My GOODe friend Allison forwarded me an email forward about Hoosier Culture that is perfect for folks to learn a little more about Indiana. So as I am blog hopping today, here is a little insight about Indiana for you non-Hoosiers 😉 Thanks, Allison!
GUIDELINES FOR UNDERSTANDING ‘THE HOOSIER CULTURE’;
For those of you who live in Indiana, this will be obvious.
To displaced Hoosiers, you may get homesick.
Don’t take Indiana place names literally.
If a town has the same name as a foreign city – Valparaiso and Versailles, for
example – you must not pronounce them the way the foreigners do lest you come
under suspicion as a spy. Also, East Enterprise has no counterpart on the west
side of the state. South Bend is in the north. North Vernon is in the south.
And French Lick isn’t what you think it is either.
example – you must not pronounce them the way the foreigners do lest you come
under suspicion as a spy. Also, East Enterprise has no counterpart on the west
side of the state. South Bend is in the north. North Vernon is in the south.
And French Lick isn’t what you think it is either.
The best way to sell something in Indiana is to attach the term Amish to it.
The product need not be genuinely Amish. This would explain the existence of
Amish Moo Shu Pork.
The product need not be genuinely Amish. This would explain the existence of
Amish Moo Shu Pork.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE FROM INDIANA WHEN……
You think the state Bird is Larry.
You can say “French Lick” without laughing out loud.
There’s actually a college near you named “Ball State” to which
you fondly refer to as “Testicle Tech” or “Fruit Jar U”
you fondly refer to as “Testicle Tech” or “Fruit Jar U”
You know Batesville is the casket-making capital of the world…..and you’re
proud of it.
proud of it.
You could never figure out spring forward and fall back, so let’s just ignore
Daylight Savings Time.
Daylight Savings Time.
Your feelings get hurt whenever someone points out the acronym for Purdue University
is PU.
is PU.
You know multiple people who have hit a deer.
Down south means Kentucky.
You have no problem spelling or pronouncing Terre Haute.
Your school classes were cancelled because of cold.
Your school classes were cancelled because of heat.
You know what the phrase “knee high by the Fourth of July” means.
You’ve heard of Euchre, you know how to play Euchre, and you are a master
of Euchre.
of Euchre.
You’ve seen a running car, with nobody in it, in the parking lot of the
grocery store, no matter what time of year it is.
grocery store, no matter what time of year it is.
De-tasseling was your first job, bailing hay your second. Or you could stack
hay, swim in the pond to clean and then have the strength to play a couple of
hay, swim in the pond to clean and then have the strength to play a couple of
games of hoops, all in the same barn lot on the same day.
You know there’s more than corn in Indiana.
You can say things like “catty-wampus” and “catty-corner”
and know what they mean.
and know what they mean.
You install security lights on your house and garage, and then leave them both
unlocked.
unlocked.
You carry jumper cables in your car at all times.
You drink pop, catch frogs in a crick, and if you want someone to hear you,
you hollar at ‘;em.
you hollar at ‘;em.
Kids and dogs ride in the passenger seat of cars and in the back of pick-up
trucks.
trucks.
You think nothing of driving on the roads and being stuck behind a farm implement,
spring and fall, but hope it’s not a hog truck or manure spreader.
spring and fall, but hope it’s not a hog truck or manure spreader.
High school basketball games draw bigger crowds on the weekends than movie theaters,
if you have a movie theater.
if you have a movie theater.
Driving is better in winter because the pot holes are filled with snow.
The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page, but
requires six for local sports.
requires six for local sports.
You can see at least two basketball hoops from your yard.
You can name every one of Bobby Knight’s exploits while at IU.
The biggest question of your youth was IU or Purdue.
Indianapolis is “the Big City”.
Getting stuck by a train is a legitimate excuse for being late for school or
work.
work.
Everyone knows who the town cops are, where they live, and whether they’re
at home or on duty.
at home or on duty.
You’ve been to the Covered Bridge Festival. And you took the back roads
to get there, why sit in traffic?
to get there, why sit in traffic?
To you, a tenderloin is not an expensive cut of beef, but is actually a big,
salty, breaded and fried piece of pork, served on a bun with a pickle.
salty, breaded and fried piece of pork, served on a bun with a pickle.
Ain’t God good to Indiana.
Have a great day.
Megan says
Sounds about right to me! I tagged you in a game of 8 questions at http://galinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2010/09/getting-to-know-you-getting-to-know-all.html
Cranberry Morning says
Very funny. 🙂 So I was right all along to be suspicious of anyone who was from Indiana! 😉
BigD says
That is too funny… and familiar!
Katie @ On the Banks of Squaw Creek says
Very cute. And surprising how many of those hold true for Iowa, too!
Holly Walker says
Well, that was enlightening! I personally come from an area with intense state-pride, so it was interesting to read a slightly different version. 🙂