Strange things about Minnesotans

I’ve been in Minnesota for three years now, and I love it.  But I’m an Iowa girl at heart, so I can’t help but notice some of the strange things about Minnesotans.

1) It’s MinnesOta not MinnesoTA.

Minnesotans are proud of their accents. You betcha. But crack a joke about basically living in Canada? Don’t you dare!

2) Everything I once called a casserole is now a hot dish.

If it isn’t made in a specifically designated casserole dish, it is a hot dish. Apparently.

3) Forget Duck, Duck, Goose. Now we play Duck, Duck, Grey Duck.

My husband says the “fun” in this is that you can now trick people by saying “Duck, Duck, GREEN duck” or something equally absurd.

4) You must be a Vikings fan, unless you live almost on the border of Wisconsin, in which case rooting for the Packers is acceptable.

Not that I’m a big sports fan in general, but I miss in-state rivalries.  Iowa vs Iowa State is WAY more exciting than being expected to root for your state!

5) Topic #1 in conversation is traffic.

How was your drive? Did you take 494? How is 52 today? You live in Town A . . . isn’t that about a 12 minute drive? When I was new around here, I didn’t have the faintest idea which way is the best way to get from point A to Point B.  Nor do I care if 52 is a little backed up heading south today.  Maybe it’s a big city thing.

6) Minnesotans hate Iowa.

Hate it I tell you. Just don’t remind anyone that Okoboji is in Iowa.  They like Okoboji.

7) Living here takes the fun out of the Mall of America. 

I just laugh, because I remember being super jealous of friends who made weekend trips to the mall, and now that I live here, we avoid it like the plague most of the time.

8) All of the sports teams here are pretty much awful most of the time, but they are still die-hard fans.

This one I understand. I’m a Cubs fan (just please don’t tell the Minnesotans that!), so I’ve lived through a lot of losses. Also, thank the Good Lord that we live close enough to the border that it’s okay to root on the Packers (Go Pack Go!)

9) Goodbyes take forever.

I don’t know why, but it seems that when you say goodbye to someone the first time, it means another 10-20 minutes before you ACTUALLY part ways.  If you have the chance to leave at the first goodbye TAKE IT IMMEDIATELY or you will never leave.

10) I’m so excited to stay here!!

Minnesota has it’s quirks, but I absolutely love it!