You Know You're From...

The other night, Kiddo found "You know you're from Louisiana when..." on a Myspace bulletin. I'm posting a modified version of it here. I also found "You know you're from Indiana when..." at Blogthings. Since I am a Born-n-Bred Corn-Fed Hoosier who's lived in Louisiana for four years (and I count the days till I go back) I figured what-the-heck.

P. S. A. - Mark your calendars! Mardi Gras is Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Ok - On with the silliness... (Commentary in Pink)

You know you're from Louisiana when...

~ You know that the little dirt towers in your yard are made by crawfish. (And fire ant bites are common.)

~ You greet people with "Howzyamomma'an'dem?" and hear back "Dey fine!" (Or when asked "Howzit goin'", the person answers "Wouldn't do any good to complain.")

~ Every so often, you have waterfront property. (Every time it rains)

~ When giving directions you use words like "uptown," "downtown," "backatown," "riverside," "lakeside," "other side of the bayou" or "other side of the levee."

~ When you refer to a geographical location "way up North," you are referring to places like Shreveport, Little Rock or Memphis, "where it gets real cold."

~ You've ever had Community Coffee. (YUCK!)

~ You can pronounce Tchoupitoulas but can't spell it.(also, Thibodaux, Opelousas, Pontchartrain, Ouachita, Atchafalaya). (P.S.A. - you absolutely must listen to a song called "Amos Moses" by Jerry Reed - go now, well after you read this, and track it down)

~ You don't worry when you see ships riding higher in the river than the top of your house.

~ The four seasons in your year are: crawfish, shrimp, crab, and King Cake.

You "wrench" your hands in the sink with an onion bar to get the crawfish smell off. (Never heard of the onion bar thing)

~ You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.

~ You believe that purple, green and gold look good together.

~ Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled. (I had such a hard time with this when we first moved here)

~ You know what a nutria rat is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.

~ You have spent a summer afternoon on the Lake Pontchartrain seawall catching blue crabs.

~ You like your rice and politics dirty.

~ You pronounce the largest city in the state as "Nawlins."

~ You know those big roaches can fly, but you're able to sleep at night anyway. (Hate 'em - Huzzz)

~ You assume everyone has mosquito swarms in their backyard. (All. year. 'round.)

~You realize the rainforest is less humid than Louisiana. (And never have a good hair day)

~ You discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window... (HAHAHAHA -OUCH!)

~ When out of town, you stop and ask someone where there is a drive-through Daiquiri place, and they look at you like you have three heads.

~ You have flood insurance. (Yup)

~ Your burial plot is six feet over rather than six feet under.

~ You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras throws. (I've seen this)

~ You leave a parade with footprints on the top of your hands.

~ You have a parade ladder in your shed.

~ Your first sentence was "Throw me something mistah" and your first drink was from a go-cup.

~ You worry about a deceased family member returning in spring floods.

~ You reply to anything and everything about life here with "Only in Nahlins".

~ You have a monogrammed go-cup.

~ You get on a bus marked "Cemeteries" and don't think twice.

~ You shake out your shoes before putting them on. (Learn this quick)

~ Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.

~ No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food. (Just ask Daddy-O - he likes hot stuff)

~ You get up in the morning and start cooking a pot of rice before you give any thought to what you'll fix for dinner.

~ When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.

~ You call tomato sauce "red gravy." (Took me a while to figure that one out)

~ You eat sno-balls instead of throwing them. (And it's "Sneaux" -- that word just tickles me)

~ Your house payment is less than your air conditioning bill. (Amen)

~ Your grandparents are called "Maw Maw" and "Paw Paw."

~ You fall asleep to the soothing sounds of four box fans.

~ No one eats healthy. Fried Batter is actually a menu item in some restaurants.

~ You wear shorts at Christmastime. (or if it gets below 58F, you wear a ski cap, and you don't know what outside Christmas light look like shining on the snow)

~ You don't know what a "county" is until you're in high school.

~ You've ever had to wait for the bridge to "come down" before you can get home. (HAHAHA - We live in a little twon where there only one road that goes all the way through - and there's a bridge at both ends. It's a lesson in patience - believe me.

You know you're from Indiana when...


~ You drive for three hours and the scenery outside doesn't change. (It's mostly corn and/or soybeans.)

~ There's three feet of snow on the ground and school is still in session.

~ You only go to the mall once a year 'cause it takes too long to get there. (Actually, it takes longer to get to the mall living in the country in LA)

~ People still have Christmas decorations up at Easter.

~ You start saying to yourself "More than corn in Indiana my butt."

~ Anyone with a cell phone looks out of place.

~ Anyone with a tan is rich.

~ The hip hang-out place is McDonald's. (In my day it was the courthouse square)

~ When you plan an orgy and a Euchre game breaks out. (HAHAHA - er - TMI)

~ Speeding consists of 2 miles over the speed limit.

~ You think you don't have to use a turn signal on your car because you don't use it on your tractor.

~ You build your dream house on a cornfield, and you considered it posh.

~ You "warsh" your clothes.

~ You're proud to be called a Hoosier, even if you don't know what one is. (It's not a thing, it's a phrase! Third paragraph under "Local Color" )

~ You have no problem spelling or pronouncing "Terre Haute"

~ Detassling was your first job. Bailing hay, your second.

~ You can stack hay, swim in the pond to clean off, and then have the strength to play a couple of games of hoops all in the same day.

~ You say things like "catty-wumpus" and "kitty-corner". (Yup)

~ You own a dirtbike or a ATV. (Honda Trail 70)

~ You live in a city ... and there's a cornfield in your backyard.

~ High school basketball game draws a bigger crowd on the weekend nights than movie theaters.

~ You can see at least 2 basketball hoops from your yard.

You shop at Marsh. (or Aldi)

~ The biggest question of your youth was "IU or Purdue?"

~ Indianapolis is the "big city".

~ "Getting caught by a train" is a legitimate excuse for being late to school. (And walking the traintracks was a childhood pasttime)

~ People at your high school chewed tobacco. (And the farmer's kids were bigger than the teachers)

~ Everyone knows who the town cop is, where he lives, and whether he is at home or on duty. (And which back roads to drive around on so you wouldn't get caught)

~ You actually know what the CART vs IRL debate is about and have taken a side.

~ To you, a raccoon is simply a "coon". (Zactly)

~The vehicle of choice in your area is not a car, but a pickup. (Isn't that what everybody learns to drive in?)

~ Someone you know is BIG John Mellencamp fan. (PICK ME! PICK ME!)

~ You've been to the Covered Bridge Festival. (And everyone makes at least one trip to Brown County each year)

~ To you, a tenderloin is not an expensive cut of beef, but a big, salty, breaded piece of pork served on a bun with pickles. (Lay it on me)

~ You call a green bell pepper a "mango". (Amen)

~ Sometimes, you call the toilet the "commode" or the "stool". (And you use it when you have to go BM)

~ In the fall, one of your favorite pranks was corning cars. (nope, rotten apples- sshhhh - don't tell the folks)

~ You know what FFA and 4H stand for. ("Future Farmers of America" and...
"I pledge
my head to clearer thinking
my heart to greater loyalty
my hands to larger service
my health to better living
for my club, my community, my country, and my world."
remember that - there's gonna be a quiz later)

~You know what chip-and-seal is, and your high school was located on just such a road.

~ You go the county fair every night of it's week-long duration.

~ You can say "French Lick" without laughing out loud. (No - it's still funny)

~ There's actually a college near you named "Ball State." (And that's funny, too)

~ The last "g" is silent in any word ending in "ing."

~ You think the state Bird is Larry.

~ The only spices you use are salt, pepper and ketchup.

~Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.

~ Your clases were canceled because of heat or cold.

~ You know several people who've hit a deer.

~ You know what's knee-high-by-the-Fourth-of-July (it's corn, silly)

~ You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?" or "If you go to the mall I wanna go with." (some habits are hard to break)

~ You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

~ You carry jumper cables in your car.

~ You know what "cow tipping" or "Possum Kicking" is.

~ You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

~ Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow. (Amen)

~ You know which leaves make good toilet paper. (Not the fuzzy ones)

~ You find -20 degrees F "a little chilly." (It's all about the "wind chill factor")

~You know all four seasons: Almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.

~ You know if another Hoosier is from southern, middle or northern Indiana as soon as they open their mouth. (Yup)

Remind me again just why I want to go back to Indiana??? HAHAHA - just kiddin'. (I miss the snow)

How 'bout some Poke/Polk Salad or Swamp Salad, John-Boy?
The Happy Medium