Since I am just about to reach my 2-year mark of being an official resident of Tucson (T-loc), I couldn't help but go back to the wonderful memories of my time in Ohio, and better yet the Midwest in general. The Midwest and the Southwest are very different each other so I kept thinking of all the things that were not the same ever since I left that beloved area of the country.
1. We Do In Fact Say Pop when Referring to Soda.
Now that I think about it, it is a little weird that we do say "pop" when referring to soda but it still astounds me when people think I'm from another planet when I ask for a pop. I guess technically we mean "soda pop", which I'm pretty sure is a thing, so really we are just being innovators.
2. We Adore Ranch.
Okay, so ranch is definitely available here in the desert and in other parts of the country but from what I've seen is that people in the Midwest absolutely adore this wonderful condiment? Why? Because it is AMAZING. I feel like no matter what you are eating you can always load it up with ranch. Seem disgusting? Perhaps, but don't knock it till you try it. Besides, the salsa here can get a little old sometimes, it just doesn't have that certain creaminess to it...
3. Cornhole.
No its's not a type of weird dish we serve up. It is undoubtedly one of the best games known to man, so I was saddened when I went to a recent backyard party and there was no Cornhole in sight, not even any type of lawn game. From what I've seen, Midwestern folk love to play games, but then again who doesn't, so if it's a party, then Cornhole better be there. I wondered if this lovely game was not present in many Arizona homes due to people simply having no grassy lawn, but it doesn't matter, you can even play it in your home.
4. The Green.
Obviously, Ohio and Arizona are worlds apart, separated by hundreds of miles, so one can assume the types of plants and animals growing in each area will be different. Unless you are talking about Northern Arizona, most of the state just seems, well, not very green. There are plenty of trees and cacti, and wonderful animals (as long as they don't try to bite you) but it just was missing that overwhelming green that came with many places in the Midwest. I miss the forests, the thick deciduous forests, where the air is sweet with maple trees and the ground is littered with leaves, twigs and assorted nuts. Where you can only see cracks of the sky which is blocked by the giant trees, but you're much more focused about the wonderful shade they provide and the life they sustain. Maybe I'm getting all philosophical but it the forests always seemed to have a strange production of emotion and peacefulness when walking through, at least for me.
5. The Cold.
So Arizona has the sweltering heat, the lip cracking, swamp-ass heat that is produced throughout much of the year. So while the summers are known to be the worst. The Midwest is clearly a little different. We do still have hot summers, but the winters are the thing that can become brutal, but somewhat nice. The idea of getting your tongue stuck to a pole or the ever continuous fear of slipping on a hidden patch of ice and shattering your tailbone is a reality during the winter months. They can be downright unforgiving, but when it's nice and calm, with the sun shining and a soft layer of snow on the ground, it doesn't seem all that bad, but that's mainly because we can go inside to warm homes with hot chocolate. We use A/C here in the desert though so it's still similar. I do miss it though...
