Where Are You From?

The words we use for the chores we do or the things we own may shed a light on where in the U.S.A. we live or even where our ancestors came from.

 



 If your family were Dutch settlers, you might call the area if front of your doorsteps a stoop or if from the South a verandah with or without the "h"; while, in other areas you might hear porch.

 



 

 

 A paper grocery container is often a paper sack in the South or a paper bag in the North but the ubiquitous plastic grocery container is always a plastic bag. Reusable grocery bags are often called reusable  totes in some areas or green bags in others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think one of the best way to trace your background might be what you call that delicious item sold at Dunkin' Donuts. Crullers are Dutch, New England might call them fried cakes, in the Midwest dunkers, while in the South we look for the blinking hot sign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you visit family this summer or travel through the United States, listen for the many different words for something as simple as a carbonated drink: pop, soda, soda pop, tonic, soft drink, or just Coke used without question in many areas of the South.  And if your vacation includes a walk in the woods, watch out for the skunks or do you call them polecats!