Minnesota

The DFL party - In the 40’s, our state Democratic Party merged with our Farmer-Laborer Party.

Duck, Duck, Grey Duck - it may be closer to the original game imported from Sweden also, we like that you can have fun with fakeouts like “Green Duck”

Our pride in our confederate flag - MN was the first state to commit an infantry to the US Civil War. During Gettysburg we captured the 28th Virginia battle flag. We refuse to return it.

Lutheran sushi - it’s a delicious and ubiquitous snack here.

Hotdish - usually, the casserole is the dish, hotdish is the meal item itself. Tator Tot hotdish is a classic of the art.

Talking about the ‘91 Halloween blizzard - if they are Gen X or Elder Millennial it was a foundational moment growing up.

Ice fishing - drill a hole in the ice on a lake and bullshit with friends while waiting for fish to bite. Often alcohol is involved.

Minnesotans tend to be polite, which results in continually leaving half of whatever bit of food is left, since we don't want to eat the last of it. Since Prince has passed away, we've taken to calling this "leaving some for Prince".

I've only been to the airport on a layover, but my two favorite things about Minnesota are Atmosphere, and Information Society.

Minnesota is my newishly adopted home.

I've been here for a little less than a year now.

Everybody's real chatty. And I thought I came from a pretty chatty place.

Like I'll have a five minute convo with the cashier at the grocery store. This is a lot for me lol.

If you're polite you can easily get the skinny on the best restaurants and/or where to get coats, etc.

Edit: adding more things as I think of them...

This blew my mind driving out to Rochester one day: https://religionsmn.carleton.edu/exhibits/show/wattmunisotaram/introduction

You're just driving out in the sticks and then BAM! BUDDHIST TEMPLE!

Also we have Mayo, which I don't think enough people know about.

I started looking at houses in MN. I work remote, so I can live pretty much anywhere.

Well, now I'm interested in all of the above

You probably don't call it this name, but also explain the Minnesota Standoff. It's like a Mexican Standoff, but it's when multiple parties try to out-polite each other. Often seen at 4-way stop street intersections.

When we need to scoot past someone, you're likely to hear an "ope" or even a "just gonna sneak right by ya there." Although ope is much more functional as a word and applies to a multitude of situations.

My favorite local bumper stickers are Keep St Paul Weird & Make Minnesota bigger.

Home of the Juicy Lucy, and 2nd biggest state fair (behind Texas).

The first time I saw the ocean I said "woah, it looks like Lake Superior!"

MN Nice is both a nod to our good side, like pushing each other's cars when they get stuck in snow, and a nod to our gripping passive aggression.

The weather tries to kill you for a good chunk of the year, so we sit inside and learn to play music. This contributes to our incredible local music scene. From all over the spectrum, even niche biz, there's a discotheque for whatever you're into.

We clique'y af tho, and it can feel icy as an outsider unless you're naturally quite good at disarming folks and making friends. Or, so I've heard from my transplants, and even locals trying to swim in new circles.

We love us some cabin time like a mfer.

Haven't been to Minnesota in over a decade. Is Mall of America still a big deal?

If I had to pick a different state to live in, MN would be in my top three.

I'm a fan of good food, good beer, socialism, and cold weather. Minnesota seems to have all of those going for it.

Another to add, Howard Mohr put together a great informative video on Minnesota cultural and linguistic practices that is really valuable.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oiSzwoJr4-0

Salad doesn’t need to feature greens as a base. This is one of my favorites, but skip the pineapple.