Depending on where you are in the state you’re going to hear different labels for the same things. Whether it’s the difference between eating a “whoopee pie” or “gob,” or referring to people as “youse” or “yinz.”
This is one of those instances when geography has everything to do with how you say something. “Soda” and “pop” may be the most contentious slang battle in the state, and here’s how it mostly breaks down: The majority of central PA and east PA say “soda,” while West PA and a small section of central PA drink “pop.”
“Snacks at Sheetz”byRandom Retailis licensed underCC BY 2.0
Although they’re both convenience stores, fans of either will tell you that there are big differences between them—and that they would never spend money at their rival store. People in Eastern PA get their hoagies at Wawa, while those in Western PA get theirs at Sheetz.
If a local refers to Pennsylvania at any time in conversation, he or she will most likely call it “P.A.” As in, “‘Pee-Ay. This is true across all regions of the state.
Don’t panic. All right, panic a little: There’s a good chance that you’ll hit a deer with your car while driving on P.A.’s very tree-lined roads. If you haven’t, then you know someone who has.
Pennsylvania is home to the largest Amish population in the country, which means that when in Lancaster County, you should prepare to yield to horse-drawn buggies. It’s a small price to pay to taste the delicious Pennsylvania Dutch food.
You can’t live in PA without passing by towns with rather interesting names. Amish country is home to Intercourse, Bird-in-Hand, and Blue Ball, which have been the buds of many jokes. There’s also Breakneck, Rough and Ready, and Eighty Four. It’s too bad that Noodle Doosie is no longer a town’s name, but you can’t have it all.
I'm pretty sure heaven looks something like this @Tastykake pic.twitter.com/owwEhpCH2N
— Amanda Johnson (@amandapanderz) August 16, 2014
People from PA are proud of their local menu, and for good reason—you can find a state-specific food for whatever you’re craving. If you’re starving, fill up on perogies and cheesesteaks, or make something with scrapple, chipped ham, and Lebanon bologna. You can have Middleswarth, Hartley’s, and Utz potato chips for a snack, or a soft pretzel as a snack. Then there’s choosing between your favorite type of Tastykake, or cutting a slice of shoofly pie instead. Of course, you’d wash it all down with a birch beer or Turkey Hill iced tea.
From “jimmies” to “hoagies” to “dippy eggs,” there’s a certain way to ask for what you’d like to eat in PA. Dippy eggs, for instance, are eggs that are cooked over-easy or soft-boiled. Then, you dip your toast into it. Yum!
At some point, all P.A. locals have come to the chocolate Mecca of Hershey, Penn. Hersheypark is beloved not just because of its rides—which only get better as you get older—or its water park, but because Hershey’s Chocolate World has convinced us that Godiva is blasphemy. Which it is. Did we miss anything? Tell us what you think of Pennsylvania in the comments below!
