I think it’s healthy for us Wisconsinites to admit that we might be a little bit strange. We have our quirks and odd behaviors, but we’re not ashamed of them. It takes a special kind of person to make it as a Wisconsinite. Here are a few of the unusual things we do that we’ll never change, but might have to defend to other people:
1. Saving our Friday nights for a fish fry.
I don't care if it's Lent or not, we love a good fish fry and we know where to get the best one in town. We'll eat 'em at a church, a festival, a corner bar and pretty much anywhere else.
2. Finding the Sausage Race the most exciting part of the baseball game.
There are plenty of knock-offs, but we know the original. I go to 20+ Brewers games a year and I still love cheering for the Sausage Race. It may be hokey, but it's ours.
3. Testing whether or not someone is local by asking them to pronounced things like Ashwaubenon and Oconomowoc.
It's the ultimate test for your official Wisconsinite membership card. Bonus points if you can spell them right, too!
4. Wearing cheese.
The Cheesehead moniker may have originally been an insult from those less-successful fans below us, but we're so good-natured, we adopted it for our own. We're not ashamed - we're rather proud and we have no problem letting everyone know.
5. Calling it a Bubbler.
If you can call all tissues Kleenex and all bandages Band-Aids, we can call these guys Bubblers. They were invented here (you're welcome) and Bubbler is their product name.
6. Vacationing "up north."
No, Illinois folks, Lake Geneva isn't "up north," but we'll pretty much call anywhere north of Appleton that way. We'll take a weekend at a cabin in the Northwoods over most vacations - and not just in summer. If you don't have a cabin or cottage, odds are you know or related to someone who does. "Up north" is more an attitude than an actual location.
7. Not being bothered by cold and snow.
Yes, it gets cold here. Below zero, even. Wind chill is actually a thing here. And it might snow a foot or more in one day. And we'll probably still go to work and school. And we'll be proud of it and make fun of the other places that get similar weather and seem to shut down. We're hardy folks.
8. Preferring brandy.
In our Old Fashioneds. In our Manhattans. With soda. On its own. There's a reason a third of Korbel's production comes right here to the Dairy State. We know other people drink Old Fashioneds, but we don't like those as much and we'll happily teach the bartender the "proper way" to make one.
9. Grilling year-round.
We have no problem tailgating at a Packer game and we'll shovel a path to our grill if necessary.
10. Considering blaze orange a wardrobe staple.
In Wisconsin, blaze orange is always the new black.
11. Immediately placing our newborns on the waiting list for Packers season tickets.
Alternately, willing our season tickets to someone else. This is totally normal behavior and we don't understand why you think it's odd.
12. Putting a salad in our Bloody Mary. And including a chaser.
The size of the "salad" can differ to taste, but you'll never see an empty Bloody Mary glass here. Sometimes it's just a pickle and an olive, sometimes you'll see a meat stick or even a cheese curd. Folks get way more elaborate than that, but whether you're into simple or more complicated, you've still got a little something in your Bloody.
13. Entering meat raffles at our local pub.
We think nothing of buying tickets for a chance at large quantities of meat from an unknown source provided to us by a dive-y pub.
14. Preferring our cheese to squeak.
We've got an astronomical amount of spectacular cheese here in Wisconsin, but even still, we have a soft spot for fresh, squeaky curds and deep fried, melty goodness.
15. Packing both shorts and a winter coat when vacationing in state.
We like to joke about the weather changing in just a few minutes. but anyone looking for a weekend away in April, May, October or November knows the temperatures could be anywhere from 30 on up to 70 and might vary that much in just a day or two's time.
16. Referring to the Packers as "we."
Yeah, we know none of us are lining up in the Green and Gold, but we take a lot of pride in being the only publicly owned team. Those are our players, on our team and therefore we are extra-connected to the squad.
What do you think? What strange habits did we leave off the list? Let us know in the comments!
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