My brother sent this to me yesterday. Thought I’d pass it along to other folks from PA; I’m sure they’d get a kick out of it. What idiosyncrasies does your state have?
Talking Pennsylvanian
Once a Pennsylvanian, ALWAYS a Pennsylvanian. About Pennsylvanians:
You’ve never referred to Philadelphia as anything but “Philly” and New Jersey and always been “Jersey”. You refer to Pennsylvania as PA (pronounced Pee-ay). How many other states do that?
“You guys” is a perfectly acceptable reference to a group of men or women.
You know how to respond to the question “Djeetyet” (Did you eat yet?).
You learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre, Schuylkill, the Poconos, Tamaqua, Tunkannock, Bala Cynwyd, Duquense, and Monongahela. And we know that Lancaster is pronounced Lank-aster not Lan-kaster.
You know what a “mummer” is and are disappointed if you can’t catch at least the highlights of the parade. You know what “Punxsutawney Phil” 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 know how to get ‘rid’ of things and you know how to ‘read up’. 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 one polka and either an Italian song (sung in Italian) or “Hava Nagila”.
At least five 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.
Words like “hoagie”, “crick”, “chipped ham”, “dippy eggs”, “sticky buns”, “shoo-fly pie”, “lemon sponge pie”, “pierogies” and “pocket book” (that’s PA slang for purse!) 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 and gold.
You know several places to purchase or that serve Scrapple, Summer Sausage and Hot Bacon Dressing. You can eat a cold soft pretzel from a street vendor without fear and enjoy it. It almost always comes with mustard. You know the difference between a cheesesteak and a pizza steak sandwich and know that you can’t get a really good one outside of PA, except Atlantic City on the boardwalk. You live for summer when street and county fairs signal the beginning of funnel cake season.
You know that Blue Ball, Intercourse, Paradise, Climax, Bird-in-Hand, Beaver, Moon, Virginville, Mars, and Slippery Rock are PA towns and the first three were consecutive stops on the Reading railroad. You know what a township, commonwealth and borough is. You can identify drivers from New York, New Jersey, Maryland and other neighboring states by their unique and irritating driving habits. 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, starter fluid and de-icer or a snow brush in your trunk even if you live in the south. Driving is always better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow. As a kid you built leaf piles and snow forts that were bigger than you were.
You actually understood all of this and have sent it on to other or former Pennsylvanians!!
I know this was long but I got a kick out of it and thought maybe others would too!
Are You From PA? Trivia stuff.
I grew up in Lank-aster and boy oh boy are we touchy about that! -and no, we arent ALL amish
"go red up your room" I forgot about that one!
