Great topic!
I moved from WI. way back in 1985 (?) I think, to Nashville, TN., then to the Panhandle of Florida in 1995. So I have been gone quite a while! I am a HUGE Cheesehead Packer Fan and carried that with me all along....much to the chagrin of co-workers over the years......who were either big college football fans or Saints/Dolphin Fans down here anyway. I took a lot of ribbing over the years from people who hated the Packers! Of course, those feelings have reversed for most due to going to the Super Bowl twice in the previous 11 years!
It's amazing how many "Cheeseheads" have relocated to my neck of the woods in NW FL!
Things I truly miss: Friday Night Fish Frys!! OMG! Whenever I get a chance to get up north, the 1st thing I do is go to a Fish Fry and get a triple order of perch! And I still get a kick out of how the restaurants (supper clubs) are.....put your name in at the door, go to the bar, "wait" for your table, and even some places will take your order at the bar, then seat you WHEN your food is ready! Strange to me now, I think I still prefer "regular" restaurants where you go straight to your table and relax and enjoy. I can tolerate that method of service if it includes PERCH!
I do not miss 4 seasons whatsoever. Never liked it even when growing up. Sorry! I like my toes in the sand, if you will! Although, when I do visit WI for a football game, I do try to time it when the colors are at their peak! Awesome!
I miss inexpensive CHEESE! Wisonsin cheese in FL. is considered a delicacy, and you only find it in the deli aisle, and be willing to pay over $6.00 a pound for basic cheddar/colby! Aged Cheddar? I just paid $18.00 a pound, only because I was craving it. (and that was at SAM's Club!)
Cheese curds? HA HA.....at Christmas I order from a cheese factory in WI and stock up, they won't ship here until late fall because of the heat, and I stock up then. But the shipping costs pretty much make up for the cheap cheese. But at least I get my curds.
I laughed my head off yesterday at the grocery store. For the upcoming "holiday season" they had a new display featuring Hillshire Farm Summer Sausage. The sign read: "NEW ITEM! No cooking required! Just slice and eat!" The girl handing out the samples looked perplexed, as well as the brave souls who were tasting it and looking at it in a funny way.
Oh yea, BEER here is very expensive! And order a brandy at a bar and they'll look at you like you have 3 eyes and a horn growing out of your forehead. (and spend 20 minutes getting a manager to go find a bottle, usually Cognac) Plus the drinks here, a basic Gin & Tonic is going to cost you at least $5-6. Happy Hour? Forget it! But, no matter, I only go to bars when friends visit!
I miss "pickled" stuff, like mushrooms, brussel sprouts, etc., that you see bartenders put in drinks up there. Here, it's either a lime or an olive. Period. And I miss those little glasses of beer when you order a bloody mary too!
I miss the accents! I never really had one, my family was originally from the South, although when I get with my Cheesehead friends I suddenly start talking like them....they do the same thing when they come down here and pick up "Suthin' Slang". i.e., "We're fixin' to hit the beach ya'll!"
I think after being gone for so long, I have turned into a true southerner though.....I cannot do without real cornbread, grits, collard greens, shrimp po'boys, real iced tea, cajun crawdad boils, gumbo, FRESH GULF SEAFOOD, biscuits and gravy, chess pie and a waitress saying to me "what else can I git fer you honey pie?"
oops, I forgot......I do miss snow on the ground one time of year...Christmas! The lights on my Palm Trees just don't cut it, but Santa sitting on a sailboat with lights during the "Christmas Parade" here is kind of cool!
And I do miss the people as well! Very warm and gracious folks!
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