One of the first things I learned when I moved south was to watch out whenever someone uttered the phrase "bless her heart..." Or worse yet, bless her sweet little heart... It almost always suggests some inappropriate behavior by the blessed person and is often preceded or followed by something nasty.
As in... oh well, she's as dumb as a bag of hammers, bless her heart.
Or... Someone ordered that cake for her wedding? It's GREEN! Bless her heart.
Or better yet... Bless her sweet little heart, if I worked in a bakery I'd be as big as a house (ouch!).
Southerners are polite to a fault. It may not always be heartfelt, but they bless and 'mam you to death. It's almost as if they might be forgiven for any hateful comment by following it up with such a blessing.
Of course if you ask, they will swear the phrase is an expression of love and empathy (like a hug), and is not meant as an insult. Which is sometimes true.
What does this have to do with the bakery?
Not much... But I hear it all the time and I want to let on that I know what it really means.
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