how to spot a non-native

What they eat, how they eat it and what they call it is a dead giveaway here in Rhode Island.

1) Anyone who doesn't put vinegar on their french fries is a non-native!

2) Anyone who eats red chowder (and call it chowder instead of chowda) is a non-native. White chowda all the way in this state! (although my mom used to make a killer Manhatten chowda, for some strange reason).

3) Anyone who calls spaghetti sauce "gravy" is a native.

4) Anyone who orders less than three hot weiners is a non-native! Those suckers are tiny. No point eating one or two!

5) Anyone who doesn't put celery salt on their hot weiners is a non-native. Weiners with "the works" is the way to go!

6) Anyone who tolerates root beer at A&W in a paper cup is a non-native. Ice cold glass of A&W root beer is the only way!

7) Anyone who calls a sandwich a grinder is a native. They're not hoagies, subs or anything else!

8) Anyone who calls quahogs (clams)" kwa-hogs" is native. They're not "coe-hogs" or "kwo-hogs", guys!

9) Anyone who calls littleneck clams "steamers" is native. And anyone who eats the vile black sleeves that cover them are either animals or non-natives!

Getting hungry, so that's all for now!
 

awesome response! we eat our fries with tarter here! do you have invasive Manilla clams there?
 

What they eat, how they eat it and what they call it is a dead giveaway here in Rhode Island.

1) Anyone who doesn't put vinegar on their french fries is a non-native!

2) Anyone who eats red chowder (and call it chowder instead of chowda) is a non-native. White chowda all the way in this state! (although my mom used to make a killer Manhatten chowda, for some strange reason).

3) Anyone who calls spaghetti sauce "gravy" is a native.

4) Anyone who orders less than three hot weiners is a non-native! Those suckers are tiny. No point eating one or two!

5) Anyone who doesn't put celery salt on their hot weiners is a non-native. Weiners with "the works" is the way to go!

6) Anyone who tolerates root beer at A&W in a paper cup is a non-native. Ice cold glass of A&W root beer is the only way!

7) Anyone who calls a sandwich a grinder is a native. They're not hoagies, subs or anything else!

8) Anyone who calls quahogs (clams)" kwa-hogs" is native. They're not "coe-hogs" or "kwo-hogs", guys!

9) Anyone who calls littleneck clams "steamers" is native. And anyone who eats the vile black sleeves that cover them are either animals or non-natives!

Getting hungry, so that's all for now!
Oh my gosh, I wonder if I was kidnapped as a baby. I might be from RI. I have numbers 1,2,3,5 & 6 down pat since I was a kid. My dad was from NH and taught me the celery salt hot dog thing. Thanks for posting.
 

In my area nearly everyone will wave to another vehicle if meeting them on a gravel road, regardless if they know them or not. Also, we say “gravel road” not unpaved secondary, hard surface, etc. When speaking, a lot of Iowans say the days of the week as if they end in the “dee” sound: Sundee mornin. Our governor gives speeches that have Fridees, and Tuesday’s mentioned in them. Side note: she’s doing a great job IMO.
 

Are you kidding me.....im from the FL. Keys. Everyone here is a non native except for a few of us. I live on the only island in the world where a super highway runs right through the middle of it. I sometimes feel like the one who is non native !! The natives don't even talk with each other when we're out and about......we just give nods, winks, and fist bumps, until we're in private and can talk like locals do.....I didn't even know we had accents down here until I was in my 20s and dating a tourist chic who loved my accent !! My island life in and around the water is so forigen to most that it almost feels surreal to the tourists that visit us here in the keys. How you talk, how you dress, what you eat, and how you act will most certainly be different and obvious to us local born and bred islanders.....we are called conchs amongst our selves, and have many different names and words for things that go by other names on the mainland. We also have native slang terms for the marine life, and animals in and around our islands that most land lubbing, flat footed, mainlander Yankees know nothing about !! We might as well live on an alien planet, and it is very easy to spot the tourons (tourist/moron) here on our island !!
 

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Are you kidding me.....im from the FL. Keys. Everyone here is a non native except for a few of us. I live on the only island in the world where a super highway runs right through the middle of it. I sometimes feel like the one who is non native !! The natives don't even talk with each other when we're out and about......we just give nods, winks, and fist bumps, until we're in private and can talk like locals do.....I didn't even know we had accents down here until I was in my 20s and dating a tourist chic who loved my accent !! My island life in and around the water is so forigen to most that it almost feels surreal to the tourists that visit us here in the keys. How you talk, how you dress, what you eat, and how you act will most certainly be different and obvious to us local born and bred islanders.....we are called conchs amongst our selves, and have many different names and words for things that go by other names on the mainland. We also have native slang terms for the marine life, and animals in and around our islands that most land lubbing, flat footed, mainlander Yankees no nothing about !! We might as well live on an alien planet, and it is very easy to spot the tourons (tourist/moron) here on our island !!
You are truly in a melting pot within a larger melting pot! It’s not nice for me to generalize, but I always think of blue hair, Cadillacs and Early Bird Dinner Specials when Florida is mentioned. I know there is a lot more down there. Not every Floridian is from Chicago! I didn’t know there was a Florida accent either. Thanks for the post. 🦜
 

we also use ketchup and not catsup
 

In the desert southwest you can spot the non locals because they always spend too much time by the pool. Here's one that fell asleep on one of our mild "it's a dry heat" summer afternoons. That sunburn is going to be life changing!

tarim1.jpg
 

do you have invasive Manilla clams there?

Had to look that one up, but, yes, we currently have 16 ponds and 8 rivers that they've invaded. No stopping them once they get established. Definitely bad news for the native clams here.
 

In Florida, if they are walking around looking like baked lobster they are a tourist, not a Florida native.
 

In the wet PNW...no one I know that was born here even owns an umbrella....what is a dead give-away to spot a non-native where you live?
Just about everybody that lives in the gazillion tract house cracker boxes that are cropping up everywhere are not native to the area.
 

Just about everybody that lives in the gazillion tract house cracker boxes that are cropping up everywhere are not native to the area.
now THAT is a dead giveaway!
 

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