"A strong sprinkling of the low white trash clay eaters"

[Subdeacon Joe]

Found on Facebook: "This 1871 description of Texas cowboys is OUTSTANDING!  "They were a mixed class with very little good in the mixture.....The masses of them wore spurs on their heels, generally the immense wheel-spur, and though they were not born with them on, yet they might as well have been, for they not only rode in them, but walked in them, ate in them, and slept in them. Their clanking as they walked was like a man in chains. They wore belts around the waist, suspending one or two revolvers and a bowie knife, were experts in the saddle, and had a reckless daredevil look, and were always ready for whiskey and a big chew of tobacco, and the handwriting of passion and appetite was all over them. They were cowboys from the wild woods and prairies, and sons of the low class planters, with a strong sprinkling of the low white trash clay eaters, so plentiful in the Atlantic Southern States."

------- Thomas North, "Five Years in Texas", published in 1871. I read the part about low class clay eaters and thought "Wait a minute ... those are my people!""

 

 

[Pat Riot]

WTH is a “clay eater”? 

I wonder what those Cowboys would think about Cowboy Action Shooting today…wimpy loads and breath-breath distance targets?

Probably might whip out their own hog-legs and acquire themselves some nifty new guns and snappy duds. 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

20 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

WTH is a “clay eater”? 

I wonder what those Cowboys would think about Cowboy Action Shooting today…wimpy loads and breath-breath distance targets?

Probably might whip out their own hog-legs and acquire themselves some nifty new guns and snappy duds. 

 

 

 

A derogatory term for southrons.  Usually suggesting poor, uneducated, and superstitious.   

https://myjrpaper.com/node/6632

 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2206950

 

https://bittersoutherner.com/eat-white-dirt

 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-american-south-is-still-eating-white-dirt/

[Alpo]

I remember a cop show. Adam-12, Dragnet maybe. Maybe even Quincy. This family from the deep South was living in California, and the woman was pregnant and was eating clay.

 

She explained that, "everybody back home eats clay when they're pregnant. It makes having the baby easier."

 

Oooo-kay.

 

Obviously there had to be a supplier for the clay out in California, and the cops got involved in the show because some other woman that was eating clay died because of it. The TV show made the whole idea of eating clay to make having a baby easier just totally stupid ignorant superstition. Like the guy said in Joe's original post - low class white trash.

 

I only read the last link Joe posted. But in that link it says that "everybody in the South knows about it". I've spent my entire life in the south. The only time I ever heard of it was that one television show.

[Cypress Sun]

46 minutes ago, Alpo said:

I remember a cop show. Adam-12, Dragnet maybe. Maybe even Quincy. This family from the deep South was living in California, and the woman was pregnant and was eating clay.

 

She explained that, "everybody back home eats clay when they're pregnant. It makes having the baby easier."

 

Oooo-kay.

 

Obviously there had to be a supplier for the clay out in California, and the cops got involved in the show because some other woman that was eating clay died because of it. The TV show made the whole idea of eating clay to make having a baby easier just totally stupid ignorant superstition. Like the guy said in Joe's original post - low class white trash.

 

I only read the last link Joe posted. But in that link it says that "everybody in the South knows about it". I've spent my entire life in the south. The only time I ever heard of it was that one television show.

 

I've NEVER heard of it. My entire family and extended family have resided in Florida since the 1850's. They came from the Carolinas, Alabama and Georgia. I've never heard of such a thing until today. I've heard of kids eating dirt, but all little kids eat dirt at some time or another regardless of where they live. I'd say 99.99% of kids quickly figure out that dirt doesn't taste good, so they stop eating dirt.

 

The author of the below blanket statement has no clue as to what he is talking about. 

Do you think this practice is an eating anomaly? Everyone that was raised in the American South knows about white dirt. There are a few other odd distinctly Southern delicacies that fit with white dirt, like yellow root tea.

Edited January 9 by Cypress Sun

[Blackwater 53393]

Fortunately, we from the south don’t give one whit about what others think of us.

 

As a matter of fact, southerners are well known for our gentility and decorum.

Those who choose to look down their noses at us have mostly been snobbish, graceless, uncouth, and arrogant.

 

Their opinions are of no consequence!!

 

🤣

 

 

Edited January 9 by Blackwater 53393

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

5 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Those who choose to look down their noses at us have mostly been snobbish, graceless, uncouth, and arrogant YANKEES.

Their opinions are of no consequence!!

🤣

FIFY.

[John Kloehr]

Clay eating is also a response to malnutrition/starvation. So the poverty aspect has roots in truth.

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Never heard that term before reading it in this thread.  Born and raised in Texas (except for some short times as a kid living in the states of California, New York and Lousiana)

[Subdeacon Joe]

What I find interesting is that this native of the Once Golden State has known the phrase and meaning for about half a century.   

 

I don't recall where I first heard it.  

Edited January 9 by Subdeacon Joe

[Cypress Sun]

48 minutes ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

FIFY.

 

That's a Yellow Bellied Yankee blue belly.

 

57 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

Fortunately, we from the south don’t give one whit about what others think of us.

 

As a matter of fact, southerners are well known for our gentility and decorum.

Those who choose to look down their noses at us have mostly been snobbish, graceless, uncouth, and arrogant.

 

Their opinions are of no consequence!!

 

🤣

 

 

 

I disagree somewhat. 

 

Someone says that kind of drivel to my face...there will be consequences.

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, Cypress Sun said:

I've NEVER heard of it. My entire family and extended family have resided in Florida since the 1850's. They came from the Carolinas, Alabama and Georgia. I've never heard of such a thing until today

Based on that TV show I mentioned, I got the impression that it was mostly people from the Appalachians.

 

That wouldn't apply to people from South Georgia, where my folks came from. And it certainly wouldn't apply to Florida.

 

1 hour ago, Cypress Sun said:

I've heard of kids eating dirt, but all little kids eat dirt at some time or another regardless of where they live. I'd say 99.99% of kids quickly figure out that dirt doesn't taste good, so they stop eating dirt

 

6 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

What I find interesting is that this native of the Once Golden State has known the phrase and meaning for about half a century.   

 

I don't recall where I first heard it.  

If it was Adam-12 that I saw, that was in the '60s, so that's a half century ago. Might be where you learned it.

 

But then you got to remember, that to everybody else in the country people in the south - especially the southeast - are exceedingly backwards.

 

My Cousin Vinny. Takes place in Alabama. New York boy calling home for help. "These people marry their sisters!"

 

And we've all heard the joke about if an Alabama couple gets divorced are they still brother and sister.

 

So I'm sure that they tell everything bad about the south all over the rest of the country.

[Eyesa Horg]

19 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

That's a Yellow Bellied Yankee blue belly.

 

 

I disagree somewhat. 

 

Someone says that kind of drivel to my face...there will be consequences.

Calling me a yellow bellied Yankee is sort of drivelish isn't it.  I take no offense but just sayin'!

[Pat Riot]

I have never heard of “clay eaters”. I have lived all through the south and the west and been through the north. Born in PA in Appalachia, as some call it and I have encountered so much BS over time in regards to what people think of those “damn (fill in the blank)”

Heck, I encounter it here in WV. Guy told me I was a Damn Yankee. I smiled and responded “West Virginia ceded from Virginia in 1863 and supported the Union. Does that make you a damned Yankee too?” 
The look on his face got a rousing bunch of laughter from all the guys in the .22 shack at the range. 
I overheard someone say “Gotta be a damned Yankee. He’s edumacated.” Pointing at me. 

[Cypress Sun]

I never called you, or any other Northerner presently alive, a yellow bellied Yankee.  If you took it that way, I apologize. My comment was meant for a Mr. Thomas North who is obviously geographically challenged as Texas is not an "Atlantic Southern State" nor are all Southerners "low white trash clay eaters".

 

I, like you, am proud of my heritage. I'm also aware that others are equally proud their heritage and try not to denigrate their heritage. 

 

Southern born and Southern proud.

[Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372]

2 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

I have never heard of “clay eaters”. I have lived all through the south and the west and been through the north. Born in PA in Appalachia, as some call it and I have encountered so much BS over time in regards to what people think of those “damn (fill in the blank)”

Heck, I encounter it here in WV. Guy told me I was a Damn Yankee. I smiled and responded “West Virginia ceded from Virginia in 1863 and supported the Union. Does that make you a damned Yankee too?” 
The look on his face got a rousing bunch of laughter from all the guys in the .22 shack at the range. 
I overheard someone say “Gotta be a damned Yankee. He’s edumacated.” Pointing at me. 

Taught ROTC at a small baptist college in the Appalachians in Kentucky during the mid 80s.  The students were always yakking about their southern heritage.   I had a great time pointing out that a Union regiment was formed in the area we were at so they were all Yankees.   Didn't hear much about the Civil War after that..

[Subdeacon Joe]

24 minutes ago, Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372 said:

Taught ROTC at a small baptist college in the Appalachians in Kentucky during the mid 80s.  The students were always yakking about their southern heritage.   I had a great time pointing out that a Union regiment was formed in the area we were at so they were all Yankees.   Didn't hear much about the Civil War after that..

 

Kentucky was a border state that that tried to stay neutral.  She was invaded and occupied by both the federal military and Confederate forces. She raised a moderate number of Confederate regiments as well as Federal ones.  Drawing on memory, 25,000 to 40,000 for the Confederates, 75,000 to 100,000 for the Federals.

[Blackwater 53393]

37 minutes ago, Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372 said:

Taught ROTC at a small baptist college in the Appalachians in Kentucky during the mid 80s.  The students were always yakking about their southern heritage.   I had a great time pointing out that a Union regiment was formed in the area we were at so they were all Yankees.   Didn't hear much about the Civil War after that..

Had a college professor say that kind of stuff to a class I was attending.

 

My laughing reply was, “HELL! Ya’ find turncoat ba$tatd$ anywhere you go!”

 

We all got a laugh and I got an “A” in the course!

[Texas Joker]

1 hour ago, Pat Riot said:

I have never heard of “clay eaters”. I have lived all through the south and the west and been through the north. Born in PA in Appalachia, as some call it and I have encountered so much BS over time in regards to what people think of those “damn (fill in the blank)”

Heck, I encounter it here in WV. Guy told me I was a Damn Yankee. I smiled and responded “West Virginia ceded from Virginia in 1863 and supported the Union. Does that make you a damned Yankee too?” 
The look on his face got a rousing bunch of laughter from all the guys in the .22 shack at the range. 
I overheard someone say “Gotta be a damned Yankee. He’s edumacated.” Pointing at me. 

Do you know the difference between a Yankee and a damnyankee?

[Texas Joker]

1 hour ago, Cypress Sun said:

I never called you, or any other Northerner presently alive, a yellow bellied Yankee.  If you took it that way, I apologize. My comment was meant for a Mr. Thomas North who is obviously geographically challenged as Texas is not an "Atlantic Southern State" nor are all Southerners "low white trash clay eaters".

 

I, like you, am proud of my heritage. I'm also aware that others are equally proud their heritage and try not to denigrate their heritage. 

 

Southern born and Southern proud.

I believe Mr north was referring to the origins of the men working as cowboys.  not that Texas is an Atlantic state.  or perhaps as a comparison to the type and class of people that easterners would 'know'. 

[Pat Riot]

18 minutes ago, Texas Joker said:

Do you know the difference between a Yankee and a damnyankee?

Don’t care. 

[Texas Joker]

Yankees come and visit

 

Damnyankees stay

[Subdeacon Joe]

12 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

They were cowboys from the wild woods and prairies, and sons of the low class planters, with a strong sprinkling of the low white trash clay eaters, so plentiful in the Atlantic Southern States."

 

After the War of 1861 many former Confederate soldiers, men who had lost family and farms to the predations of federal armies, carpetbaggers, and assorted scalawags migrated West and ended up in Texas and employed as cowboys.  

 

As did many former slaves.  Depending on the source cited somewhere around 25% of cowboys were Negros.  As an aside, about 15% were Mexican.  So, contrary to the Hollywood image, close to half of the men doing that job were not White Texans.  

[Texas Joker]

Cowboy was not a very glamorous job and was thought to be a step above vagabond.

 

Think home depot parking lot about 0500.

 

Working and earning but day labor and easily replaceable

[Sedalia Dave]

It's called Geophagia. The practice or disorder depending on who you read, dates back thousands of years.

 

Geophagia: the history of earth-eating

 

Geophagia is defined as deliberate consumption of earth, soil, or clay1. From different viewpoints it has been regarded as a psychiatric disease, a culturally sanctioned practice or a sequel to poverty and famine. Prompted by a remarkable case in our own practice we became increasingly aware of geophagia in contemporary urban South Africa. In view of the high prevalence of geophagia there and in many other regions of the world, we hypothesized that ancient medical texts would also contain reports of the disorder. To our surprise, geophagia was indeed reported by many authors ranging from Roman physicians to 18th century explorers. Here we present, together with a brief description of the disorder, some of the most remarkable examples.

[Warden Callaway]

I read about this years ago.  Mostly attached black folks in deep south.

 

 

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

Old timers I grew up around talked of eating kaolin (a white clay) which has certain degrees medicinal qualities and is still used to a limited extent in medicine today.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

https://www.medicaldaily.com/clay-eating-good-bad-and-not-so-tasty-heres-what-you-should-know-283878

[Subdeacon Joe]

If you ever saw Kaopectate you've had kaolin.   

[Dantankerous]

On 1/9/2025 at 12:50 PM, Texas Joker said:

Cowboy was not a very glamorous job and was thought to be a step above vagabond.

 

Think home depot parking lot about 0500.

 

Working and earning but day labor and easily replaceable

Exactly. Many cases it was what you did if you couldn’t do anything else.

 

That does not mean the boys and men who did that work did not take great pride in what they did, and how they did it though.

Edited January 10 by Dantankerous

[Dantankerous]

19 hours ago, Texas Joker said:

Do you know the difference between a Yankee and a damnyankee?

A Yankee is someone either from the Northern states or someone who’s attitude is found to be offensive and tasteless to a Southern gentleman.

 

Damn Yankees was a rock band from the ‘80s.

 

😀

 

 

[Pat Riot]

Let’s see. I have lived in the following states.

Pennsylvania - 4 times

Georgia - Once

Alabama - Twice

Arkansas - Once

New Mexico - Twice 

Illinois - Once

Minnesota - Once

Virginia - Once 

California - 4 times

North Carolina - Once

Oregon - Once

West Virginia - Once, currently

I have done jobs in a few other states.

I’ve been around. 
 

Do you know what I learned in each of these states and in various neighborhoods in each of these states?

EVERYWHERE I have lived or worked the locals hate someone else from somewhere else and if you are a member of that “someone else” you got a long row to hoe to get into their good graces, if you can get in their good graces at all. 
 

It’s really too bad. The United States of America is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. 
 

 

Know what I hate more than other people? This $&@#ing Otto Commie sonofa….!

 

Edited January 10 by Pat Riot

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

5 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

Let’s see. I have lived in the following states.

Pennsylvania - 4 times

Georgia - Once

Alabama - Twice

Arkansas - Once

New Mexico - Twice 

Illinois - Once

Minnesota - Once

Virginia - Once 

California - 4 times

North Carolina - Once

Oregon - Once

West Virginia - Once, currently

I have done jobs in a few other states.

I’ve been around. 
 

Do you know what I learned in each of these states and in various neighborhoods in each of these states?

EVERYWHERE I have lived or worked the locals hate someone else from somewhere else and if you are a member of that “someone else” you got a long row to hoe to get into their good graces, if you can get in their good graces at all. 
 

It’s really too bad. The United States of America is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. 
 

 

Know what I hate more than other people? This $&@#ing Otto Commie sonofa….!

 

WOW, that is a LOT of different states to live in!  You have done a fair share of moving.

[Rip Snorter]

I've lived in half as many states as you, though the different areas of some states I lived in more than once are so different, they might as well have been another state.  I always made friends, when I was single, girlfriends, and fit in pretty quickly.  The exception was Minnesota, with "Minnesota Nice".  When I look at my friends from those days, nearly all were from out of state as well.  No hostility from indigenous folks, just a distance.  Wasn't a bad place to live, but I got out just in time, I wouldn't visit these days,

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

18 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

If you ever saw Kaopectate you've had kaolin.   

I read they stopped using it long ago and just use bismuth like in pepto bismol.  
 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaopectate

Edited January 11 by Dirty Dan Dawkins