Tell Me You're from the Midwest without Telling Me You're from the Midwest
Although I live in Florida now, I am 100% a Midwest girl. Wisconsin, to be exact. We Midwesterners like to think that we are instilled with a certain wholesomeness and hospitality that is quite different from the rest of the country. One way you might recognize us is by our accent. In fact, just the other week I jumped into an Uber in Charleston, South Carolina, only to have the driver ask me if I was from Minnesota or Wisconsin within the first five minutes of the ride. Ugh. I thought I sounded “normal”, but every once in a while the accent does slip out a bit. To the guy on the tennis court who thought I was from Canada? How dare you, sir. Never mind that my car’s Bluetooth tries to call “the ambulance” every time I tell it to “Call Dan.”
Anyway, even if you can’t identify us from our distinctive accent, there is another surefire way: summer produce.
I recently discovered that sharing of summer produce isn’t quite a “thing” in larger metropolitan areas. For example: When I went into my neighborhood bar in my hometown, not only did I not pay for a single drink (the patrons found out who my dad was, and that was that), but I also walked out with a huge bag of cherry tomatoes. When our Midwest gardens produce too much, we just share. For free.
When I mentioned this story to a co-worker, he mentioned something similar. If you’re from the Midwest, you know that it’s normal to bring in surplus produce to work. On any given summer day, you might find a variety of zucchini, a bag of radishes, or various cucumbers just sitting on a table or on display in the cafeteria. It’s an understood rule that they are free for the taking.
Well I guess this is a Midwest thing, since my co-worker recently had some consultants in-house who were thoroughly confused by the entire situation. Upon seeing the zucchini, they became quite puzzled.
“What’s up with the vegetables?” they asked.
When my friend explained how people just had extras and brought them to work to share, he was met by blank looks and more confusion. It was kind of like that old Saturday Night Live sketch, “White Like Me” with Eddie Murphy: “When white people are alone, they like to give things to each other … for free.” Only with Midwest folks, it doesn’t matter what color we are … we just share … for free.
Forgot your handwarmers for the Packers game at Lambeau? Here are some extras.
Just bring yourself to the potluck - we’ve got plenty of casseroles.
And the classic favorite: Grab yourself a beer out of the cooler.
We’re just Midwest Nice. That’s how it works.