The Sweet Tea Line.

I think this article is flawed. The Mason Dixon line really is the line of demarcation, as far as I'm concerned. I notice a difference right when I cross that line.

As for sweet tea- You can get sweet tea in Pennsylvania of all places. Its just not as commonplace. Its really silly. Richmond is a truly Southern city, and its just north of the "line". Thats ridiculous!

As for Maryland- I do think Maryland has many Southern characteristics and there are many people there who are Southerners, but like Northern Virginia, its more transient and has some northern influences as well.

The True South IMO, begins at Fredericksburg, VA.

To the Marylander who says "We're not Southern enough." Speak for yourself. This native Marylander is Southern born, Southern bred and when I die I'll be Southern dead. Over the last few years, the Sweet Tea line has crept up to the Mason Dixon Line. Now Sweet Tea, the "social wine" of the South, is becoming popular in Maryland. In the past, you'd find it here and there in MD. But now it seems Sweet Tea is everywhere. I never understood why anyone would drink nasty bitter watery unsweetened iced tea anyway. I'm happy to see it is becoming less popular...Yuck

How did you get the data from McDonalds?

I agree that this is an excellent measure of Southern demarcation.

a small bottle of simple syrup (sugar syrup) is helpful for our traveling fans of sweet tea - having a small container served to me in a very high end hotel once was an epiphany. It's easy to make, portable, and keeps well. It's already in solution so it solves the sugar won't dissolve problem. I prefer unsweetened, or sweetened WAY less than most sweet tea and bottled commercial teas.

I felt Mcdonalds called it wrong when they launched their new sweetened tea in Maryland - we're not southern enough. After a lot of complaints, many franchises are choosing to carry both. My diabetic spouse is very sensitive to aspartame, so coffee, milk and water are the only choices at a restaurant who only has sweet tea.