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Isms about where you live

So since we were discussing in the other thread about the differences of how strangers interact in different parts of the U.S., I thought it would be funny to talk about the funny/strange/interesting isms of where you live. And go!

The South:
1. People are abnormally friendly and will talk to anyone they meet.
2. Unsweetened tea is not normal here. You either get some sort of sweetened tea or syrup.
3. It's coke not Pop.
4. Y'all is a word spoken in everyday conversation.
5. The weather basically ranges from extremely humid and hot to Frigid/snow storm/freezing/shut down the city snowpocalypse #southernproblems
6. "Bless your heart" is a faint way to insult someone who is being an idiot
7. The Grocery Store or any convenience store will be cleared out of milk, bread, eggs, water if there is even a threat of snow/ice.
8. On that note...all schools and businesses will be closed on the threat of ice/snow.
9. It's a tragedy if your football team loses. Your opponents will also remember that loss forever! 
10. Up/down/over younder are directions.
11. We dress up for football games.

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Re: Isms about where you live

  • Florida:
    1. Where getting dressed up consists of golf shorts and a polo
    2. Where putting on shoes includes flip flops (back in Michigan, I kept gettin told flip flops are not considered shoes...wtf)
    3. Spending Christmas Day on the beach is normal
    4. Having hail, rain, sun all in one day is totally normal.
    5. Hurricane warnings are excuses for 90% of peole to throw a party.
  • ShallowSeasShallowSeas member
    Sixth Anniversary 1000 Comments 500 Love Its First Answer
    edited June 2014
    Indiana:
    1. Its pop, not soda, not Coke.
    2. A lollipop is a huge sucker with different colors...a sucker is a blowpop, dumdum, etc.
    3. A water fountain is what you get a sip of water out of, not a 'bubbler'
    4. Biscuits and gravy is a must have at every breakfast-serving restaurant/fast-food chain
    5. Basketball and the Indy 500 are a BIG deal
    6. Everyone has a great-grandparent, great-aunt, or great-uncle from Kentucky, and relatives that still live there.
    7. One day its 80 and sunny, the next its 40 with a chance of snow flurries that night
    8. Tornado season is rough
    9. Our Midwest twang gets worse when we're angry.
    10. Dinner is lunch, Supper is dinner.
    11. "Fixin'" does not actually mean you are fixing something that's broken. Fixin' means getting ready or preparing... ex: "I'm fixin' dinner" or "I'm fixin' to go to the store, need anything?"
    12. Indy 500 Race Day means cookouts, beer, and swimming.
    13. "Knee high by the fourth of July" refers to the corn
    14. Getting caught by a train is a legit excuse to be late to work or school.
    15. "coon" is a raccoon". a "poke" is a grocery sack. A "pole cat" is a skunk.
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  • Maryland:

    -We have the same thing with panicking over an inch of snow.
    -In general, we are famous for being horrible drivers.
    -Apparently we spend every weekend of the summer in Ocean City. (How I wish that were true right now; I want to go to the beach sooooo bad.)

  • Connecticut:

    -It's expensive

    -We're bad drivers

    -We're between NYC and Boston

    -We're snobby

    -The casinos are the only fun things to do around here

    -State-wide panic over an inch of snow

     

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  • Upstate NY:

    - Apple picking & cider donuts are a way of life.
    - Laughing at Southerners who shut down over 1/2 inch of snow. (And don't give me the "it was ICE" excuse. We get that shit too.)
    - Stewarts Ice Cream.
    - Saratoga Race Track.
    - Everyone loves lacrosse.
    - Living in New York does not automatically equal NYC. 

    Maine:
    - We aren't all lobstermen
    - We do all talk funny
    - Moose. They're everywhere.
    - Laughing even harder at Southerners when they complain about snow/ice.
    - There's more to Maine than the coast. Maine is fucking HUGE.
    - If you're not from Maine, you're from "away." Literally everywhere else is "away." 
    - You know someone who has never left the state.
    - You know someone who drives a Subaru (it might be you....)
     



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  • phiraphira member
    5000 Comments 500 Love Its Second Anniversary 5 Answers
    edited June 2014
    Boston, MA:

    - Lots of very aggressive drivers and drivers who don't quite know the rules of the road
    - People do not talk to strangers
    - Because we don't talk to strangers, we don't heckle Yankees fans on the street
    - There is almost always a medical professional on the train with you
    - The weather is hard to predict. It's NOT that it's always cold up here. It's that it's always annoying. There's a saying: If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait five minutes
    - Most people will know what you mean if you don't use New England lingo. For example, if you say "milkshake," no one will think you want milk shaken with flavored syrup. They will assume you want an ice cream drink. We know what a trash can is. We know what a water fountain is. We will not go, "Oh, you mean the barrel!" or, "Oh, you mean the bubbler!"
    - We do not call soda "tonic." We call it soda. Coke is a kind of soda. Pop is a kind of music. Tonic has quinine and is used for T&Gs.
    - We get really cranky about public transit (the T)
    - Cabs are awful here. This isn't like NYC. You either take the T, or you walk, drive, or bike.
    - Boston seems like it doesn't have one particular "culture," which is because generally, it doesn't. A great deal of Bostonians are college students from all walks of life, and there are also tons of medical professionals and scientists, who come from all over the country and the planet.
    - We do not all go to the Cape on weekends, but good luck with traffic if you go
    - Three sports teams AND our airport are all actually in Boston (Bruins and C's play in the West End; Sox play in Fenway--it's a neighborhood--and Logan is in East Boston), so I get really confused when I go to other places and their sports teams and airport are outside the city (the Pats are the New England Patriots, so it's not unexpected that they don't play in Boston)

    ETA @GoldenPenguin MAINE IS HUGE. Drove through to Canada and by the time we finally reached Houlton I was like oh my god Maine how are you still going?! I went to summer camp near Augusta (Washington) and thought THAT was a drive.
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  • I'm going to do Boston's, since I'm still learning Chicago's...

    -We shut down the ENTIRE city for the marathon every year
    -If you see someone over the age of 30, especially in the Fenway area, you assume they're a professor/administrator
    -In the summer months, the city's population is reduced by around 50%
    -It can actually be faster to walk than take public transportation
    -Schools rarely shut down for snow.  It needs to be severe.
    -Everyone on the bus/subway will be hungover/still drunk the morning after a Sox/Bruins/Patriots/Celtics win, especially if they're in the playoffs.
    -Taking the subway anywhere near Kenmore Square any time within 3 hours of a Sox game is a shitshow
    -Virtually no Bostonians have a "Boston accent," and those that do are from a very, very specific part of Boston, or are from the Worcester area.
    -The job market in Boston is rough because the overwhelming majority of candidates have Master's and/or PhD degrees.
    -For a major city, Boston proper is very small, has relatively few homeless people, and is pretty WASPy.
  • Upstate NY:

    - Apple picking & cider donuts are a way of life.
    - Laughing at Southerners who shut down over 1/2 inch of snow. (And don't give me the "it was ICE" excuse. We get that shit too.)
    - Stewarts Ice Cream.
    - Saratoga Race Track.
    - Everyone loves lacrosse.
    - Living in New York does not automatically equal NYC. 
    -Binghamton is the armpit of Upstate NY

    Maine:
    - We aren't all lobstermen
    - We do all talk funny
    - Moose. They're everywhere.
    - Laughing even harder at Southerners when they complain about snow/ice.
    - There's more to Maine than the coast. Maine is fucking HUGE.
    - If you're not from Maine, you're from "away." Literally everywhere else is "away." 
    - You know someone who has never left the state.
    - You know someone who drives a Subaru (it might be you....)
     
     
    To the bolded: added one for you.

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  • phiraphira member
    5000 Comments 500 Love Its Second Anniversary 5 Answers
    @loves2shop4shoes is not joking about taking the T within a few hours of a Sox game (either before or after depending on the line and the direction). It is a nightmare.
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  • BreMRBreMR member
    500 Love Its 500 Comments Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    Minnesota:

    1. You can honestly use your heat and air in your car in one day. (I have personally done this on multiple occasions).
    2.  It's pop not soda or Coke.  Although, if you want a Coke, you get a Coca Cola.
    3. We wear shorts when it's 50 in the beginning of spring, but put on pants when it's 50 at the end of summer.
    4. I don''t know anybody who says "dontcha know"
    5.  I do know people who say 'eh" at the end of sentences,.
    6. It is not cold here year round, in fact, we get as hot as Texas all summer.
    7. The State Fair is practically mandatory to attend in Minnesota.
    8. People aren't that nice, but we do say hello to random strangers walking down the street, and we do make conversation with people at the grocery store on occasion.
    9. School only gets cancelled if it's seriously below zero or more than a foot of snow.
    10. It's called hotdish, not casserole. 
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  • PepperallyPepperally member
    500 Comments 250 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited June 2014

    Pittsburgh, PA: -

    -We put french fries on our salads. 

    -Carbonated beverages are "pop".

     -People who have a real Pittsburgh accent (not me!) are called "Yinzers"...they say things like "are yinz guys going out tonight?"

     - Some yinzers add an "s" to the end of words like Walmarts instead of just Walmart, etc.

     - There are "tunnel monsters" that people are afraid of and slow down when going through the tunnels.

    - Hailing a cab (doesn't happen), or even calling and arranging for a cab is almost impossible.

    - We are the steel city but the steel mills are gone...we do not live in a cloud of smog here (not in my lifetime).

  • Cleveland:
    -The lake is not on fire anymore, it was the river and that was YEARS ago
    -There's a HOG in Cuyahoga ... It's not like hoog in hoogie  (Cleveland resides in Cuyahoga county)
    -Yup, we're all still mad at LeBron; Tom Hanks got his start here; Drew Carey and Halle Barry also are from the area
    -Nobody really LIVES downtown, it's just a place you go (for work, sporting events, etc)
    -Cleveland has a large Playhouse District and does bring in a lot of musicals/shows
    -Seasons of the year:  Winter, Wet, Construction Barrels, Winter  (just kidding, we have Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall... but Spring/Summer/Fall does have a whole heck of a lot of Construction Barrels).
    -It's pop here too - you ask for a coke, you get a coke (unless it's self-serve)
    -You'd think we'd have a winning sports team, we have 3 major league teams!

    Man, I'm sure there are a ton, but I'm an ignorant Ohioan and I don't get out much


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  • Oklahoma:
    1.  you know they're expecting tornadoes when Mike Morgan wears his sparkly tie.
    2.  there is also a Mike Morgan tornado drinking game.
    3.  when tornado warnings are sent out, people congregate on their front lawns with chairs to watch for a funnel.
    4.  a carbonated soft drink is referred to as a "coke"...  ie, "you want a coke?"  "sure, I'll take a Sprite!"
    5.  football is practically a religion.
    5.5  you plan events around the OU or OSU schedule (depending on your team!)
    6.  everyone loves the Thunder NBA team...  I mean EVERYONE.
    6.5  you plan events around the Thunder's schedule.
    7.  temperatures during the year can range to 5 deg F to 110 deg F.
    8.  red dirt.  it stains everything.
    9.  calf fries.
  • Oklahoma:
    1.  you know they're expecting tornadoes when Mike Morgan wears his sparkly tie.
    2.  there is also a Mike Morgan tornado drinking game.
    3.  when tornado warnings are sent out, people congregate on their front lawns with chairs to watch for a funnel.
    4.  a carbonated soft drink is referred to as a "coke"...  ie, "you want a coke?"  "sure, I'll take a Sprite!"
    5.  football is practically a religion.
    5.5  you plan events around the OU or OSU schedule (depending on your team!)
    6.  everyone loves the Thunder NBA team...  I mean EVERYONE.
    6.5  you plan events around the Thunder's schedule.
    7.  temperatures during the year can range to 5 deg F to 110 deg F.
    8.  red dirt.  it stains everything.
    9.  calf fries.
     
     
    STUCK IN BOX:
    The bolded drove me nuts when I lived in Louisiana...same goes there, too.  I'm from PA where we call it pop.
  • evadorroughevadorrough member
    Seventh Anniversary 25 Love Its 10 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2014
    Seattle/Washington:
    1. rain.  we get it.
    2. coffee is an art form here, and we take it seriously.  But you only go to Starbucks if there are literally no other coffee shops in the neighborhood.
    3. compost and recycling bins are huge compared with our trash bins.  Also, pretty much everything (food containers, etc.) is compostable
    4. bring back the seattle supersonics
    5. priuses are probably the most prevalent car in the city
    6. the "Seattle Freeze" -- people will be very polite, but won't actually involve/invest themselves in your life.  
    7. Also--the "Seattle No," in which no one actually says "no." Instead, we'll say something noncommittal and very polite, and hope that you get the message.
    8. $15 minimum wage   
    9. Also-- pot and gay marriage are legal.  God, I love my state.
    10. Something about winning the Superbowl?  the 12th man?  Richard Sherman? This is a thing, but I'm not enough of a football fan to care.  

  • justbeingme93justbeingme93 member
    100 Love Its 100 Comments First Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited June 2014
    Wisconsin:

    -It's a bubbler not a "water fountain"
    -It's soda not pop
    -Yes, we do enjoy cheese. (If you haven't tried a cheese curd, you are missing out on a gift from the Lord above.)
    -You can walk into almost any bar or restaurant on a Friday, and they will have a special for a "Friday Fish Fry". 
    -Traffic Lights are called Stop-N-Go Lights
    -Packer jerseys are frequently worn to church on Sundays
    -You can buy beer and/or liquor in almost any gas station or grocery store
    -Our winters are brutal
    -When we finally reach 50 degrees in the spring, it is not at all uncommon to see people in shorts and t-shirts. 
    -We have outdoor malls in wisconsin (You walk from store to store outside). I don't know why we have these here. BRRR! 
    -Our summer festivals are second to none (Brewfest, Bratfest, Summerfest, Country USA, etc.)


  • BreMRBreMR member
    500 Love Its 500 Comments Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited June 2014
    @justbeingme93 I'm guessing you don't live in northern Wisconsin? I actually grew up in Superior, Wisconsin (supa, north) and it was definitely a water fountain and they were called traffic lights, but my friend moved to Appleton and they call them bubblers there... Also one other weird thing about Minnesota that I 100% DISAGREE with is that they say "duck, duck, grey duck" and not "duck, duck, goose" wth is that?! I am trying to raise my daughter right, but school is corrupting her! (I tried to edit and put my paragraph back, but no luck)
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  • eilis1228eilis1228 member
    2500 Comments Fifth Anniversary 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited June 2014
    Texas:
    1. Basically everything that's been said about the South already
    2. No, we don't all ride horses. Lots of people, however, drive giant pick up trucks. Apparently you need the King Ranch edition F150 in the middle of a city. 
    3. Texas is effing HUGE. It can take like 12 hours to drive from one end to the other. That drive will be filled with TONS of tiny little podunk towns and then maybe a few cities sprinkled in between.
    4. Houston is the armpit of Texas. 
    5. Dallas has a reputation for being snobby and full of old money. While that's true, there's a very diverse population here.
    6. Austin thinks it's really chill and relaxed, but it's snobby in a granola way. 
    7. Everyone and their mom is a Republican. It's a point of pride down here.
    8. The weather is so bipolar if it's not the dead of summer. In the summer, you can count on sunny and 100+ degrees. The rest of the year, we can have snow, tornadoes, massive thunderstorms, and unbearable heat in the same week. 
    9. Mmmm best BBQ, southern comfort food, and Mexican food ever. Om nom nom.
    10. We do mostly all own guns. 


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  • BreMRBreMR member
    500 Love Its 500 Comments Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    @Weewittlewizabeth My dad and brother currently live in Houston for work (or one of the suburbs of it?) and I was so disappointed by my first Tex-Mex experience because I wanted it to blow my mind and it was just like Mexican in Minnesota.  However, I did have a giant ass steak when I was in Texas because, uh.. beef in Texas of course!!  It was AMAAAZING! 


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  • @BreMR Did you have queso at least? Mmmm queso. I remember ordering queso at a Mexican restaurant in DC, and they brought me a block of cheese. I guess it's not a thing up north? Also, yes, meat in Texas is fabulous. Everyone here has some secret family recipe for brisket or pork or whatever, and it's always delicious. I don't know how vegetarians function down here lol. Also, Houston has a ton of fun stuff to do and is a great city, it's just muggy as balls. That's why I said it was the armpit of TX, not because it's a horrible city or anything. :)


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  • justbeingme93justbeingme93 member
    100 Love Its 100 Comments First Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited June 2014
    BreMR said:
    @justbeingme93 I'm guessing you don't live in northern Wisconsin? I actually grew up in Superior, Wisconsin (supa, north) and it was definitely a water fountain and they were called traffic lights, but my friend moved to Appleton and they call them bubblers there... Also one other weird thing about Minnesota that I 100% DISAGREE with is that they say "duck, duck, grey duck" and not "duck, duck, goose" wth is that?! I am trying to raise my daughter right, but school is corrupting her! (I tried to edit and put my paragraph back, but no luck)
    You are right! I don't live in northern Wisconsin. I'm closer to the Appleton area. It's funny how  "isms" can change quickly from county to county in Wisconsin. 
  • BreMRBreMR member
    500 Love Its 500 Comments Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    @BreMR Did you have queso at least? Mmmm queso. I remember ordering queso at a Mexican restaurant in DC, and they brought me a block of cheese. I guess it's not a thing up north? Also, yes, meat in Texas is fabulous. Everyone here has some secret family recipe for brisket or pork or whatever, and it's always delicious. I don't know how vegetarians function down here lol. Also, Houston has a ton of fun stuff to do and is a great city, it's just muggy as balls. That's why I said it was the armpit of TX, not because it's a horrible city or anything. :)
    I LOVE queso!!  I didn't have any in Texas though, we had this sour cream/guac concoction and it was amazing!!  My brother HAS said that Houston is unbearably hot and he can't wait to get back to Wisconsin, especially where we are from right near Lake Superior, it's usually 50 degrees when the rest of the state is 80.
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  • phira said:

    ETA @GoldenPenguin MAINE IS HUGE. Drove through to Canada and by the time we finally reached Houlton I was like oh my god Maine how are you still going?! I went to summer camp near Augusta (Washington) and thought THAT was a drive.
    I grew up about 45 minutes west of Augusta. When people ask me where I'm from, I usually say "an hour & a half north of Portland" and inevitably they say "oh, that's WAY up there." NO IT'S NOT.

    It takes five hours to get from where I live in Upstate NY to my hometown in Maine. It takes almost EIGHT HOURS to get from my hometown to the top of Maine. 



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  • Eh, I've decided to add a little bit about Chicago that I know to be 100% accurate.

    Chicago:
    1.  You can buy liquor anywhere:  a grocery store, gas station, 7/11, the movie theater.  It's not like that in New England or NY.
    2.  The traffic is HELL.  Plan on it taking you an hour at minimum to go 20 miles.
    3.  There are homeless people everywhere, even in the nice neighborhoods.  They will always come up with some sob story of why you should give them money for "bus fare" or food.  Interestingly though, when it gets REALLY cold out, 95% of them seem to disappear.
    4.  In the summer, people flock to "the beach"...aka Lake Michigan.  You'd think this was Miami or something.
    5.  The subway here runs very efficiently.  There are even digital signs that tell you precisely how many minutes until the next train.  A "delay" is usually no more than 3 minutes.
    6.  Lalapalooza is a HUGE deal here.
    7.  You can tell if someone is a tourist based on whether or not they'd willingly walk on Michigan Avenue, especially on a weekend.
    8.  Chicago proper is HUGE.  234 square miles huge.  (Boston is only 89 square miles.)
    9.  There are a million different neighborhoods, and some of which spontaneously erupt from nowhere. 
    10.  Each neighborhood has a definite reputation.  (Rich, old money, hipster, families with young kids, broke college student, I only go here to sell drugs, etc.)
  • Colorado: - Yes pot is legal here, no we don't ALL smoke pot - MOUNTAINS! Even the most girly girls I know still love the outdoors here - I've heard people say both Soda and Pop - When there is a bad driver on the road we assume they moved here from California Idaho - We actually make a lot more from Barley (selling it to beer companies) than Potatoes - It's beauty is entirely underrated - Never stay behind a 1J driver - You know what county people are from based on their license plate (I was so confused when I moved to Colorado and the numbers/letters on the license plate didn't mean anything) - The Superbowl this year was a struggle for our state. We don't have a team so we cheer for the Seahawks and Broncos there was tension.


  • And TK got rid of my paragraphs...


  • BreMRBreMR member
    500 Love Its 500 Comments Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    @bethsmiles what 1j mean on a license plate?? In Minnesota if there is a W before the numbers it means that person has had enough DUI's to be marked. (they're called Whiskey plates)
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  • @BreMR - In Idaho you can tell which county people are from based on the first number and letter on their license plate. 1J = Jefferson county and those assholes CANNOT drive! 


  • Eh, I've decided to add a little bit about Chicago that I know to be 100% accurate.

    Chicago:
    1.  You can buy liquor anywhere:  a grocery store, gas station, 7/11, the movie theater.  It's not like that in New England or NY.
    2.  The traffic is HELL.  Plan on it taking you an hour at minimum to go 20 miles.
    3.  There are homeless people everywhere, even in the nice neighborhoods.  They will always come up with some sob story of why you should give them money for "bus fare" or food.  Interestingly though, when it gets REALLY cold out, 95% of them seem to disappear.
    4.  In the summer, people flock to "the beach"...aka Lake Michigan.  You'd think this was Miami or something.
    5.  The subway here runs very efficiently.  There are even digital signs that tell you precisely how many minutes until the next train.  A "delay" is usually no more than 3 minutes.
    6.  Lalapalooza is a HUGE deal here.
    7.  You can tell if someone is a tourist based on whether or not they'd willingly walk on Michigan Avenue, especially on a weekend.
    8.  Chicago proper is HUGE.  234 square miles huge.  (Boston is only 89 square miles.)
    9.  There are a million different neighborhoods, and some of which spontaneously erupt from nowhere. 
    10.  Each neighborhood has a definite reputation.  (Rich, old money, hipster, families with young kids, broke college student, I only go here to sell drugs, etc.)

    First bolded: Indiana is the same way. We have bars in our movie theaters. I didn't realize some states don't sell alcohol at gas stations though.

    Second and third bolded: Same. Just in Indianapolis alone there are a million different neighbordhoods or designated areas (Broad Ripple, Castleton, Fountain Square...) and different cultural districts. Each area or district as their own 'population'. Younger couples and hipsters live in Broad Ripple and Castleton area, Fountain square is very Blues-y and Jazz-y, but is starting to cater towards a younger crowd.


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  • phiraphira member
    5000 Comments 500 Love Its Second Anniversary 5 Answers
    How is "duck, duck, gray duck" an effective way to play?!
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