Amy Lu's View

I really realized that there are differences between Wisconsin and Minnesota when I learned that deep fried cheese curds are a “special” state fair food in Minnesota. 

Don’t get me wrong–I think deep fried cheese curds are special in the sense that they’re amazing, but growing up in Wisconsin, they were a common source of awesomeness. Fried  cheese curds were widely available at most dining/drinking establishments and outlets, and we didn’t have to wait for a yearly celebration to enjoy them. (In the past twenty-five years Minnesota has evolved in its deep fried cheese curd availability and they are much more ubiquitous than they used to be). 

Stereotypes are often rooted in reality, and on this National Wisconsin Day, I’m celebrating how I embrace my Wisconsin heritage, although sometimes with my own twist. 

The two main “I’m from Wisconsin” boxes I check: I love cheese and drinking. However, in an effort to lower calorie consumption, I try to avoid cheese as an entree, and I do often have faux cheese, which may sometimes be slightly more ethical. And beer is not my alcohol of choice. (I don’t eat brats anymore, but they should definitely be cooked in beer). 

Since I’m a fan of non-beer alcohol, it makes sense to assume that I’m into brandy Old-Fashioneds, the way Wisconsinites are known to make them and enjoy them. I’m certainly not opposed to that, but I can’t claim it’s because I’m from Wisconsin, as I knew nothing about cocktails when I was a youth growing up there. (In addition to the legendary Bloody Marys I loved at the bar The Joynt, the only “cocktails” I drank were Long Island Iced Teas, which I don’t really think count as cocktails but college kid booze delivery concoctions.)

And I am not a Packers fan. Insert gasp here. Maybe even a swoon. But that’s not because I’m anti-Packers, but because I’m deeply uninterested in football. I’m not a fan of any team, but if I had to be, it would be the Packers.

I say pop, (water) fountain, and duck duck GOOSE, but I think those may be differences based on geography rather than state lines. I think I grew up saying and hearing “casserole” and “hot dish” interchangeably, although I now prefer “hot dish” so maybe I’ve been brainwashed. 

Fish frys were never a big deal for my family. Like brandy Old Fashioneds, they were something that I learned had Wisconsin associations after I didn’t live there anymore.  

Is being from somewhere just about what we eat and drink and say? Of course not, but those are the easy things to identify and make jokes and social media and blog posts about.