Foods, the way foods are prepared, and even what they are called, varies from place to place.  As one example, I spent a few years looking at a product in local grocery stores, noticing it looked good, but always deciding to not buy it because I didn't know what it was.  It was only a few months ago I finally purchased a box of these interesting-looking products called Bismarks--  only to get home and find they were a favorite I'd been familiar with most of my lifetime:  jelly doughnuts.  In this area, people do not use the word barbecue as a verb;  and, while I've heard they do not use the term frying pan, I've not yet found out their word for it. 

Two oddities I've found in the locale:  making egg salad with hot eggs, and leaving the potato skins on when making potato salad or mashed potatoes.  However, it is the approach to food safety--  or lack thereof--  that I find the most bothersome.  First, there is the theory that any food product will last almost indefinitely as long as it is "covered."  Second, the practice of leaving food "sitting out."  While I noticed both of these practices when I lived in the South, I don't recall it being this extreme.  Many years ago, when I worked in a nursing home, a large poster in the kitchen read:  "Keep hot foods hot, keep cold foods cold, and refrigerate all leftovers promptly;"  and this is wise advice for anyone who wishes to avoid food poisoning.  One simply cannot leave food sitting on the stove, countertop, or table, and expect it to retain freshness. 

Lack of knowledge about food safety also extends to grocery stores.  In the three different stores I have frequented in this area, I have experienced countless instances of buying food that was spoiled.  Frozen products are a special concern, as they are often left sitting in the aisles for extended periods of time before they make it from the box to the freezer. 

Frankly, I prefer familiar foods;  and I prefer to prepare them myself.  It is partly a matter of taste, but also a matter of concern for food safety.  I don't think there is any legitimate excuse for putting people's health at risk--  whether it is due to lack of knowledge or lack of concern.