There’s nothing like getting an outsider’s take on your home.  Especially an outsider as erudite and clever as London’s Independent newspaper.

The newspaper is running separate stories on each U.S. state. Here’s what they had to say about Mobile, Alabama:

“The genuine smile is harder to find in the US than anywhere else on earth. On the East and West coasts, people smile because they're feeling smug. But in Alabama, people smile because they want you to be happy.”

The story focuses on eating raw oysters (called nudes) at Wintzell’s restaurant, which happens to be listed in Coastal Living's most recent Seafood Dives round up.