We only scratched the surface of what makes Pennsylvania unique in our first list of
things only people from Pennsylvania understand. So we just had to mention 10 more.
1. Just How Delicious Tasty Kake Is
Tastykake's been around since 1914, so check the expiration date when you pick a package up off the back of a gas station shelf.
The snack cake company originally only sold in the Philadelphia area, but it spread through Pennsylvania and some surrounding areas over the years. In more recent times, it's popped up farther away along the East Coast, even down in Florida.
But Tastykake occupies a special place in the hearts (and stomachs) of Pennsylvanians. They all have a favorite, whether it's Kandy Kakes, Butterscotch Krimpets, Juniors, Fruit Pies, or one of the other delicious little indulgences.
2. Gobbling Down Turkey Hill
When Pennsylvanians want refreshment, they want Lancaster-based Turkey Hill. In particular, the company's ice cream and iced tea, which come in all sorts of permanent and limited edition flavors, are common cravings.
Back in 1931, one delivery truck transported the good stuff around Lancaster County, but it didn't take long to catch on all around the state.
If you're lucky, you might have access to Turkey Hill ice cream elsewhere, but the iced tea is hard to find beyond Pennsylvania's borders and in some nearby areas. Many a Pennsylvanian has relocated out of state only to discover just how strong a grip their Turkey Hill peach iced tea addiction held.
3. Munching Chips Off The Ol' Block
From the sweet stuff to the savory... Idahoans have their potatoes, but Pennsylvanians have their potato chips.
Specifically, they have Utz, from Hanover, Penn. Utz are all over the place now, but they've been around the state since 1921.
But on a more exclusive level, Pennsylvanians have been stuffing their faces with Hartley's Potato Chips since 1935 and Middleswarth Potato Chips since 1942.
4. Driving Like You’re On Hydraulics (When You’re Not)
Pennsylvania has a serious pothole problem. All over. It's kind of ridiculous.
Residents actually look forward to the treacherous driving conditions in winter because the potholes get filled... with snow.
5. Swapping Out Root For Birch
Birch beer is sort of like root beer, but better. And far less famous. If you ask an American who isn't from the Northeast if they like birch beer, you're likely to just get a puzzled look and a “huh?”
The soft drink takes its distinct flavor from distilled oil from birch tree sap. And unlike most soda today, many birch beers are still flavored with natural ingredients, rather than a chemical cocktail.
Pennsylvania Dutch brand birch beer, in production since 1936, is especially big in PA.
6. Eating Gobs And Gobs Of Gobs
Is it a cake? A cookie? A pie? A dessert hoagie?
OK, probably not the last one. But the debate can go on for hours, and in the end, nobody knows. All that really matters, though, is that they're freakin' delicious and fun to eat.
If you're not from Pennsylvania, you probably know them as whoopie pies. But if you're a state resident (especially western or central PA), you call them gobs, and you've eaten a shameful quantity of them in your day. Like so many of Pennsylvania's culinary quirks, these cream-filled cake sandwiches are rooted in Amish culture.
7. Opening Your Piehole
No PA list would be complete without another Pennsylvania Dutch pie that more obviously qualifies as a pie: shoofly pie.
This super sweet, gooey goodness is a molasses pie. It has a standard crust on the bottom, but often features a crumbly, coffee cake-like topping.
Legend has it the name comes from the fact that the molasses is a powerful enticement to flies, so the pests have to be perpetually shooed away from the pie.
8. That Nobody Needs “To Be”
“This car needs washed.”
That's the weird sort of thing you’ll only hear in Pennsylvania. For some reason, Pennsylvanians don't feel the need to follow the word “needs” with “to be.”
Frankly, if you've ever gone to Pittsburgh, you've heard lots of much stranger stuff come out of peoples' mouths.
9. That Pot Pie Isn't A Pie At All
Pennsylvania Dutch Pies—and particularly pies that aren't pies—are a recurrent PA theme.
Most people in the U.S. think of pot pies as something along the lines of chicken, peas, carrots, and some goop encased completely in crust. But that's not what a real pot pie is.
A true pot pie is more like a stew. There's no crust and it's prepared on the stove, not baked in the oven. It typically contains one or more meats, potato, celery, and other veggies, and there's a floating layer of square egg noodles on top. Sometimes, in less traditional preparations, squares of biscuit dough are put on top.
10. Ordering Your Beverage Wrong When Visiting The Other Side Of The State
Pennsylvania is the most divided state in terms of what its denizens call carbonated soft drinks. In the west and part of central PA, it's “pop;” in the east and most of central PA, it's “soda.”
For the record, soda is the right word. Pop is ridiculous. Sorry. I'm from Philly.
They say pop in the western tip of New York while the rest of the state says soda, and there's a wee little chunk of eastern West Virginia that says soda unlike everyone else in the state. But Pennsylvania is uniquely and majorly divided.
It's just one of a thousand east-versus-west PA battles... like Wawa vs. Sheetz or cheesesteaks vs. Primanti Brothers or youse vs. yinz or whether New Jersey or Ohio is the crappier neighbor.
What else do only you understand? Let us know in the comments!
