Ohio flies the only state flag in the country that isn’t a rectangle, and state law spells out how to fold it. Growing up around that kind of state pride leaves marks. These are the signs you grew up in Ohio, no matter where you live now. 1. Answering O-H Without Thinking Somebody shouts O-H…
The Zaxby’s closest to Clemson’s Memorial Stadium starts backing up almost an hour before kickoff. Regulars already know their order by the time they reach the intercom. Everybody else is still reading the menu board. These are the habits that separate a South Carolina Zaxby’s regular from a first-timer. 1. Ordering the Big Zax Snak…
A new hire on her first morning at a Sheboygan insurance office asks a coworker where the water fountain is. He points down the hall. “Bubbler’s by the copier. Come here once, and I’ll show you where we keep the coffee.” She smiles and nods, and understands maybe half of it. These are the things…
Cactus, sunshine, and not much else is the Arizona many tourists picture before they land. The reality comes with many surprises, some of which could send you to the hospital. These are the things that confuse first-time visitors to Arizona. Note: This is general information, not medical or emergency advice. 1. Arizona Skips Daylight Saving…
Think you could order confidently off a menu in Beaufort or Columbia if you’re a tourist in South Carolina? Not a chance. South Carolina cooking runs on dishes with names that sound like weather reports, insults, or typos, and every one of them turns out to be dinner. These are the South Carolina foods that…
A new Oregon transplant pulls into a WinCo parking lot in Hillsboro, and the building looks like a warehouse nobody bothered to dress up. That turns out to be the least surprising part of their trip. WinCo Foods runs on habits that longtime Oregonians intuitively know. Everyone else has to learn fast. These are the…
A family from Long Island checks into a bed-and-breakfast near Cornell University and asks the owner how far away the nearest college town sits. The owner just blinks. Cornell has stood in Ithaca since 1865, and half the shops on the block exist because of it. These are the things downstate New Yorkers say about…
A new hire at a Roanoke office layers up for her first Blue Ridge winter and asks a coworker where she can grab a toboggan before the weekend hike. He points her toward the hat aisle at Kroger, not the sled rack at Walmart. These are the words Virginians use without a second thought that…
