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North Carolina, where barbecue isn’t a meal, it’s a religion, college basketball rivalries are taken more seriously than national elections, and you can go from the mountains to the beach in one state-long road trip (with a Bojangles stop in between, naturally). Tar Heels are friendly, proud, and blessed with both Southern charm and side-eye precision. But if you’re looking to stir the pimento cheese pot, here are 11 subtle ways to mildly annoy someone from North Carolina.
Ask if they mean South Carolina.
No. They do not. And they heard that.
Say all barbecue is the same.
Vinegar-based, Lexington-style, or Eastern-style—it matters a lot, and you’re already wrong.
Mispronounce “Appalachian.”
It’s Appa-latch-un, not Appa-lay-shun. They’ll correct you faster than a Duke fan at a UNC game.
Assume everyone roots for the same college team.
You’ve clearly never witnessed a Thanksgiving torn apart by Tar Heels vs. Blue Devils.
Call it “just a flyover state.”
Tell that to the Outer Banks, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and every NASCAR-loving soul in between.
Put ketchup on hushpuppies.
That’s not innovation—it’s a cry for help.
Complain about the humidity.
That’s not humidity. That’s character-building moisture.
Say it’s basically just Virginia’s southern cousin.
Careful. They’ve been trying to shake that label since 1789.
Ask what a Cheerwine is.
You just exposed yourself as someone who’s never known true happiness in a bottle.
Say Bojangles is “just fast food.”
That’s not fried chicken. That’s home.
Insist it’s not really the South.
You’ll be politely corrected and then hit with a wave of Southern passive-aggression so strong your sweet tea will curdle.
But even if you mess up, North Carolinians are the type to smile sweetly, say “bless your heart,” and still help push your car out of a ditch. Just don’t mess with their barbecue, their college hoops, or their sacred right to put slaw on a sandwich.
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