..........When in PA - talk "Pennsylvanian" ..........
You've never referred to Philadelphia as anything but "Philly" and New Jersey has always been " Jersey" You refer to Pennsylvania as "PA" (pronouncedPee-ay). How many other states do that? "You guys" is a perfectly acceptable reference toa group of men & women. You know how to respond to the question"Djeetyet?" (Didyoueatyet?) You learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre ,Schuylkill , the Pocono's, Tamaqua, Tunkannock, BalaCynwyd, Duquesne & Monongahela.
You know what a "Mummer" is, and are disappointed if you can't catch at least highlights of the parade.You know what " Punxsutawney Phil" is, and what it means if he sees his shadow. The first day of buck & the first day of doe season are school holidays. You know how to get 'rid' of things and how to read up.You can use the phrase "fire hall wedding reception" & not even bat an eye.You can't go to a wedding without hearing the"Chicken Dance," at least one polka & either an Italian song (sung in Italian,) or "Hava Nagila."At least 5 people on your block have electric"candles" in all or most their windows all yearlong.You know what a "Hex sign" is.
You know what a "State Store" is, and your out-of-state friends find it incredulous that you can't purchase liquor at the mini-mart. You own only 4 condiments: salt, pepper, mustard & ketc hup.Words like "hoagie," "crick," "chipped ham,""sticky buns," "shoo-fly pie," "pierogies" &"pocketbook" actually mean something to you. That's PA slang for purse!
You can eat cold pizza (even for breakfast) and know others who do the same. (Those from NY find this "barbaric.")You not only have heard of Birch Beer, but you know it comes in several colors: Red, White, Brown,Gold.You know several places to purchase or that serve Scrapple, Summer Sausage and Hot Bacon Dressing. You can eat a cold soft pretzel from a street vendor without fear & enjoy it. It almost always comes with mustard. You know the difference between a cheese steak & a pizza steak sandwich, and know that you can't get a really good one outside PA. Except Atlantic City on the boardwalk.You live for summer, when street & county fairs signal the beginning of funnel cake season. Customers ask the waitress for "dippy eggs" for breakfast.
You know that Blue Ball, Intercourse, Paradise ,Climax, Bird-in-Hand, Beaver, Moon, Virginville ,Mars, and Slippery Rock are PA towns. (and the first3 were consecutive stops on the Reading RR) You know what a township, borough, and commonwealth is..You can identify drivers from New York , NewJersey , or other neighboring states by their unique& irritating driving habits. A traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a horse-drawn carriage on the highway in Lancaster County. You know several people who have hit deer more than once. You carry jumper cables in your car & your female passengers know how to use them. You still keep kitty litter, starting fluid, de-icer, or a snowbrush in your trunk, even if you now live in the south. Driving is always better in winter because the potholes are filled with snow. As a kid you built snow forts and leaf piles that were taller than you were.
Your graduating class consisted of mostly Polish,German, & Italian names.You know beer doesn't grow in a garden but youknow where to find a beer garden.You also know someone who lives "down the lane"You actually understand all this & send it on to other Pennsylvanians or former Pennsylvanians!
YEAH ! ! THAT'S "PA" AND WE LOVE IT
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