Re: Iced tea, which is of course always served sweet in the South, in Alabama I worked at a local chain fast food place in my teens. They were sort of known for their tea. This is how we made it - one full Bunn coffee pot of (probably Lipton) tea + 12 oz cup of sugar dissolved in it when it was hot. So, basically, syrup. Really, you could put any kind of tea in there and it would taste good if you like things super sweet.
Oh, and as a Southerner living on Long Island, THIS is what New York feels like to me every single freaking day.
