As I travel to these different countries, I will be creating a blog post for each countries unique culture. With being only one month from launch, I figured I would give you guys a fun blog about the culture I’m from – the Midwest!!
After sitting down with a friend, we have created a list of Midwestern dialect and cultural norms. P.S. it’s super hard to think of things that are unique to the Midwest because it’s all I know. Also, I am speaking on behalf of my experiences in Indiana, I am in no way a Midwestern professional.
Here are some fun Midwest cultural norms:
- Ope – is used when we bump into something, drop something or basically anything you would define as a jaw dropping moment. For us in the midwest, it’s an ope moment.
- Ranch – we love ranch anytime of day on any food. Pizza, vegetables, fries the list goes on.
- Cheese dip – how we eat pizza and breadsticks, I am still blown away this isn’t an everywhere thing
- Corn – cornfields are the majority of land in the Midwest.
- “Knee high by the fourth of July” – going with corn, we have this fun saying on how the crop should be growing.
- Long goodbyes – these typically start with a knee slap and a “welp, we better get going” followed by a 30 minute conversation about how good the food was, how good it was to catch up or truly anything. Sometimes these are continued standing in the doorway or with one hand on the doorknob.
- “No, you’re fine” – a response to someone saying “sorry”
- Fairs – a fried food fest with pigs, cows and hayrides. Always a good way to end the summer with friends and family.
- Small towns – how people from the Midwest define where they are from. “Oh, I am from a small town 20 minutes south of Indianapolis.”
- Tornadoes – a time to stand on the porch and discuss how it isn’t too bad out.
- “Watch for deer” – also means “I love you” when leaving someones house.
- Indy 500 – The month of May is a holiday in Indy.
- Cornhole – A game where we throw sacks of corn onto a wooden board aiming to hit a hole cutout. Also the best game to play at cookouts.
- “Padidle” – whoever slaps the roof of a car fastest and yells “padidle” when seeing a car with a headlight out is the champion.
- Hoosier – someone who lives in Indiana and is full of Hoosier pride
That is a little bit about where I am from! I would love to see more input in the comments of the Midwest or wherever you’re from!! Some of these may be more than the Midwest also!
*** Prayer requests – For my Keys for the Journey fundraiser that we sell 100 keys and get one step closer to the $10,000 due by December 13. Living in the moment over this next month with my family and friends.
