Sometimes it seems like the rest of the country works one way while Nebraska marches to the beat of its own drummer. We’re a little bit weird, and that’s just fine with us. Here’s how we’re not quite like everyone else.

1. We've got an enormous football following for a state without an NFL team.
flickr/Kiley
This is a phenomenon you'll find in other states to some degree...but I've never seen a college football team totally take over a state like it has in Nebraska.
2. If you see someone wearing a Huskers shirt, they immediately become family.
flickr/UNL Today
You spot each other, yell "GBR!", and then stop and talk like long-lost friends.
3. We drink our beer red.
Facebook/Visit Omaha
This is not weird. This tastes amazing. It's like a bloody mary that packs a bit less of a buzz.
4. The rest of the country says ranch dressing; we say Dorothy Lynch.
Facebook/Dorothy Lynch
If you've been reading Only In Nebraska for a while, you might have noticed that I'm a big fan of Dorothy Lynch. I'm also a big fan of how many of you love it just as much. This is something we Nebraskans can bond over, friends.
5. Most people eat crackers with their chili. But we'll take cinnamon rolls, please.
Runza
The sweet and savory combination is so much better than it sounds.
6. We'll stop to help out strangers anytime, anywhere.
flickr/Lens Envy
I've been late to work or other important events because I stopped to help someone in some way. I don't know many Nebraskans who haven't. It's just in our nature to stop and offer help when someone needs it.

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7. We've got that whole unicameral legislation thing going for us.
flickr/Greg Bobbett
And we're the only ones.
8. We've grown immune to the weather.
Pixabay
Negative eight degrees this morning? Haha, no problem. Let me know when it gets into double negative digits and then I'll drag out my heavy winter coat. (Note that being immune to it does not mean we'll ever stop complaining about it.)
9. We're so ok with the weather, in fact, that it doesn't stop us from doing our regular things.
flickr/Gary Lerude
We still barbecue in the dead of winter. Sometimes wearing shorts and a t-shirt, depending on how close the grill is to the back door.
10. We still leave our cars running when we "run inside just for a minute."
flickrOverduebook
Ok, we can't do this everywhere anymore. But I've seen people do it in small towns and big cities alike, and it's not especially common to hear of someone stealing a car this way. It does happen, though, so test this at your own caution.
11. When there's a storm coming, you can find us outside with a beer, looking up.
flickr/Daniel Rodriguez
If there's someone else there, we'll also be talking extensively about storms in past years, how this storm formed, how the recent weather has indicated a storm would be coming, and all kinds of other fascinating armchair meteorology.
12. We haven't let the world make us cynical and unfriendly.
flickr/Connie Ma
We collectively still believe that a smile and a hearty "hello" are just the way that good people behave. Out of state people have often asked me why people are so nice here. I just ask why people aren't so nice everywhere else.

We’re not really rebels, you see…we’re just a little pocket of football-loving, red beer-drinking, storm-watching, friendly people in middle America. And if that makes us “weird” in the eyes of the rest of the country, well, we’re ok with that.

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