Missouri may be one of the most diverse, most beautiful, most interesting states in the country, but no one outside of the Midwest would probably know it.  Here are some of the questions we might get when dealing with outsiders.

  1. How do you get to the top of the Arch?

“St Louis night expblend cropped” by St_Louis_night_expblend.jpg: Daniel Schwenderivative work: ←fetchcomms - St_Louis_night_expblend.jpg. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons -

You wait in line to ride to the top in a claustrophobia-inducing pod. You look around a while, then take the pod back down.

  1. Does everyone in Missouri cheer for the Cardinals?

“Fredbird2013cardinals” by Johnmaxmena2 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - Heck no! Missouri baseball is polarized between the Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals. Most in the eastern part of Missouri are Cardinals fans, while in the west they are more likely to be rooting for the Royals.

  1. Why would you burn your meat?

“Competition Barbecue submission. This is beef brisket.” by Scottgaspar - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - Because it’s so delicious that way. A staple of Kansas City barbecue, burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from a beef brisket and served up well done.

  1. Are the Rams leaving?

“Edward Jones Dome endzone view” by Clstds - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - No. At least not right away.

  1. Why is it called the Show-Me State?

“Missouri 1984 SYJ 526” by Jaycarlcooper - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - There are a number of stories and legends behind Missouri’s “Show-Me” state origins. Although it’s not an official slogan, it is adopted across the state and is used on Missouri license plates. One story is that a U.S. congressman who said at a naval banquet in 1899, ““I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.” Whether or not he coined the phrase, his speech contributed greatly to its popularity. Whatever its origin, it now is used to describe the unfaltering, conservative, hard to convince character of Missourians.

  1. What on earth is frog-gigging?

YouTube/ LokeyPhoto A gig is a long pole tipped with a multi-pronged spear and frog gigging involves hunting bullfrogs at night with these tools. It’s one of the southern-type things Missourians do.

  1. What’s with all the tractors on the roads?

YouTube/ Machinery & Agricultural Machinery Farming is a big part of Missouri life, and it’s not uncommon to find yourself caught behind a slow-moving tractor, unable to pass. Be patient with them, they need the road to do their job.

  1. What is Provel cheese?

Flickr/ kosheahan It is a white processed cheese that is a mixture of cheddar, swiss and provolone and frequently used on St. Louis-style pizza.

  1. How do you pronounce Missouri properly?

YouTube/ HowToPronounce Depends. Missouree or Missouruh pronunciations vary throughout the state, to such a degree that politicians might use both in one speech in order to please everyone.

  1. Why are there so many Mark Twain related things?

“Mark Twain 1907 looiking out window” by Marc record#00652751 LOC ID# LC-USZ62-127284This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c27284.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - He grew up in Hannibal, and based his famous books Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn on his childhood experiences there. We are proud to claim him.

What are some other questions you might be asked about Missouri?  How do you answer?  Share in the comments below.

“St Louis night expblend cropped” by St_Louis_night_expblend.jpg: Daniel Schwenderivative work: ←fetchcomms - St_Louis_night_expblend.jpg. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons -

You wait in line to ride to the top in a claustrophobia-inducing pod. You look around a while, then take the pod back down.

“Fredbird2013cardinals” by Johnmaxmena2 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons -

Heck no! Missouri baseball is polarized between the Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals. Most in the eastern part of Missouri are Cardinals fans, while in the west they are more likely to be rooting for the Royals.

“Competition Barbecue submission. This is beef brisket.” by Scottgaspar - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons -

Because it’s so delicious that way. A staple of Kansas City barbecue, burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from a beef brisket and served up well done.

“Edward Jones Dome endzone view” by Clstds - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons -

No. At least not right away.

“Missouri 1984 SYJ 526” by Jaycarlcooper - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

There are a number of stories and legends behind Missouri’s “Show-Me” state origins. Although it’s not an official slogan, it is adopted across the state and is used on Missouri license plates. One story is that a U.S. congressman who said at a naval banquet in 1899, ““I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.” Whether or not he coined the phrase, his speech contributed greatly to its popularity. Whatever its origin, it now is used to describe the unfaltering, conservative, hard to convince character of Missourians.

YouTube/ LokeyPhoto

A gig is a long pole tipped with a multi-pronged spear and frog gigging involves hunting bullfrogs at night with these tools. It’s one of the southern-type things Missourians do.

YouTube/ Machinery & Agricultural Machinery

Farming is a big part of Missouri life, and it’s not uncommon to find yourself caught behind a slow-moving tractor, unable to pass. Be patient with them, they need the road to do their job.

Flickr/ kosheahan

It is a white processed cheese that is a mixture of cheddar, swiss and provolone and frequently used on St. Louis-style pizza.

YouTube/ HowToPronounce

Depends. Missouree or Missouruh pronunciations vary throughout the state, to such a degree that politicians might use both in one speech in order to please everyone.

“Mark Twain 1907 looiking out window” by Marc record#00652751 LOC ID# LC-USZ62-127284This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c27284.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -

He grew up in Hannibal, and based his famous books Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn on his childhood experiences there. We are proud to claim him.

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