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January, 2012

  1. How to Dress North Dakotan

    January 21, 2012 by Becoming Midwestern

    The question I get asked most often by family and friends who have never experienced a North Dakota winter is, “How do you keep warm when you have to go outside and its -20 degrees?” My reply, “Walk quickly.”

    Last year's winter wardrobe

    Last year was my first winter in North Dakota and I realize now just how lucky I was. The majority of my time outside consisted of running from my car to a warm building. Rarely did I ever spend more than a minute lingering in the frigid temps. While I am not proud of my fashion choices, I must speak the truth: I chose my stylish North Face instead of my down parka, thin gloves that had special touch screen sensors on them so I could still use my phone, I almost never wore a scarf unless it matched my outfit and I never ever wore a hat. After all, I didn’t want to mess up my hair before work. After a particularly chilly day this winter however, it didn’t take long for me to adjust my style standards. You see, my previously brief shuffle from vehicle to building has now increased significantly including long walks across campus from a very inconvenient parking lot. My new attitude: I’d rather have bad hair than frostbite.

    This wasn’t my first lesson in North Dakota fashion. It was about this time last year that I was going to meet some friends out in downtown Fargo one evening. I ran home to change out of my work clothes and into something more appropriate for an evening out. The air had just began to get ridiculously cold. I walked into my closet and immediately felt defeated. “What the heck do

    This year's winter wardrobe

    you wear for a night on the town when its -20 degrees?”

    In any other part of the country winter meant nothing to me. I would throw on a short sleeve shirt and call it good. Sure I might be a little chilly during the walk to and from my car, but beauty is pain, right? Not in North Dakota. While some people may disagree, and I have seen proof that some young ladies still bare it all no matter the temperature, a wool sweater and warm boots are what I strut around in.

    Winter hasn’t been the only cause of my fashion adjustments since moving to God’s country. No matter the season, wind is my hair’s arch-nemesis. While I was taught at a young age to carry a comb with me wherever I go, it is no match for North Dakota wind. Luckily for me, the wind blown look is acceptable in this part of the country. In fact, if you don’t look a bit disheveled during a particularly horrific Spring wind storm, I may judge you and your obsessive primping.

    Now don’t automatically assume everyone in North Dakota is frumpy and unkept. Far from it. The perks of living in a place where it is sweater and boot weather 8 months out of the year is that you get the best selection of attractive winter clothes than any other place in the country. This is not an exaggeration. When my mom came to visit from Maryland last year she was blown away at the sheer quantity and variety of boots available at Fargo’s mall compared to what she finds back in the DC area. For those of you not living in the Midwest and in need of an expansion of your winter attire, might I suggest a Fall/Winter shopping trip to the great town of Fargo next year?

    So while you may question sweaters in bars and wind blown hair… don’t you worry. Midwesterners rock it.

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  2. Who is North Dakota?

    January 16, 2012 by Becoming Midwestern

    Today was like any other day. I finished up some school work, touched up some lesson plans, and decided to relax while dinner was in the oven by browsing the headlines in the InForum. As I watched the headlines flash by on the web banner, one in particular caught my eye: “Bismarck man creates Web video series of everyday North Dakota“. I clicked and within the first few lines I knew this was something I’d be interested in. You should read the complete article yourself, but in a nutshell its about a man in Bismarck who began filming short video interviews featuring the everyday people of North Dakota. The purpose for his endeavor was to correct some of the negative stigmas outsiders have of North Dakota, which similarly was the main reason I started this blog.

    While I can go on and on about the food, the weather, the lakes (ok I guess that is more so Minnesota) and the flat landscape, my main reason for feeling so at home in North Dakota is not because of any of those things. For me, the people are what make North Dakota and what better way to honor the great people of this state then by sharing their stories with the world?

    I visited the YouTube channel, DailyDakotan, and before I knew it I had been clicking on videos for over an hour. From a news anchor’s love story, to a local tattoo artist pursuing her love, to Mandan’s, country, karaoke king and a young man who is a “speed cuber” (you’ll have to watch to understand), every story is not only unique but shows the appreciation each individual has for the state that has allowed them to follow their dreams, nurse their talents, and do what makes them happy.

    So who is North Dakota? You are.

     

     

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  3. “Meatless in the Midwest”

    January 13, 2012 by Becoming Midwestern

    Anytime a friend or family member finds something in the news loosely related to North Dakota or the Midwest, the articles are quickly sent my way. I am the token Midwesterner… not that I am upset about that. In fact, some of my favorite reading material has come from such e-mails. The other day, a friend in Boston forwarded me an article from NYTimes.com that was published earlier this week. “Meatless in the Midwest” the headline read. I knew immediately this would be one of those great articles where I think, “Oh my gosh! I know, right?!”

    If you are familiar with my blog, you know my only complaint about North Dakota, other than the tricky weather and bird-sized mosquitoes, is the lack of fresh produce. While I am not a vegetarian, I could be. In fact, when I lived in Washington State the year after I graduated from undergrad, meat was a rarity in my apartment. Instead of beef burgers I grilled portobello mushroom burgers, instead of chicken stir-fry I ate broccoli stir-fry, and nothing tasted more delicious than fresh avocado on… well… anything.

    However, as soon as I rolled into the Midwest, my nearly meatless lifestyle was left behind. Meat is a part of the lifestyle here. If there isn’t meat as the main dish, there is either meat sprinkled on top, meat as a side dish or it’s been made with meat fat. There are two main reasons for this:

    1. It takes a lot of effort, gasoline and speed to ship in fresh produce from warmer regions of the world.

    2. You can’t last through a Midwest winter by eating salads.

    I know my situation could be a lot worse. While I still try to eat as organic and free range as possible, I don’t have any issues with eating meat. Vegetables are just a preference. At least I’m not a vegetarian. How would you even survive? This NY Times article answered just that. Enjoy!

    DINING & WINE   | January 11, 2012
    De Gustibus:  Meatless in the Midwest: A Tale of Survival 
    By A. G. SULZBERGER
    For vegetarians in the meat-loving heartland, eating can be a constant struggle. 

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  4. The Power of the Thundering Herd

    January 7, 2012 by Becoming Midwestern

    If you took a drive around North Dakota today, roads were eerily empty, bars were extremely packed and you could hear a faint hum of “Let’s go Bison!” in the background. If you haven’t heard (which I don’t know how that is possible) the NDSU Bison are FCS National Champions!!

    In the days leading up to the game, Bison pride was everywhere around Fargo. From billboards, to store fronts proudly sporting signs, to even employees at Wal-Mart wearing green and gold to work instead of the standard of blue. While I am proud of my purple and gold JMU roots, I have to admit that I had never lived in a place where the athletic spirit was so contagious. Everyone in the state of North Dakota, and throughout other reaches of the country as well, seemed to be cheering on the Bison. I don’t think it is too outlandish to say that all 650,000 North Dakotans were glued to their TV or witnessing magic live in Frisco.

    I myself decided to venture to the Fargo North Buffalo Wild Wings location to get my cheering on. You could feel the enthusiasm and excitement as you walked in the restaurant. Fans were there at 9:00 a.m. in order to get seats before the game and no one seemed daunted by the three hour wait that was ahead of them before the action began. Needless to say everyone was decked out head to toe in green and gold, even the beer.

    While I have plenty to say about the fabulousness of the game, what really stood out to me over and over was the pride the community had in their team. Looking at the stadium drenched in green and gold, even the announcers felt it necessary to point out that there were more Bison fans in Frisco than Sam Houston fans. This could be a pretty surprising facts to those not familiar with the NDSU community because we are over 1,000 miles away while Sam Houston is practically down the road. However, no one in North Dakota seemed that surprised by the remarkable turnout. Bleeding green and gold is a lifetime commitment for those from NDSU.

    So congratulations Bison. The whole state was rooting for you and we couldn’t be more proud. In order to commemorate your awesome victory, I decided a poem was in order. So here we go:

    Twas the day of the Bison game and all through North Dakota,

    Not a bar was empty, not even in Minnesota.

    The fans were poised on the bar stools with care,

    In hope that a winning team would soon be flying back to Hector Air.

    All eyes were glued to the TV screens and wishfully pled,

    While visions of FCS Championship trophies danced in their heads.

    With one fan in gold another fan in green,

    Everyone was ready to watch this remarkable scene.

    When all of asudden there arose whoops and a scream,

    I sprang out of my chair to cheer on my team!

    When what from the tunnel in Frisco should appear,

    But stampeding Bison running out with no fear.

    Running, receiving, defense galore,

    Before you knew it there was score after score.

    Go Williams, Go Jenkins, and D.J. McNorton,

    Go Ojuri, Coach Bohl and all other Bison.

    With a rough first two quarters it was finally half,

    We’ve got this fans cheered and smiled and laughed.

    Whatever Bohl said during the break,

    Those Bearkats were doomed and began to shake.

    A touchdown in the third and they were on a roll,

    Thank goodness for the words of dear ol’ Coach Bohl.

    A few key interceptions and the game was ours,

    The cheering began throughout the bars.

    “Let’s go Bison!” rang loud a clear,

    The win was very, very near.

    17 to 6 was the final score,

    North Dakota erupted in the giant roar.

    For those people who would say, “North Dakota, where’s that?”

    And associated Fargo with a funny way to chat,

    Who thought pronouncing ”Bizen” was a funny way to say a word,

    You underestimated the power of the THUNDERING HERD!

     

     

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  5. Paper or Plastic?

    January 2, 2012 by Becoming Midwestern

    The other day I was picking up a few items at the grocery store when I was reminded of my first “oh my gosh, I’m not in Washington anymore” moment that occurred  just hours into our move to Fargo. Blake and I had just unpacked the U-Haul and we realized we needed to run to the store. We would just grab the essentials to make it through our first night in Fargo (a frozen pizza, Gatorade, toothpaste and toilet paper) and get out of there.

    As we rang up our purchases we were asked by the cashier “and how would you like these brought out?” Our response… silence. We looked at each other, asked the poor girl to repeat herself, and still had no idea what she meant. Thinking she might rephrase the question to help alleviate our confusion, she repeated herself once more, “How would you like to bring these out to your car?” Again, we responded with puzzled stares. Finally, the lightbulb went off in my head. Oh, she must mean do we want paper or plastic, as in what will you carry your groceries out in. Cheerfully I answered, “Oh! Plastic, please!” As the cashier starred back at us, I could almost hear crickets chirping in the background. I commend that young lady for being able to maintain composure and not laughing or getting visibly frustrated by our confusion. She finally replied, “No. I mean, do you want to walk your groceries out to your car yourself or would you like to drive up to our curb-side pick-up and we can load them in your car for you.”

    As we exited the store I began to panic. “Are they just super friendly and want to help you with your groceries or are the winters so terrible that it is impossible to wheel a cart out to the parking lot?” It didn’t make me long to realize both reasons were true.

    Not only did the grocery store introduce me to drive-up loading for groceries, but some of my favorite conversations with strangers have occurred at the grocery store. There was the time I was trying to decide on a type of sauce to use for stir-fry when a lady walked up next to me and pointed out that while one was a little more expensive, it was definitely worth it. Or the time I was behind someone purchasing a few pomegranates and she felt the need to not only explain what a great deal they were during a certain sale but also tips on easy ways to retrieve the delicious seeds without much hassle. Or even the multiple times I have gone to just pick up a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread and the person ahead of me in line offers to let me cut since they have entire carts full of groceries and I only have one or two items.

    The grocery store gave me my first real taste of the Midwest, and while I love the conversations with the deli lady and browsing the local delicacies found only in this region, to this day I have never used the drive-up loading.

     

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