Hush Puppies

A coworker and I had this conversation with the dude selling us scones:

Us: "Do you know what a hush puppie is?"
Him: "A shoe?"
Us: "Well...technically, but no, it's a food"
Him: "Oh, like a slurpee?"
Us: "Well, ok yeah, but no, this is a little fried ball thingy"
Him: "..."

Anyway, we learned that the term "Hush Puppie" might be a southern thing.