe. Some of us are white, but we're really, really nice.

Regards,
John
Very Happy

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Vanica · Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 368 Location: North Carolina

I was just kidding about the white people, but there is a grain of truth in there, somewhere. There is a problem with racism and sexism in the answer to the original question. If you go to Italy, but you are obviously of Eastern European, especially Roma or Sinti, descent, you might not experience the famous hospitality. If you are a white man in Bangkok, you might mistake need for desire. We were asked to leave a church parking lot in Eastern NC! So your experience of a culture may depend upon your appearance, and even if you are having a good time, your level of empathy may prevent you from enjoying a place, despite how nice everyone is to you.

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:47 pm Post subject:

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Dancing Monkey · Joined: 23 Aug 2009 Posts: 79

The Lowcountry of South Carolina = "Smiling Faces & Beautiful Places!"

For those not familiar with the area, there are a plethora of films set there - The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides and even parts of Forrest Gump, to name a few.

Hilton Head Island is the economic backbone of the region, but a bit overdeveloped now. I suggest Pawleys Island or Edisto Island, both near Charleston.

Have fun!

Vanica · Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 368 Location: North Carolina

Pawleys Island? Where the white people play in former slave quarters that have been changed into gift shops? I saw really tense, bigoted people there.

I meant Sandy Island, across the road, for Gullah. There is a religious group studying the language, so there could be opportunities for linguists, though I think the Biblical emphasis is strange.