What things you assumed to be universally true, but were specific to your area?

[William of Ware]

Growing up in Maryland, they have 'submarine' sandwiches.  Living in Louisiana, they are called 'po-boys'.  Now in Massachusetts they're called 'grinders'.   Somewhere I think I've heard them called 'hoagees' (if I spelled that right?)

My mom would have apple pie with some cheddar cheese.  Celery with cream cheese and green olives.  (seen some use peanut butter).  sprinkle salt on an apple.

I like peanut butter and fluff (marshmellow) sandwiches.  And when that runs out, honey or maple syrup makes a good substitute.

[crashbot]

A Toboggan is a sled.

It would be interesting to know how it became associated with a hat though. Maybe because you wore a specific style of hat in winter while moving things around on your Toboggan?  Who knows!

[Valiss]

When I was growing up we called it soda, but my grandfather always said "pop". I thought "pop" was just how old people refer to soda/carbonated beverages, but I guess some people on the east coast say "pop" too, but I still associate the term as a phrase from a bygone era.

[Luciana]

My wife is from Iowa. When we met, we were both living in Tennessee (long story) and working at Wal-Mart. One time, she had someone ask her for a toboggan. She told them they'd probably be in toys, and got a funny look. Later, talking to some co-workers, she told the story of getting the funny look, and wondered why. They told her that toboggans wouldn't be in toys, but in clothing. She said, "But a toboggan is a sled!" They said, "No, a toboggan is a hat."

I, being from Alabama, agree that a tobbogan is that hat you wear in the winter time, sometimes with a little pouf ball on top. She still says it's a sled.

OK, for me back home in Europe "tobbogan" is a slide, found in the kids play area in the park. You climb on one side and slide down on the other.

[Dustin]

When I was growing up we called it soda, but my grandfather always said "pop". I thought "pop" was just how old people refer to soda/carbonated beverages, but I guess some people on the east coast say "pop" too, but I still associate the term as a phrase from a bygone era.

It's pop here in Iowa/Illinois land, too. I'm from Alabama, where you ask for a Coke, and they ask you what kind, then you specify Sprite or Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola.

[Luciana]

Well, I grew up eating grits for breakfast with salt and pepper and butter ...yum  ...then one day I met a man from up nawth (note pronunciation) and he actually put sugar on his grits!! Y'all are nuts up in Washington. Just because it's a hot cereal don't mean you have to go and ruin perfectly good grits that way!

Something similar with grits is a popular baby food back home in  Romania; it's made with grits and milk (or water) and you put sugar or fruit preserve over it.

[Luciana]

The thing is, all the staff are Mexican, most of the people eating there are Mexican, if you can't speak Spanish you can only order by pointing at the menu (which is in Spanish), the bloody cash register reciept's in Spanish, and saying you're from INS will empty the place out quicker than a bomb threat.  Granted, they're not serving Yucatan peninsula-style moles, but how could that "Tex-Mex" food possibly be any more Mexican?)

Had lunch in one of those places in downtown Los Angeles few weeks ago. Food was awesome and it was fun to freak everybody around us. We were talking Romanian and somebody asked me what Spanish dialect I'm speaking.

[Leyla]

My wife is from Iowa. When we met, we were both living in Tennessee (long story) and working at Wal-Mart. One time, she had someone ask her for a toboggan. She told them they'd probably be in toys, and got a funny look. Later, talking to some co-workers, she told the story of getting the funny look, and wondered why. They told her that toboggans wouldn't be in toys, but in clothing. She said, "But a toboggan is a sled!" They said, "No, a toboggan is a hat."

I, being from Alabama, agree that a tobbogan is that hat you wear in the winter time, sometimes with a little pouf ball on top. She still says it's a sled.

Toboggan is a sled. My dad used to make toboggan runs for us down the side of our hill when we had a good snowfall.

It's pop here in Iowa/Illinois land, too. I'm from Alabama, where you ask for a Coke, and they ask you what kind, then you specify Sprite or Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola.

See, that just seems like extra work to me. Like ordering your drink twice.

My husband still teases me whenever I ask him to hand me the "clicker" instead of the "remote" for the TV, and we both grew up here in Minnesota.

Oh, and that "davenport" thing. I always thought Grandma was saying "Dabbinport" and refering to the porch, not the couch.

[Valiss]

My husband still teases me whenever I ask him to hand me the "clicker" instead of the "remote" for the TV, and we both grew up here in Minnesota.

I think "clicker" is more of a generational thing than a regional thing. All my older relatives called it a clicker because when the remotes first came out they had huge buttons that clicked (I rememeber those still). I dont think I've heard anyone under 40, but espcially young kids, who call it a clicker these days. Kinda like calling the fridge an 'ice box'.

[GirlChris]

I went on a field trip to Chicago and we went to see a baseball game at Wrigley Field. It was FREEZING. I wandered down to the gift shop to warm up, and I noticed that they had hats for sale behind the counter.

"Could I get one of the toques?" I asked the girl at the counter.

"The what?"

"Toques." I stared at the hat, trying to think of another name for it. After a couple of minutes of pointing and guessing, I finally came up with "The knit hat? With the pom pom on the top?"

Yeah. In Canada, that's a toque (pronounced tooooook.) Interestingly, that's also the technical term for a chef's hat. Yay French!

[Amyj]

I went on a field trip to Chicago and we went to see a baseball game at Wrigley Field. It was FREEZING. I wandered down to the gift shop to warm up, and I noticed that they had hats for sale behind the counter.

"Could I get one of the toques?" I asked the girl at the counter.

"The what?"

"Toques." I stared at the hat, trying to think of another name for it. After a couple of minutes of pointing and guessing, I finally came up with "The knit hat? With the pom pom on the top?"

Yeah. In Canada, that's a toque (pronounced tooooook.) Interestingly, that's also the technical term for a chef's hat. Yay French!

Ironically, the only reason I understood this was because of the "Strange Brew" movie and the Bob and Doug MacKenzie skits.... I still say "Beauty Toque eh!" when I see a neat winter hat!!!! 

[Merlin the Elder]

My wife, a pharmacist, heard her female Aussie cohort yell out down the hall at the hospital, "Keep your pecker up!" Of course she caught a lot of funny looks. Nim had to explain to her that over here, the phrase had an entirely different connotation. It more or less means to cheer up.