PARASAILING WAS FUN!!!

I WONDER WHAT'S NEXT? ZIP LINING MAYBE???




Thursday, January 29, 2009

You Know You're From Philadelphia When...

Kate did a post like this about Tennessee and invited anyone and everyone to do a similar post for their hometown or home state. Here's mine about Philadelphia (the closest big city to Pottstown, where I live now and/or Clifton Heights, where I grew up)




You've never referred to Philadelphia as anything but "Philly." And New Jersey has always been "Jersey."


You refer to Pennsylvania as "PA" (pronounced Peeay).How many other states do that?



You know what "Punxsutawney Phil" ( A Ground Hog ) is, and what it means if he sees his shadow.


The first day of buck and the first day of doe season are school holidays.


You can use the phrase "fire hall wedding reception" and not even bat an eye.


You can't go to a wedding without hearing the "Chicken Dance," at least 1 Polka and either an Italian song (sung in Italian,) or "Hava Nagila."

At least 5 people on your block have electric "candles" in all or most of their windows all year long.



You know what a "Hex sign" is.


You know what a "State Store" is, and your out of state friends find it incredulous that you can't purchase liquor at the mini-mart.


You own only three condiments "salt, pepper and Heinz ketchup".


Words like "hoagie", "crick", "chipped ham", "sticky buns", "shoo-fly pie", "pierogies" and "pocketbook" actually mean something to you.



You can eat cold pizza (even for breakfast) and know others who do the same. (Those from NY find this "barbaric".)


You not only have heard of Birch Beer, but you know it comes in several colors: Red, White, Brown, Gold.



You know several places to purchase or that serve Scrapple, Summer Sausage (Lebanon Bologna), and Hot Bacon Dressing.




You can eat a cold soft pretzel from a street vendor without fear and enjoy it.




You know the difference between a cheese steak & a pizza steak sandwich and a Primanti's, and know that you can't get a really good one outside PA.



You live for summer, when street and county fairs signal the beginning of funnel cake season.




Customers ask the waitress for "dippy eggs" for breakfast.


You know that Blue Ball, Intercourse, Climax, Bird-in-Hand, Beaver, Moon, Virginville, Paradise, Mars, and Slippery Rock are PA towns.





You know what a township, borough, and commonwealth is.


You can identify drivers from New York, New Jersey, Ohio,or other neighboring states by their unique and irritating driving habits.





A traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a horse-drawn carriage on the highway in Lancaster County.


You know several people who have hit deer more than once.


You carry jumper cables in your car and your female passengers know how to use them.


You still keep kitty litter, starting fluid, de-icer, or a snow brush in your trunk, even if you live in the south.


Driving is always better in winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
'

As a kid you built snow forts and leaf piles that were taller than you were.


Your graduating class consisted of mostly Polish, German, & Italian names.




"You guys" and "ynz" is a perfectly acceptable reference to a group of men & women.


You know how to respond to the question "Djeetyet?" (Didyoueatyet?)


You learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre, Schuylkill, Bala Cynwyd, Conshohocken, and Monongahela.


You know what a "Mummer" is, and are disappointed if you can't catch at least highlights of the parade.






You live within two miles of a plant that makes potato chips, corn chips, pretzels, candy, or ice cream, or that packages turkey, beans or bologna.


Your turkey has "filling," not "stuffing," and most certainly, NOT "dressing."


You have an uncontrollable urge to buy bread and milk when you hear the word "snow."


You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.


You think a typical vacation is two weeks on the front stoop.


School closings due to snow take the radio stations a half an hour to finish, because just about every town has its own school district.


When someone says 1972, you think "Agnes," and when someone says 1979, you think "TMI." (Three Mile Island)


You prefer Hershey's Chocolate to Godiva.


You call Sloppy Joes "Barbecue."


You can stop along the road to buy fruits, vegetables, or crafts on the "honor system."


You consider Pittsburgh to be "out west," and you know the fastest way to Philly is the Turnpike.


The local paper covers National and International headlines on 1/4 page but requires six pages for sports.


The trunk of your car doubles as a deep freezer.


You know that Yuengling is pronounced "Ying-ling," and believe that it really is a premium beer (which comes from growing up on Schlitz and Iron City).


You say "wooder" for "water"..
>

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel like a Peeay native already. Good list.

Temple said...

It kind of scares me that living in Philly has ALOT of similarities to living in Alabama...really...

Unknown said...

Mmmm... scrapple...

Birch beer also comes in blue. I haven't had it before, but I know that it comes in blue!

I always love trying to get people to say "Bala Cynwyd" That's my favorite PA weird town.

It's also "root" and not "r-out." You're guity of wooder though. I'm surprised you didn't add wooder to the list!!

Joanie said...

I added it. And I don't say wooder any more. I say water like regular people. :)

Lilly said...

I spent some time in PA with my daughter about 10 years ago and like it a lot. I should have read your list before I went. Yes I love Hersheys chocolate better than any other too. Thanks Joanie

Kate said...

"The local paper covers National and International headlines on 1/4 page but requires six pages for sports"
Sounds a lot like the Knoxville News Sentinel. Maybe we are not so different after all...however the "dressin'" vs. "stuffin'" debate has been raging for years down here in the south and woe be tide anyone who comes down here and calls it filling. Thanks for the post, this has really been an educational experience for me. I have got to get out of the South...what is this "snow" you speak of?

Joanie said...

Kate, I think the dressing vs stuffing debate must be regional. I've always called it stuffing. Stuffing is made with bread, filling is made with potatoes.

Lilly, you certainly have done some world travelling! Did you get to go to Hershey, PA? The entire town smells like cocoa! And the amusement park is fun!

Boozy Tooth said...

Joanie - having been born and raised just North of the Pennsylvania border in Binghamton, NY... a lot of those references are ones I'm familiar with. It was like going down Memory Lane with you.

I'm celebrating Ground Hog's day with a visit to the gynecologist. Woot woot!

Aleta said...

Lol - these are great! I might have to try one for New Orleans. Hey, at least I know what a funnel cake is!

Unknown said...

Lol...I felt right at home reading the list. I refuse to say crik though. Unless I'm referring to Beech Creek down the road. Then it's bitch crik ;)

What is with people and the bread and milk? It's that just PA?

Joanie said...

LOL Heinous! Regarding the bread/milk/snow thing. That's not me! I get brownie mix, ice cream, party food!
My parents are from coal country. Talk about a whole different world!

Julia@SometimesLucid said...

These are great! So happy you played.

Garret said...

That's a long ass list. Kinda makes people from PA even stranger than I thought.

Garret

jennygirltherat said...

You might add "know what a stoop is."
Also, the Sooper Dooper Looper is the most awesome old-school rollercoaster ever.
Also, "sink" is pronounced "zinc" (at least in Sou'Jerzee).
And "color' is "keller."