Growing up in the Midwest means a lot of things—farms, flat land, a lack of experience spending time near bodies of saltwater. You're likely polite, refuse to turn up to an event empty-handed and have a definite grasp on life in four different seasons.
Let's face it, the Midwest is best.
1. Casserole is considered a food group.
2. You look people in the eyes, smile and say hello when walking down the street .
3. You know what’s knee-high by the Fourth of July.
4. You’ve vacationed in the Wisconsin Dells.
5. You find yourself asking for a pop.
6. You don’t understand how schools close for a “dusting” of snow
7. You’ve been to the state fair, and probably the neighboring states' fairs as well.
8. The Mall of America was your teenage mecca.
9. Bob Evans wasn't just a brand of sausage that you bought at grocery stores.
10. You know what Kringle is.
11. You ate "walking tacos" at high school football games.
12. You consider the Great Lakes to be better than any ocean.
13. Meat and potatoes are your vegan diet.
14. You or someone you know owns a lake house, likely complete with a pontoon boat.
15. You crave blue moon ice cream.
16. Pimento cheese is a staple at Christmas events.
17. On that note, you have no idea what constipation from too much cheese is.
18. Even if you don't call it a bubbler, you at least know what it is.
19. You have gone on a hay ride and picked a pumpkin out of an actual pumpkin patch.
20. Instead of "going camping" you say you're "going up north."
21. One word: Bozo.
22. You can name at least 3 people who have hit a deer while driving.
23. You long for fish fry every single Friday.
24. You drank Pabst long before it was cool and refuse to pay more than $3 for a can.
25. The servers know your order at your hometown Steak n’ Shake.
26. You make a mean puppy chow.
27. You slip into your accent when you’re drunk and find yourself saying "oh jeez" a lot.
28. You've definitely been to a farm for purposes other than a school field trip because you had friends that grew up on farms. This also means you probably witnessed the "miracle" of birth by the time you were were 11.
29. It's called Hardee's, not Carl's Jr.
30. Even if you didn't drive a pickup truck, you knew someone who did.
31. You’ve spent a summer at the Indiana Dunes.
32. You have a fierce loyalty to your state’s football team that no fans on the coasts can match.
33. At least three major fast food chains were founded in your home state.
34. Big school field trips meant going to “the city” to check out a museum.
35. You have no idea what a hill is.
36. You've gone trick-or-treating with your snow pants on.