A little over a year ago, I moved from a giant city in California, to a tiny town in Ohio. There were obviously some differences between the two different parts of the nation, many of which I found to be very interesting. I also learned quite a bit about the Midwest, these are the topics which I found to be the most interesting and/or different from California.
1. Football is Everything.
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Upon moving to Ohio, I quickly learned that football is a very large part of society and that people take it very seriously. On numerous occasions I was asked which football team I was a fan of (usually regarding Michigan State or OSU but it took me a while to figure that out) and when I responded that I wasn't a fan of football whatsoever, I would receive very strange looks. I have now learned that is it better to just say that you support OSU or that you like the OSU marching band then to say that you do not like or watch football at all.
2. Buckeyes
Before moving to the Midwest, I had never heard of a buckeye however, once I moved to Ohio, I learned that there are three types of buckeyes. There are the Ohio State Buckeyes, the buckeye the nut and the buckeye the dessert, which is a delicious peanut butter-chocolate cookie-candy.
3. 50 Degree Weather is Warm
On the West Coast, fifty-degrees is freezing. You go and put of your thickest coat and turn on the heater. In the Midwest, fifty-degrees is shorts weather.
4. Different Dialects
Something particularly interesting about the Midwest is the different dialects and ways that certain words are pronounced. From what I have been told, you can tell from what part of Ohio or the Midwest a person is from by their dialects. For example, the word crayon. Half the people I have met pronounce the word CRAN, like cranberry, another half pronounce it in the way that it looks; CRAY-ON, and there is yet another percentage of people that pronounce it CROWN. There are other words in which this is the case. People can be from the same state but have completely different accents and speech patterns. In California, the majority of people pronounce everything exactly the same.
5. Pop vs. Soda
In the Midwest the carbonated, sweet beverage that companies like Fanta and Coca-Cola produce is called pop while on the West Coast it is called soda.
6. Cheese Balls
Another type of food that is rarely seen on the West Coast is the cheese ball. Cheese balls are a sort of dip for chips made of various types of cheeses and some type of dressing then squeezed into a round ball-like shape.
7. Guns
On the West Coast, there are many people who are pro-gun control. Concealed carry is something that many people who live on along this coastline are afraid of or strongly oppose. Moving to the Midwest was interesting because many people in this part of the nation oppose gun control and, at least in Ohio, concealed carry is permitted by law.
8. OH-IO Chant
This particular topic is specific to Ohio. Recently, I learned that if a person goes up to an Ohioan and shouts “OH” in the Ohioan’s face, the Ohioan will immediately respond “IO!!!” It is quite fascinating, and a little bit frightening, to watch. Also, it is required that you perform this chant if somebody says “OH,” to you, even if you are not from the state.
9. No Traffic
In the Midwest, there is little traffic anywhere ever. In comparison to the West Coast, and specifically California, this is a miracle for the traffic is never ending.
10. Florida is the Vacation State
Many people in the Midwest go to Florida for spring break or vacation in the summer. This is interesting, because on the Midwest, where the states are much larger, the majority of people vacation within their own state.
11. Everybody assumes you are from the state you are attending college in
This is particularly prevalent in classes. Professors often make references to different parts of the state, or some of the norms of the state, assuming the all the students are from that state and know exactly what is being discussed.
12. Midwesterners are Nice
The stereotype is that Midwesterners are very friendly and nice. This I have learned, is true. The majority of people I have met in Ohio are very nice, genuine individuals, if they ask you how your day is going, these individuals sincerely want to know how your day is going, they are asking because they care, not out of curtesy. Also, Midwesterners are more reserved than Westerners, and this is a positive, it takes longer to get to know Midwesterners, but once you do, relationships are genuine over the superficiality that occasionally takes place on the West Coast.
