1. Mainers Know One Thing Is Always Certain: Winter Is Coming
Everyone knows that one day in mid-March when it’s warm (like, 38 degrees instead of 14) and you irrationally get excited that winter is over. Then you wake up to 11 inches of snow and you remember that, in Maine, winter is always coming. And don’t even think about wearing your pajamas inside out and hopin’ for school to get called off for a snow day. That’s because we handle our snow like no other city in America: we bulldoze it and move on…
2. The Letter “R” Is Wicked Overrated: It’s “Lobstah,” Not Lobster
Our even more pronounced Boston-like accent (if you can imagine it) is our signature: “I know ya uncle’s mothah’s brothah” (commonly heard around here, seeing as everyone knows everyone in spite of the fact it’s a state the size of Ireland). So what do you say? Wanna go for a ride in the cah to Bah Habah?
3. Mainers Are Really Just North Bostonahs—Or South Quebecers, Eh?
In Southern Maine, they root exclusively for Boston sports teams (Celtics, Pats, Red Sox). There are too many custom plates that say: I <3 BSOX. Just way too many. Seriously, between the accent and their intense love for the city of Boston, you’d think they were straight out of Massachusetts. But go a bit further North and it’s a whole different story, you’ll be eating crepes and speaking French Canadian in no time…eh?
4. Knowing The Proper Way To Crash Into A Moose
There’s a reason for all that fear mongering in drivers ed about Maine moose: There is anywhere between 60,000 and 70,000 Moose in Maine. And all that moose means Mainers have a unique, antlered road hazard. While it’s not necessarily true that you’re guaranteed to see one while you’re driving through Maine, we always know they’re looming in the forests waiting for the perfect moment to walk casually out into the middle of the road and cause their massive moose destruction.
5. If You Don’t Eat Lobster, You’re Not A Real Mainer. Period. The End.
We all know that look you get from someone when you tell people you don’t like lobster. GASP! In Maine, people take a lack of lobster love very seriously. In addition to the W.T.F gasps, you’ll also be on the receiving end of a look of sheer disbelief and disdain—you know, the one that says, “And you call yourself a Mainer?”
6. And If You Don’t Ski Or Snowboard, Get Out
Seriously. If you don’t partake in either one of these winter sports, you’re guaranteed to be forever alone. You’ll get even weirder looks from people than the lobster thing.
7. It’s Not “Yes” Or “Yup” Or Even “OK”…It’s Ayuh
Ayuh is how Mainers say “yes.” If you want to fit in, use ayuh: it’s one way we know who’s a real Mainah and who’s just a flatlandah. AKA: anyone not-from-Maine.
8. Everyone Around You Is A Huge LL Bean Fanboy
Though Mainers will deny it, they really take pride in that giant LL Bean Boot. Their heart smiles when we see the LL Bean car. And when they see that quintessential LL Bean mom sweater that all Mainer Mom’s wear? It’s like someone wove home from fabric.
9. Mainers Have Got Moxie—Literally
Moxie is a soft drink created in Maine that’s still popular among Mainers. They don’t care that it’s disgusting syrup fest, because it’s theirs. They’re super proud of it, just like they take pride in anything else “Maine.”
10. Mainer’s Are Weaned On Whoopie Pies
Whoopie pies are one of Maine’s most deeply loved comfort foods. Hell, they even have a festival in its honor, the appropriately named Maine Whoopie Pie Festival. When we travel outside of Maine and someone offers us their version of a whoopie pie, we have to conceal our laughter at their inferior whoopie. It’s just fact: No one does whoopie pies like Maine.
Feature Image Source: Flickr user Brent Danley
