If you live in the Buckeye State, you may participate in some weird rituals that are second nature to you. The rest of the country, however, finds some of our habits, ummm, a bit quirky.
1. We worship a poisonous nut
People who have never lived in Ohio just do not get it. The buckeye is a hard thing to explain to those not native to the deciding state. It’s a nut, but you can’t eat it, but ironically there’s a candy shaped like it and… yeah it’s an Ohio thing.
2. We are obsessed with Ohio State University
Did I mention that the buckeye has a name? It’s Brutus, but if you live in Ohio, you already knew that (and you probably know a dog or two with the same name). Brutus the Buckeye is the mascot of Ohio State University and is worshiped by many an Ohioan. The campus has 60,000 students and an extensive alumni network, so it is quite possible to assume that everyone in the state has some sort of OSU connection. Even if no family member or friend ever called The Ohio State home, no one will think it weird if you have a flag outside of your house with scarlet and gray (unless they’re from out of state, of course).
See, Brutus gets it.
3. Ohioans have a thing for spelling out Ohio
Don’t ask me how yelling O-H and expecting others to yell back I-O got started. My best guess is that it has its origins in something Ohio State University related (see number two). Whatever the cause of this phenomenon may be, it’s a thing that Ohioans have spread like the plague. Don’t believe me? Last year I was in Europe and I met a man from Germany. All I said was my name and that I was from Ohio and he immediately began the chant by yelling O-H. I managed to work through my surprise and say I-O back. No one will be able to convince me that there is a more shocking experience than a random stranger in a foreign country unexpectedly yelling at you in German. Thanks Ohio.
4. Going to a corn maze is like playing Jeopardy
Corn mazes and fields are a staple of the Midwest. That’s a given. Going to a corn maze in Ohio gives you the chance to finally pull out the mind's junk drawer of knowledge. What president was fined twenty dollars for riding a horse through the middle of the street?
Abraham Lincoln (Go straight)
Ulysses S. Grant (Turn right)
Hope you paid attention in US History.
We are also contenders for the most intricate corn mazes. They're basically art.
5. It’s pop not soda
Believe it or not, some people call it soda. And by some people, I mean most of the country.
This guy is trying to remain neutral.
6. You have to choose the right day to go whale fishing
“It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday” is an actual Ohio law and is the epitome of why Ohioans are weird. It’s a law that leaves more questions than answers. Who has tried fishing for a whale and where? Where are there whales in Ohio to even fish? Why only Sunday, why not every day of the week? Somebody needs to investigate this ASAP.
7) Using an AC and a heater in the same day is not uncommon
This is due to the weather, but Ohioans have a strange pride in their state’s crazy weather patterns. Layers are a necessity here.
We may have our unique features, but Ohioans are a proud bunch, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
