1. If You Think Mardi Gras Started In New Orleans, They’ll Take It Personally
In case you didn’t know, the Mardi Gras originated in Mobile, not New Orleans. This is probably not a mistake you’re going to want to make in front of a Mobile folks, since reminding the world of their Mardi Gras roots is pretty much their favorite thing in the world to do.
Mobile started holding Mardi Gras Carnival celebrations in 1703, a full fifteen years before New Orleans even existed. These days, locals and people across the country still turn out in huge numbers for Mobile’s Mardi Gras parades, masquerade balls, and city-wide party to the tune of about a million annually.
2. Everyone Here Has A Weird Obsession With MoonPies
No, they are not actually made of the moon—a mistake forgivably made by Jasper during a classic “Simpsons” episode. They’re delicious, s’more-like cookie confections made from the perfect combination of graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate, and people from Mobile are slightly obsessed with them.
MoonPies have been a favorite “throw” food for Mobile locals during Mardi Gras for decades—because, hey who wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end? These days, even Mobile’s annual New Year celebration puts MoonPies front and center, with residents celebrating under a 600 pound electronic MoonPie once midnight arrives.
3. Mobile Locals Are Big Time Seafood Snobs
Being located on the seaside smorgasbord that is the Gulf Coast means some of the best, freshest seafood is always a car trip away at Felix’s, Wintzell’s, or a dozen other local places. It also means wondering how in the heck anyone could eat seafood (emphasis on sea) at a Red Lobster in, say, Lincoln Nebraska.
In addition to the fresh ingredients, people from Mobile have the added bonus of growing up in a culture where people are keen and creative when it comes to seafood preparation. So if a someone from Mobile comes to visit, try to avoid preparing food that’s spent time swimming around the ocean—you’ll be at a massive disadvantage.
4. And They’ll Stuff Crab Meat In Pretty Much Anything
Speaking of seafood, soft shell, regular shell, and every-shell-in-between crab is a local favorite, both as a stand-alone delicacy and stuffed into every nook and crevice imaginable.
In addition to their trademark, the West Indies Salad (which is full of, you guessed it, crab meat), Mobile locals are known for stuffing mushrooms, lobster, burgers, shrimp, jalapenos, grouper, flounder, and filet mignon with the versatile sea crustacean’s savory meat. We think they’re onto something too—can you think of a single instance where stuffing something with crab didn’t improve it?
5. People In Mobile Have Two Major Religions: Football and Christianity
For Mobilians, there are generally two orders of business over the weekend: on Saturday, football, and on Sunday, church. And also football.
It’d be a mistake to think for a second that because Tuscaloosa and Auburn are to the north, the state’s love of football somehow eludes them. Gridiron throw downs at every level are the spectator sport of choice for the area. And the church part? Well, in the proper South, that’s just a given.
6. Mobile Natives Will Judge You Hard For Saying The Name Of Their Beloved City Wrong
Not “Mo-bill,” like a dollar. Not “Mo-bile,” like the stuff in your liver. Not “Mo-bull,” like a phone. It’s Mo-beel, like the projects you made in elementary school, or the woman married to Justin Timberlake, if you prefer. And the emphasis should be on the second syllable, for the record.
If you pronounce it any other way, you might be politely corrected by a local or they might totally let it slide, but you better believe they’re judging you for not getting the name of their beloved city right.
7. Mobile Locals Are The Artsiest Folks In Alabama
People might not think the state of Alabama is known for its killer arts scene, but those people have never been to Mobile.
Between the massive Mobile Museum of Art, Saenger Theatre, the awesomely independent Crescent Theater movie house, the fast-growing downtown gallery scene, and, of course, all the art and culture that goes along with having a massive annual Mardi Gras celebration, an artsier place in Alabama you will not find.
8. You’d Best Not Get Between Them And A Dew Drop Hot Dog
Chicago has its poppy-seeded pickle-sided dogs, Seattle has its cream cheese and grilled onion dogs, and, with the famous Dew Drop Inn, Mobile has a beloved dog of its very own.
The Dew Drop Inn Hot Dog, featuring a red frank garnished with homemade chili, sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, and sliced pickle is a longtime Mobile favorite. There’s some local argument over whether the dogs should be served upside down, with the dog sitting on a bed of condiments, or right side up, but there’s no argument as to the overall deliciousness of the dish.
9. Everybody Has Participated, Or At Least Sat Through, Their Share Of Pageants
If you’re from the North, pageants only occur on TV roughly once a year, or sometimes in a Sandra Bullock movie. In much of the South, however, growing up female means a high likelihood you’ve fancied yourself up for at least one pageant.
Mobile has one of the longest, richest pageant histories in the good ole’ US of A—some of the regions most coveted competitions are Miss Mobile, Junior Miss Mobile, Miss University of Mobile and the Distinguished Young Women competition. And chances are, if you’ve never participated in the strange combination of performing, interviewing, and dressing fancily, you’ve at least sat through your share.
10. For People From Mobile, Being On A Boat Is Pretty Much Second Nature
Mobile is a Gulf Coast port town (the only saltwater port in Alabama, in case you were wondering), meaning that in addition to noshing on some primo seafood, living in the area means regularly spending times on boats, whether you’re the seafaring type or not.
Beaching at Dauphin Island requires a ferry ride, as do obligatory yearly fishing trips. And then there’s always that one friend who has a sailboat, speedboat, or, if you hang with the country club crowd, maybe even a yacht. All in all, being in Mobile means weathering some ocean bumps in the Gulf at least a few times a year.
Featured image source: Flickr user Elvert Barnes
Did we miss anything? Tell us what you think about Mobile in the comments below!
