S/O Let's talk Region

jasmineh7777 · March 2010

MM's post got me thinking about regional norms. What are some things specific to your region that make it unique/that others may scoff at/etc?

*BeachBride0410* · March 2010

No one does a cheese steak like Philly or the surounding burbs.
Can't be duplicated...

missy68 · March 2010

Lauren - suck the head and pinch the tail? I've had them - they're not bad. You just have to eat a gazillion to get full. We had a crawfish boil as a fundraiser when I lived in LA and it was a hit.

In the south: guys talk to the fathers about marrying their daughters. Say what you will about it, but I like that J did this, and it pleased my dad to no end. He'd never heard of it, but did it anyway.

NWR: Churches have socials, and there are always little open faced cucumber sandwiches - love.

Tomato sandwiches on white bread with mayo. Love.

Here in DSM, people call ground squirrels/chipmunks "squinnies."

A phrasing I've never heard anywhere but here in IA is leaving out the "to be," as in, the yard needs mowed instead of the yard needs to be mowed, or even the yard needs mowing. Makes me insane.

wadingmoose · March 2010

Also, talking about regional food, I really really REALLY want to go to Quebec for poutine.

laurenclaire1386 · March 2010

Missy, you'd better believe it. And dig out all the yellow crap (it's fat and it's delicious) with my pinkie finger. No one looks good eating crawfish and forget about rubbing your eyes in any way for the next two days.

And ditto on the talk to the parents before marriage thing. Yes, it's old fashioned, but it was important to FI and to me that my parents were ok with our marriage. I don't know how important it was to either of my parents that he talked to them first, but it was a big deal to the both of us.

MeaghanandMichael · March 2010

St Pattys day is always pretty much the most ridiculous day of the year... especially if you go into South Boston. I Irish Step Danced for years too, which is not easy to find in the middle of the country (besides Chicago).

My H grew up close to Boston in a wealthy town and they did a lot of stupid things like cotillion, coming out parties, and ballroom dance classes like you see only on Gossip Girl.

FutureMrsTR · March 2010

Punkin' Chunkin'. Hell yeah.

K Byte · March 2010

NWR ~ I also went to high school in an area where a lot of schools had off for the first day of deer season. We personally didn't but a lot of the schools around us did.

WR ~ FI's family is from Pittsburgh and at our tasting, FMIL asked about something called a "cookie table" which I had never heard of before. Apparently it's just a Pittsburgh thing, but people make cookies to take to the reception and they're displayed on a table for everyone to pick at. So that was a new one. Also I've never been to a wedding that WASN'T buffet-style for dinner.

MeaghanandMichael · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:6308f54a-d3f5-4217-9c20-8f9f51fe69e5">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]Mardi Gras. South Louisiana (the north half of the state barely recognizes it) shuts down on Mardi Gras.
Posted by laurenclaire1386[/QUOTE]

Next year. You+me = mardi gras fun. Oui?

BecW2be · March 2010

There are too many to list. We are freakin weirdos in my neck of the woods. We love things like livermush and Sun Drop.

One thing that I remember from High School, aside from 1/2 the boys missing on the first day of hunting season, was that almost every hunter had a big truck with a gun rack and his shot gun hanging in the back window. And not one person thought anything of it. That was almost 20 years ago, but still I can't imagine that happening today.

SarahPLiz · March 2010

I am from the same region as LC, so ours are probably similar:

Schools shut down for Mardi Gras, as well as a week of Spring Break at Easter.

I have never been to a wedding with an open bar, as they are all held at the KC or VFW hall in town and they like to make the money off the bar.

YOur godparents are your default readers for wedding ceremonies

The first day of hunting season (dove, deer, hog, etc) is an excusable school absence

We eat LOTs of crawfish. Im sad that you are reporting a bad season, LC, because I was looking forward to our Good Friday boil at my mom's house.

Oh, and it seems like everyone is Catholic. Even if they aren't ,so many Cajun customs and traditions are based in Catholocism that non-Catholics don't even really notice sometimes.

ETA: Its true about asking the father for permisison, or at least blessing. And everyone I know still calls their father Daddy (or some other form of the same) no matter how old they are. There is a cookbook called "Who's your daddy, Are you Catholic, and Can you make a roux?" That is the basic interview questions that parents ask potential daughters-in-law.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:585f5a55-c153-453b-abab-80b7b3fe1348">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]Also, talking about regional food, I really really REALLY want to go to Quebec for poutine.
Posted by wadingmoose[/QUOTE]

I participated in this thing called "Beer Olympics" that my friend runs last Sunday. Each team had to represent a country. I was joking that next time I could do Canada 0 walk around in a Habs jersey, saying "eh" and eating poutine.

MeaghanandMichael · March 2010

Oh, I forgto WR - I have never seen a dollar dance, and the garter toss is just never done anymore. Open bars are the norm and "wedding weekend" events like golf and fishing are big too.

laurenclaire1386 · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:c705fe66-86bc-49ee-8f1e-5b391a2165aa">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]St Pattys day is always pretty much the most ridiculous day of the year... especially if you go into South Boston. I Irish Step Danced for years too, which is not easy to find in the middle of the country (besides Chicago). My H grew up close to Boston in a wealthy town and they did a lot of stupid things like cotillion, coming out parties, and ballroom dance classes like you see only on Gossip Girl.
Posted by MeaghanandMichael[/QUOTE]

Next to Mardi Gras, the St. Patricks's Day parades in Baton Rouge and New Orleans are the best of the year. It's always fun. I think NO has a pretty large population of people of Irish descent. And ditto on the stupid cotillion crap. The difference here is that Mardi Gras krewes are generally the ones that put on the coming out parties, etc., instead of like the Junior League or something. I was a debutante, completel with pouffy white ball gown, when I was 16.

laurenclaire1386 · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:1eb1812e-e314-448e-980b-1c301822e7fd">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: S/O Let's talk Region : Next year. You+me = mardi gras fun. Oui?
Posted by MeaghanandMichael[/QUOTE]

Absolutely! I didn't even make it to NO this year for Mardi Gras. Plus, it's always way more fun to go with someone who's never been during Mardi Gras.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · March 2010

Meaghan, a lot of girls at my (Catholic) high school were Irish step dancers! There are a lot of Catholic traditions around Buffalo as well. Huge Polish/Irish/Puerto Rican/Italian populations. (Actually, Buffalo has the largest number of people of Polish descent in the US, after Chicago. We're also big on sausages and hot dogs.)

And I'd never been to a cash bar until I went to a wedding in Iowa.

rhodesign · March 2010

oh now we're talking food!!

As for pizza--Chicago is of course well known for deep dish, or stuffed pizza. It's absolutely terrible for you, but so. damn. good! We actually only get it in the winter or fall because it's so heavy, we never feel like eating it in the summer! There's actually a place here that serves Connecticut style pizza. I didn't know there was a style from Connecticut. It's alright, but J hates it. He's more of a pizza purest than I am. though.

And we're VERY particular about hot dogs. The best way to eat a red hot is 'dragged through the garden' with a pure 100% vienna beef hot dog, topped with mustard, onons, bright green (almost neon) relish, sport peppers, tomato slices, a dill pickle and sprinkled with celery salt. And NEVER even think about putting ketchup on it or you will be given the stink eye!

squirrly · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:c705fe66-86bc-49ee-8f1e-5b391a2165aa">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]St Pattys day is always pretty much the most ridiculous day of the year... especially if you go into South Boston. I Irish Step Danced for years too, which is not easy to find in the middle of the country (besides Chicago). My H grew up close to Boston in a wealthy town and <strong>they did a lot of stupid things like cotillion</strong>, coming out parties, and ballroom dance classes like you see only on Gossip Girl.
Posted by MeaghanandMichael[/QUOTE]

I went to cotillion too. It sucked. I didn't go back the next year. Waste.of.time.

tannymcgee · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:aef296cf-1412-4896-82f0-f955073df89c">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]oh now we're talking food!! As for pizza--Chicago is of course well known for deep dish, or stuffed pizza. It's absolutely terrible for you, but so. damn. good! We actually only get it in the winter or fall because it's so heavy, we never feel like eating it in the summer! There's actually a place here that serves Connecticut style pizza. I didn't know there was a style from Connecticut. It's alright, but J hates it. He's more of a pizza purest than I am. though. =)
Posted by rhodesign[/QUOTE]

connecticut pizza, aka the best pizza, is brick oven and sometimes gets a little burnt on the bottom, so if u are used to chicago pizza -- AKA pizza pot pie -- you prob wouldn't like it. lol just a little ct vs chicago razzin.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · March 2010

Tanny, doesn't CT pizza not have sauce or something? It is more like white pizza? And called Apizza? Or am I making this up? Maybe that's New Haven pizza.

ZoeTheDog · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:9d8e30a9-86bc-416a-93b2-d6ae01cd9cc3">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]WR ~ FI's family is from Pittsburgh and at our tasting, FMIL asked about something called a "cookie table" which I had never heard of before. Apparently it's just a Pittsburgh thing, but people make cookies to take to the reception and they're displayed on a table for everyone to pick at. So that was a new one. Also I've never been to a wedding that WASN'T buffet-style for dinner.
Posted by K Byte[/QUOTE]

Yes I learned all about cookie tables when my friend from Pitt got married.

Anybody ever been to a Turkish or Indian wedding???

*BeachBride0410* · March 2010

I prefer NY style pizza....

MeaghanandMichael · March 2010

Mery - if it was a Catholic highschool I am def not surprised It is funny because when I started almost no one did it and then Riverdance came out in the mid 90's and every one did it suddenly (on the east coast). For example, when my school started we had 15 students and I was one of them. Now there are over 1500 students.

It is funny though how often the Catholic culture permeates the general culture in certain areas.

rhodesign · March 2010

Oh bring it, Tanny!

The place we went to here that has CT pizza--I honestly don't even remember what it tasted liike. I just remember the service being super slow and they brought us the wrong pizza. But the beer was good.

Do any of your towns have a thing like the Taste of Chicago, where a bunch of different restuarants set up shop and give out (or rather sell) tasters of foods? It's every summer here for 2 weeks and I absolutely love it! A lot of other locals complain because it's tourist central and crowded, etc. but I love food so it's my mecca.

tannymcgee · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:ab7d56e5-e870-4cdb-a57c-0bd7dd313288">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]Tanny, doesn't CT pizza not have sauce or something? It is more like white pizza? And called Apizza? Or am I making this up? Maybe that's New Haven pizza.
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]

it is called apizza (pronounded like a-petes). it does have sauce but typically not mozz. brick oven pizza with just sauce and grated cheese, some garlic and oregano. you have to ask for mozz like a topping. thats the new haven style. not all places work like that, and we have a lot of greek and new york-style pizza as well.

*ps, my FI also calls mozzerella, "scamotes" (or scamozza) and I have no idea where that came from

ZoeTheDog · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:a88d620e-fc3a-46d9-a076-35598c78eff5">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh bring it, Tanny! =) The place we went to here that has CT pizza--I honestly don't even remember what it tasted liike. I just remember the service being super slow and they brought us the wrong pizza. But the beer was good.
Posted by rhodesign[/QUOTE]

FI actually HATES living in Southwestern CT because he thinks it's too much like NY. Since I'm originally from NY, it's fine with me, but I still find a few things that are more New Englandy than New Yorkish.

CT pizza sucks, it's so burnt. Pepe's is the worst.

MeaghanandMichael · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:01ee4853-377b-4d7b-a4d0-88e406e8e84a">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: S/O Let's talk Region : it is called apizza (pronounded like a-petes). it does have sauce but typically not mozz. brick oven pizza with just sauce and grated cheese, some garlic and oregano. you have to ask for mozz like a topping. thats the new haven style. not all places work like that, and we have a lot of greek and new york-style pizza as well.
Posted by tannymcgee[/QUOTE]

This is why I ALWAYS got NY style pizza in New Haven. I am too obsessed with mozzarella to have it not be there. Plus, I don't even think Pepe's was that good with Mozz, or Sally's. Pizza from BAR was my favorite. Mashed potatoes on it... yummmmmm. (I was in New Haven for grad school.)

AdeleDazeem · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:c27f6dde-8adc-430b-9c7d-efe00af127a5">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]WR - your gift covers your plate, and it is usually a cash gift NWR - Buffalonians NEVER eat ranch dressing with their wings. Only blue cheese. I've also never seen beef on weck (warm sliced roast beef with au jus and horseradish on a kimmelweck roll) or chicken finger subs (chicken fingers tossed in hot sauce with provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers and either mayo, blue cheese or oil and vinegar on a sub roll) anywhere else. And you order a "half sub" or a "whole sub." They also use "the" before the names of highways. Like it would be "take the 90 to the 190, then get off at exit 34B." Never, "Take route 90 to Highway 16 to interstate 81." The only other place I've heard that is where I live now - Los Angeles. My brother knew people who drove tractors to school when he lived in the boonies.
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]

As I am marrying a Buffalonian, I know all of these things.

Why why why do they put the "the" in front of every road? Take the the 90 to the 33 to get to Buffalo. Luckily, he didn't start doing that around here...

But he thinks the fact that Philadelphians will willingly buy soft pretzels out of the back of some dirty guy's sketchball van in the middle of the city is totally abnormal. But it's very normal. And delicious.

arbolita · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:519c6047-e5d7-413f-a5db-27192b220261">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]We had "drive your tractor to school day" at my high school. And a large majorirty of students participated in said day.
Posted by RachNRich[/QUOTE]

We also had Drive Your Tractor to School Day. My high school was also the only one in the state which had a working barn, and instead of taking a foreign language, you could take agriculture and horticulture classes int he barn. We had horses, cows, pigs, ducks, rabbits, and I think a few peacocks.

*BeachBride0410* · March 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lets-talk-region?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:f061fd44-e34c-4b67-bc6c-84de0a4459e0Post:f842f35b-6f23-45ef-985a-3150735c8aab">Re: S/O Let's talk Region</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: S/O Let's talk Region : As I am marrying a Buffalonian, I know all of these things. Why why why do they put the "the" in front of every road? Take the the 90 to the 33 to get to Buffalo. Luckily, he didn't start doing that around here... <strong>But he thinks the fact that Philadelphians will willingly buy soft pretzels out of the back of some dirty guy's sketchball van in the middle of the city is totally abnormal. But it's very normal. And delicious.
</strong>Posted by Joy2611[/QUOTE]

Because they are the best!!!

andyandhillary · March 2010

Limited bars (hours and/or type of beverage), no bars at all, very little dancing, short receptions.

In my FI's "community" they rarely have bars and have about 30 min of dancing. They aren't opposed to either but they just don't care for either. In general, weddings aren't a big deal.

S/O Let's talk Region

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