I just don't get it?

rAs you know I'm as southern as grits. So living anywhere outside to the deep south is a learning experience for me. So far living in Iowa has shown me many things, but one thing that seems to keep reappearing is rhubarb. I was sitting in my little room one day when my phone rang. It was the sweet little lady that owns the Limburg house. (See earlier post) She proceeds to ask me if I like rhubarb pie? Of course I had never had rhubarb in any form, but I was embarrassed to say so. I responded "oh, yes, I loooove it!" She said "well, I just pulled a pie from the oven, and I will bring you a slice up." I ate it,and it was delicious. Kind of sweet and sour at the same time. Yummy! Well I called my mom and told her about it, and she responded "oh, what does it taste like?" Okay, so maybe I wasn't just weird for never having had rhubarb pie.

Well then over the next few weeks I noticed rhubarb was every where. The cafeteria at work had it, a girl brought some in her mom had made, and people were talking about eating it. I was so confused. I proceeded to tell some of the girls at work, that I didn't think we grew it in the south, because I had never had it before I moved here. The looked at me like I was absolutely crazy!! Then I talked to a girl who has lived in Iowa most of her life, but spent a few years living in Nashville. (She is the only person here who understands how wonderful it is to live in the south) She explained to me that rhubarb does not grow well in the south. She said "I think it is that clay ya'll call soil." She had attempted to grow it when she first move to Tennessee and she was unsuccesfull.

Will someone explain something to me? Why don't people in the south make rhubarb pies? Surely you could get rhubarb in the grocery store? Well I don't know about that, because I have never looked for it. I do know that you can get lots of things that are not indigenous to Alabama at the Piggly Wiggly. For example we are famous in the south for our Nana pudding, and I know that we do not grow Bananas in Alabama. Someone look at the grocery store in Alabama, and tell if you can find rhubarb there? Also let me know if I am crazy, have any of you southerners out there ever made, or eaten rhubarb pie?