I moved out to Seattle ten years ago this week, after growing up in Wisconsin (mostly Milwaukee suburbs and the Fox Valley). Mostly, I love the move. But there are a few things I miss:
Snow days. For that matter, winter with some backbone to it. Just a day or two of subzero weather every three or four years would tide me over.
Lake Michigan. The big body of water out here is on the wrong horizon.
“Bubblers.” Ten years on and I still stumble over “drinking fountain.”
Kringle. I found one bakery in the vicinity that does authentic Danish kringles. That’s when I discovered that I miss authentic Danish-immigrant-to-Wisconsin kringles, not the authentic mother country dish, which doesn’t come with tasty fruit fillings. Apricot. Cherry. Mmm.
Most importantly: frozen custard. If there’s a place in the region that sells frozen custard, I haven’t found it. I find myself reguarly checking out the Kopp’s website for the flavor of the day, even though I never get to taste it. And I really miss my sundae of choice: Fudge Delight made with chocolate custard. Whenever I visit my old home city, a stop at Kopp’s is a must. Although Gilles will do in a pinch…
I thought “bubbler” was a New Yawk thing. I’m from suburban Chicago and we always say water fountain.
When I lived in Colorado, I really missed pizza. They just don’t make it right on the other side of the Mississippi. Ditto on the Italian Beef sandwich.
As much as I hate winter, a couple days of bone-chilling cold does wonders for a person’s character.
You’ll have to make it back east a little more often, eh?
You know what I miss about the Midwest? Nothing. I moved back. Went from Nebraska to Bay Area, California back to Nebraska. I don’t regret it at all. (Okay, so I replaced my convertible, but I got over that in about 5 seconds.)
You may have the snow days and the sub-zero weather. I’ve done them for more years than I care to remember and am over them. I live among several lakes (and a marsh) so I have water on pretty much every side. “Bubbler” cracks me up every time I hear it because it makes no sense to me. The drinking fountains don’t bubble in the slightest.
On kringle, ya got me. Wonder food. Given the right inducement I could be persuaded to enter into some sort of exchange program. What’s in Seattle I might want? (don’t say coffee)
I miss frozen custard dreadfully too. I keep suggesting to Culver’s they may want to set up franchises here in Australia but they haven’t appeared yet.
But we have better produce, dairy and candy here and I can live without the snow, I never need to see snow again. I cannot walk in it, kids laughed at my attempts to make snow people in the manner of a sand sculptures and snowballs hurt!
interface2x, please go have some on my behalf. Particularly if it is turtle day.
Oh, I also miss my SO who is stuck there for a little longer. Clearly I just need to think frozen custard and my brain becomes it.
I’d just like to note for the record that a couple of days every few years would do me fine. I don’t want an actual winter’s worth. But perhaps I’ll switch “snow days” out of my list in favor of a sub from Cousin’s – Cousin’s Special, to be specific.
Hmm. Top Potdonuts? Pagliacci pizza? Fresh salmon? It’s hard to know what you can’t get in Madison. I mean, Wisconsin wasn’t lacking for good donuts, as I recall.
Of course, an exchange wouldn’t really work anyway, because what I really crave is the custard.
I don’t miss anything about the Midwest. I am currently exiled in the Midwest. I want to go back to Southern California, where there is no snow (well, very little) and where Trader Joe’s are plentiful. Hell, I even miss Ralph’s grocery stores!
But I understand what you are saying—you miss “home”. I don’t blame you. I miss “home” too.
Snow that accumulates. In the Midwest, if you lose your mitten while trickertreating, you find it at Easter. With the damn namby-pamby winters out here, sure, you get two feet of snow, but it melts the next week. You call that winter?
“Please.”
“Thank you.”
People who smile. You know, just because, when you meet someone, you should smile. Because, you know, it’s nice, and contrary to what you might think based on behavior on on the East Coast, it doesn’t hurt your face or cost you anything.
*“Wisconsin’s Majesty”
[sub]A Three-Word Poem by Miss Podkayne Fries, Age 28.[/sub]
Fried,
Cheese,
Curds.
Shootings in the Midwest always involve three things:
A trailer park.
A shotgun.
An estranged common-law spouse.
You can hear this on the news and not freak out–unlike, say, those driveby’s at the nearby strip mall.
I’m a native southern californian, now transplanted to northern Utah, which some arguably say counts as ‘Midwest’. (Though it’s a bit too west for that, IMHO)
like yosemitebabe, I miss Trader Joe’s immensely. And I hate snow. Thank god it’s finally warming up over here.
I missed good Mexican food for a long time, but a pretty decent place just recently opened up near my apartment, so I’m happy. ^.^
I’m a native southern californian, now transplanted to northern Utah, which some arguably say counts as ‘Midwest’. (Though it’s a bit too west for that, IMHO)
like yosemitebabe, I miss Trader Joe’s immensely. And I hate snow. Thank god it’s finally warming up over here.
I missed good Mexican food for a long time, but a pretty decent place just recently opened up near my apartment, so I’m happy. ^.^
I miss cornfields, silos/grain elevators, lightning bugs, flowing rivers, rusted metal, ice so thick you can walk on it, water towers, ice scrapers, antifreeze, small towns every five miles, humidity, basements, siding, multi-story homes, Jays potato chips, mosquitoes, Steak & Shake, and riding bicycles in the summer.
I’m planning to move back to the Midwest as soon as possible.
To be fair, we’ve got a lot of Asian ethnic neighborhoods. I’d miss Uwajimaya groceries, for one, and the absurdly generous selection of Thai, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese restaurants.
Dear God! :smack: How could I have forgotten about tomatoes! Scrap snow days and Lake Michigan and give me some tomatoes with something resembling flavor!
I still think it’s funny to live in a place where, when there’s thunder, everyone in the vicinity asks, “What was that? Thunder?” I know it only happens once a year or so, people, but yes, that was thunder.
Oh, and lel, you can keep the mosquitoes (and the crane flies), but I’d like to see a few lightning bugs again, too.
All that said, I love Seattle, and would hate to move back to the midwest. Especially if someone opened up a damn frozen custard stand. We’ve got Krispy Kreme, you’d think someone could manage custard…
Bah, I gave up saying “bubbler” the minute I went to college - and I went to the Univ. of WI (Madison). (“Bubbler” seems to be a SE Wisconsin term mostly, though I guess there is a small part of the East Coast that uses it too.)
I only moved to the Chicago area, and discovered that there’s no cheese curds here. And just try explaining them to people and why they should squeak between your teeth when bitten, and they look at you like you’re crazy!
interface2x, is that the Culver’s next to a health club? I always chuckle every time I drive past there.
I miss being able to leave my car and/or house unlocked. I miss knowing, on a personal basis, my doctor, dentist, attorney, kid’s teacher, etc. I miss knowing that I can count on my neighbors to keep an eye on things while I’m away. I miss a downtown area that I can walk to on a Saturday and see friends when I get there. I miss traffic jams that consist of three or four cars. I miss courtesy and consideration. I don’t miss snow, though.
Not “water fountain”, “drinking fountain”. “Water fountain” sounds like you’re being a little redundant when talking about fountains of the outdoor decorative type.
And hey, they don’t have Kopp’s around Chicago (that I’ve seen) - I’ll take what I can get.
And just try explaining them to people and why they should squeak between your teeth when bitten, and they look at you like you’re crazy!