13 Unwritten Rules Every Minnesotan Lives By 'Til Death
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Betsy Rathburn
Author
Though every Minnesotan is different, we are all guided by a loose set of principles that most of us agree with. From food etiquette to proper dress, here are some unwritten rules of Minnesota living that we must all abide by. Which ones do you follow?
Morning comes with frost, and frost comes with scraping. If you want to avoid repurposing that old CD you still carry around in your car, you'll have a scraper on hand.
A little scraper isn't going to help much when we get a big dumping of snow. But you know what will? A long-handled broom, just like the one you sweep the floor with. It can reach across the roof of your car and help you avoid the dreaded snowhawk.
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Every Minnesotan knows that it's Duck, Duck, Gray Duck, and that will never change.
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If you're going to stop at a big chain coffee shop, why go anywhere but Caribou? It's a Minnesota business, and their coffee is better than that other big chain store.
Once you accept the insane traffic that comes with heading north on a holiday weekend, heading up north is one of the best things about Minnesota living. It's a chance to get out of the city and completely relax in nature.
You never know when there will be a repeat of the 1991 Halloween blizzard. But instead of canceling trick-or-treating, it's best to make sure that costume can fit over a coat - or better yet, a snowsuit.
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Sure, we know what others mean when they say "soda" or "coke," but are we going to change our ways? Nope!
It'll be gone before you know it. The Minnesotan thing to do is to soak up every last bit of sunlight by swimming, camping, and hiking the summer away.
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There are many smaller, less busy places to shop for holiday gifts. Visiting MOA during the holidays just means traffic, crowds, and getting extremely hot while you walk around carrying bags in your winter coat.
The final stage of grief is acceptance, though most of us are still working through our anger. On a daily basis, it seems like a new road is shut down here in Minnesota. And just when the route finally opens, a new one closes in its place. All that plowing really takes a toll on our roads.
The more polite thing to do is cut it in half again and again until someone finally gives in and throws it away. No one is sure why we do this, but we suspect that this is one of those unwritten rules that is here to stay.
Listen, Minnesotans can "uff-da" or "you betcha" in our best Scandinavian accents until the cows come home. We know the proper use of these terms. But if you aren't from here, it's best to leave the jokes at home. After all, most of us only use those phrases sarcastically.
Just kidding - sort of. Among strangers, we keep our innermost thoughts to ourselves. But around our friends, it all comes spilling out. Minnesotans do take a long time to say goodbye, but that's just because we have so much to say.
Would you add any unwritten rules to the list? Let us know what they are down in the comments!
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