10 Weird Side Effects Everyone Experiences From Growing Up In West Virginia

Growing up here will certainly teach you a thing or two about how to navigate roads during the winter, including carrying a bag of kitty litter in your trunk. When you’re hopelessly stuck in the snow, putting kitty litter down in the areas where your car tires are spinning can get you un-stuck. The moisture-absorbing property of kitty litter helps it expand, and adds more friction for your tires to grip. (You’re welcome.) The weight of the bag in the trunk of a rear-wheel drive is helpful, too. West Virginians also know to not use their brakes on ice but to "gear down" instead.

It goes great with beans and ham. It goes great with chili. It goes great with soup. It’s awesome all on its own as a snack! It reminds you of Sunday dinners at your grandma’s house after church. Cornbread with everything!

Each is a frightening story all on its own, but put them all together and you can scare the socks off of your nieces, nephews and neighbor kids around a campfire.

Frugal, thrifty, economical yes, but don’t call us cheap! Because many West Virginians grew up without an abundance of money (or with parents or grandparents who were poor), we learned at an early age to be especially careful with money. West Virginians have no problem shopping Goodwill, thrift shops, flea markets or yard sales for something they might need or want. I personally used to joke that my first apartment was decorated "Early American Yard Sale" style. They revel in the "thrill of the hunt" and brag about their bargain finds. But by the same token, knowing the value of a hard-earned dollar, they aren’t afraid to spend an appropriate amount on something of true value, like a quality article of clothing, or a high-end piece of furniture that will last 20+ years. They are also exceptionally generous with friends and family.

Because we love being thrifty, it can be hard to throw things out that we "might need someday." Admit it: this explains the plethora of weird and mismatched plasticware - butter tubs, potato salad containers and the like - in your cabinets. Unfortunately with 10 identical butter tubs in your refrigerator, it can take you an hour to find the specific leftovers you’re looking for.

WVU Mountaineer pride is no joke in the Mountain State, and West Virginians are fiercely proud of "their" sports teams. If you attended WVU as a student you might *possibly* have been complicit in the burning of a couch or two after a WVU football win. But you’ll never tell.

West Virginians love their pepperoni rolls, which are a state staple and is exactly as they sound: pepperoni wrapped in dough and baked to perfection. Soft, fragrant, delicious. The pepperoni roll is as connected to WV as the bagel is to New York or the cheese steak is to Philadelphia. People in WV have a definite preference for what type of pepperoni is in their pepperoni roll. Sliced pepperoni is tender and easy to chew, whereas stick pepperoni requires more of a bite, and yields a more substantial "mouth feel". Sticks versus slices is probably the biggest divider among bakers as well —stick seems to be the purist's take, and you'll also find some hackles raised over the matter of cheese. I say, if you opt for cheese, go for pepper jack. It adds a nice kick.

Not only that, you can probably tell the difference between a hammered dulcimer and fretted dulcimer. Maybe it’s something in the genes, passed down from generation to generation. The folk music your ancestors loved and entertained themselves around the fireplace with just sets your toes to tapping.

Not only that, you can spot them from 10 feet away. This is probably due to an unfortunate experience with one (or all three) of them at some point in your life.

Okay, this one’s far-fetched, but it used to be a joke that West Virginians have one leg longer than the other from walking along the steep hillsides and mountains.