I was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland. Being that I've lived there my whole life, you'd expect me to be totally immersed in the culture, right? Wrong. My parents are from New York, and on top of that, drastically different regions of said state (Mom from Long Island, Dad from Western NY). Through visits and bringing their respective regional cultures down "South," I've become something of an east coast ambiguity. Here are some of the truths that come with that.

You Don't Know What To Call Your Accent

Your accent is kind of unintelligible. If you're able to "payss" it off as General American, you'll mainly be fine, but there are always those certain words. The local accent may be there, your odd speech patterns and pronunciations have an "arn" will, since your parents that originally teach you how to "tawk."

You Have Odd Food Standards

You may feel like a traitor to your birth state for thinking something out of state is better. Tim Hortons is a million times better than City Dock, Starbucks, and Dunkin combined. That one little deli in North Babylon has bigger and better bagels than the local Naval Bagels. Anderson's in Tonawanda is better than Rita's, Dalisa is better than Pizza Hut, Wegmans is superior to Giant, I could go on and on.

(BTW, they're chicken wings, or simply wings, NOT Buffalo Wings.)

You Know Outside Secrets And Culture

You know the secret gems of your parents' hometowns that a lot of others in your birth state don't. Aside, from food, of course. Niagara falls is freaking cool, even if it's the nth trip. Long Island parties include cocktails, casseroles, and lots of talking. Outlet shopping is also pretty good there.

You Feel Singled Out For Being "Not Local"

It's obvious you don't fit in. The cultural impact makes you a unique local. I remember in middle school when I was the only one not complaining how cold it was during an outdoor lesson... It was only 64 degrees out. To those who came from families who only knew the Maryland weather, it may as well have been 40. I was weird for not liking pizza that much... I just had higher standards than the local pizza.

But You're Not Afraid To Remind People That You Are

A snow day in Maryland is basically the apocalypse. Whenever school is canceled due to three inches of snow, my dad rolls his eyes. Being that he lived through the blizzard of '77, you can't blame him, but I, along with the majority of Maryland are not built for a snow-filled 6-month winter. And Mom, yes, you are weird for saying "cawfee" instead of "coffee". Most of all, Old Bay is still worth the hype.