So where are you from?

I get this question a lot. Or my other favorite, "You're not from around here, are you?"
And the funny thing is, I really am from around here. Well, not technically, but I've had more Arkansas influence in my life than I've had any other state.
I was born in Wichita, Kans. and spent a couple years of my life in St. Louis. Then, since the ripe age of 4, I've lived in the great state of Arkansas.
But my parents were born and raised in Kansas, and since I grew up listening to them talk, I picked up their accent. I say things like, "you guys" and "boughten." I don't say things like "fixin'", "ya'll," or my least favorite "carried," as in, "I carried my kid to school this morning."
Whenever I hear that phrase, I instantly feel sympathy for the person because I could imagine it wore them out to carry their child to school. Then, I translate the phrase into Kansas-speak and realize "Oh, they took their child to school. That seems more logical."
I also try to avoid drawing out my vowels in a Paula-Deen-style. But for some reason, after I've been drinking, or I'm rather sleepy, that Southern accent comes out and I just can't ignore it. I guess it really is there, deep down in me. I'm sure I sound Southern when I'm not in the South, as I'm sure I have a slight twang. It's bound to happen to you when you've lived here 21 years. I just choose to control the little bit of accent I do have.
It's not that I hate the Southern accent, or look down on those who have one, it's just that doesn't fit me. I can't make myself do it. I even sound Midwestern sometimes, especially after I get off the phone with my cousins from St. Louis. But I just can't catch that full-blown Southern draw -- but I'm okay with that.
That's not the only Southern thing I can't catch. I don't like sweet tea. There, I said it. I prefer tea with ice and lemon, and that's it. I can drink sweet tea if necessary, since sometimes it is the only thing to drink. That also amuses me that when people bring tea at events in the South, they automatically sweeten it. I've heard that sugar packets just don't make it as sweet, but I would still like the optional unsweet tea.
I also don't partake in crawdads or catfish. I just can't get over the fact that crawdads are part of the bug family. And I don't eat bugs. With the catfish -- I just don't like fish. I think it smells bad and has a weird texture. To me, the best part of catfish fry events are the hush puppies. Mmmm... yes please!
But there are those Southern dishes I do enjoy and have even come to make. I have recently started to make my own cornbread from scratch after my former newspaper office kind of got me hooked on non-sweet cornbread. I'm also a big fan of chocolate gravy on biscuits -- but only if the chocolate gravy is made correctly (not in the Arkansas Tech cafeteria).
There's a lot about living in the South that I've grown to love. I also think Arkansas is one of the most beautiful states in the this region. Rolling hills, sparkling lakes and ponds, and glistening rivers make this place a great place to live -- despite the unpredictable weather.

So if having blood that is 90 percent sweet tea makes you southern, then I guess I won't qualify. But if loving this area for its hospitality, front-porches, and mosquito filled nights, then I'll gladly claim the South as my home.