During my first year, I was approached on the first floor lounge of Gibbons by a girl inquiring if I was from Texas. I never wore state merchandise or showed any outwards affinity for my home state, so I was taken aback by her spot on speculation.
“How could you tell?” I asked.
“By the way you say ‘y’all’.”
Although my drawl has lessened, my amazement for Virginia and its endless list of novelties has never quite dwindled. Here’s a few of all the things I found mind-boggling in Virginia for all the other OOS kids out there.
- Harris Teeter
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Harris Teeter is a supermarket that I’ve nicknamed Hairy Titties. It’s basically the Virginian equivalent of H.E.B., a Texan grocery chain whose name honors creator, Howard E. Butt. My nickname for Harris Teeter is a nod to Mr. Butt, but unfortunately it goes unnoticed by many and is often met with a raised eyebrow.
- NOVA
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NOVA is the only way you can reference Northern Virginia, whose distinguished subculture is still a mystery to me. Even though Annandale and Centreville are separate cities, they feel like a stones throw away. My Virginian friends hesitate with 30 minute drives to eat at new places, but my family and I used to drive 3 hours for our Asian groceries and good Asian food. Virginia feels small, which makes it easily navigable.
- DMV
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My room mate mentioned DMV in a sentence where the context did not at all suggest department of motorized vehicles. After she left the room, I googled up DMV online to find out that it stands for the D.C., Maryland, Virginia metropolitan area.
- Everyone assumes DC when You say Washington
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My first year of college, everyone asked where I was from. Although I grew up in Texas, I was living in Yakima, Washington at the time. Despite responding with “I’m from Washington,” everyone assumed I was talking about DC. I had to clearly say “Washington State” from then on.
- Forget eating tacos or barbecue
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I’ll be frank: Virginians are more often ripped off of their tacos than they would ever like to admit. Growing up on breakfast tacos, I cried the first time I walked into Taco Bell at the age of 20 and will never voluntarily go inside another one again. Craving some good old barbecue, I walked into N2GO as a naive and hopeful child. I’ve left still in search of finding a place to satisfy such cravings.