You know you’re from Iowa when… (Now with commentary!)
- Vacation means driving through the Amanas or going to Adventureland.
- Sadly enough, yes.
- “Down South” to you means Missouri.
- It did until I moved to the Mississippi.
- You have no problem spelling or pronouncing “Des Moines.”
- What’s so tough about it?
- You know the answer to the question “Is this Heaven?”
- Actually, I think that is the state slogan now.
- You know where all the Yoders live (or Andersons, or Van den Bergs).
- The Van den Bergs live in Pella.
- You know what “Hawks” and “Clones” are.
- Of course! Doesn’t everyone?
- All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit or vegetable.
- I don’t think all of the festivals are named after a fruit or vegetable. But it isn’t like it is any different in Bavaria. I know for a fact there is a pumpkin, potato, and asparagus festival held at different times during the year here.
- You can locate Iowa on the map.
- Duh.
- You’ve ever been on a “Geode Hunt.”
- Hmm… I assume this is like a snipe hunt.
- Your idea of a really great tenderloin is when the meat is twice as big as the bun and is accompanied only by ketchup and a dill pickle slice.
- Without the pickle, yes.
- You say “catty-wampus” instead of “kitty-corner”
- Nope, I’m a “kitty-corner” girl.
- You’ve never taken public transportation.
- Not in Iowa.
- You have boiled fish in lye for Christmas.
- I had to ask my mom, but fish in lye is called lutefish and apparently my great-grandma who was first generation American (parents came from Norway) refused to make this traditional Scandinavian Christmas dish because she didn’t like it.
- You know what “uff-da” means and how to use it properly.
- Yes, I do. My ancestors were Scandinavian after all.
- You know what “Amish Country” is.
- Not only do I know what Amish Country is, I also know where it is!
- The only reason you go to Wisconsin or Missouri is to get fireworks.
- My dad routinely patrols the Missouri state line to bust those people.
- You know exactly where “Field of Dreams” was filmed.
- Not exactly, but the general area.
- When someone says they are going out for dinner or supper, you know which meal they are talking about.
- Yes. This has been known to confuse A. as I have referred to dinner at lunchtime (it means lunch in this case) and supper at dinnertime.
- You listen to “Paul Harvey” every day at noon.
- I thought “Paul Harvey” was on in the morning.
- You think of the major food groups as deer meat, beer, corn, and soy nuts.
- Not at all. I vehemently dislike venison and beer.
- You’re pulled over and asked by the cop, “Had a little too much to drink, (your first name here)?
- I’m sure that my dad (a cop) has asked “Bill” or “Linda” this very question!
- You own the complete “Dukes of Hazzard” video collection.
- Is it out on DVD yet?!
- “Hick” is a style of clothing.
- Can’t argue with this one.
- You can use the words, ‘crik’, ‘holler’, and ’skunk weed’ in the same sentence.
- I don’t think I have ever used “skunk weed” in a sentence.
- Your Christmas gift, when you were ten years old was a shotgun (a BB gun if you were a ‘townie’).
- Shit! I had a shotgun long before I was 10! (…And I am a GIRL!)
- You know someone personally who is involved in meth trade or manufacture.
- Does an ex-boyfriend count?
- Your idea of a party is throwing cans of WD40 in a campfire while you’re drunk.
- Yee Ha!
- You’ve been to a rave in a barn.
- Nope.
- You’ve had sex in the back of a truck … amid cows.
- Not amid cows.
- You know that cows don’t sleep standing up.
- Does anyone really believe that?
- You’re concerned about the rates of corn growth in Illinois as compared to that of Iowa’s.
- I’m not, but that probably can’t be said for some of my relatives.
- You listen to Ag Day at 6AM … two hours after you get up in the morning.
- Not me, but I know my grandpa did.
- You believe that trees in Iowa lean towards Nebraska … because Nebraska sucks!
- Well, Nebraska may suck, but I don’t see how that affects the trees.
- You know several people who still refer to Japanese cars as “rice-burners.”
- I never even knew anyone that drove a Japanese car until I moved to Des Moines… It was considered sacrilegious.
- “Styx” plays a concert at the county fair, and people actually show up.
- I don’t know about Styx, but my sister went to see Journey last year.
- You don’t get nervous when you walk into a biker bar (unless you’re an Iowa City cop).
- Of course not! They are my step-dad’s friends!
- You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Iowa.
- Hee hee… I am sure at least two other readers of my blog (Dawn and Mom) will also get these jokes.
The following list was obtained from Blogthings.
Disclaimer: Any similarities between this list and actual people from Iowa is purely coincidental!!




Laura says:
I get the “Nebraska sucks” joke and almost none of the others! See, Nebraska sucks so bad it pulls the trees towards it. Hee hee
25 July 2005 at 17:30
elsa says:
You know you’ve never been to Iowa, when most this stuff seems mysterious.:)
25 July 2005 at 17:36
christina says:
The things you learn on the internet. Not only do I now know all about the paradise that is Iowa, I finally figured out what “catty-wampus” means!
25 July 2005 at 19:40
Dawn says:
Yep I must be from Iowa! =))
25 July 2005 at 21:16
Khali says:
I got a kick out of the ones about Canada.
eh?
26 July 2005 at 03:09
blondelibrarian' s Mom says:
Actually, my mom emailed me this, but I thought it was worth posting in the comments section:
***
Renee
Loved the list!
Fish in lye is called lutefish and my Grandma refused to make it because she didn’t like it. (It’s a traditional Scandinavian Christmas dish). I think lepsa is so much better.
Love
Mom
27 July 2005 at 00:20
Matt says:
I must live in Iowa cuz this all makes sense!
1 August 2005 at 06:53