Hahahaha, I am loving this "true Southern" talk from GaDawg. The sweetest cornbread I have ever had - and man was it good - was in Virginia (uhhh, Capital of the Confederacy? Yep, THAT Virginia.)
But then I moved from VA to southern TN and everyone here always asks me "Whad y'all do up North?"
(BTW, that's not a TRUE Southern way of spelling y'all, but it is the grammatically correct way to do it. The Southern way is ya'll.)
Now, collard greens - That is Southern. Mmm...
Just goes to show that there are as many variations in the South as there are different "Southern accents." But in general, old-time Southern cooking is basic and simple. Making it taste awesome with simple ingredients is the challenge, as any great Southern cook knows.
I also loved the green bean casserole comment - that dish is actually an invention of Kraft Foods Test Kitchens.
Y'all come see us!