We Made Southern Living Editors Do Their Best New York Accent

There’s no doubt that Southerners have mastered a variety of useful skills like making folks feel welcome, whipping up a delicious meal, and cheering on their favorite team. But we haven’t quite learned the art of perfecting a New York accent, and why would we? Below the Mason-Dixon, people cherish their slow, Southern drawl and wildly unique expressions. Needless to say, achieving an authentic New York accent isn’t high on our list of priorities, but it did make for a hilarious and entertaining video.

Our Southern Living editors gave it their best shot and laughed it off when it didn’t exactly go as planned. Most stuck with the clichés like Joey Tribbiani’s classic line “How you doin’?” from Friends and “Move it or lose it” – New York’s way of saying excuse me. Of course, the word “coffee” was a go-to choice, and folks tended to speak in their yelling voice. One editor remarked that the accent just seems “mean,” but of course, we know not everyone can sound as charming as a Southerner.