Wednesday, April 15, 2009

"Yes, I'm from Fargo.....

……yeah, like the movie.” I didn’t always answer that way. I was living in Chicago when it started. The first few times I heard the questions: “You’re from Fargo? Like the movie?” I was offended, taken aback. No! Not like the movie!! It’s a movie filmed in Minneapolis. People don’t really talk like that! OK, they do. That’s not the point. At first I would try to explain the differences. After feeling bad from seeing the disappointment on their faces, I started to answer, “Yeah, like the movie.” People seemed to like that answer better. I became a novelty in their eyes. The way a Fargoan would look at a person from exotic California. I knew they would go out into the world and tell their friends and family that they had met a real person from Fargo, like the movie.

I don’t mind Fargo so much. It’s normal, almost wholesome. People are simple and friendly for the most part. Not everyone talks with long O’s. I get irritated when I watch the news and the only people they interview have the worst North Dakota accents. Where do they find these people? Wait. I was interviewed on the local news. Oh, crap. If anyone reading this saw me, please let me know if I talked like a local, OK?

Something else that entertained my Chicago neighbors was when I would unknowingly say “Uff Da”. I always figured out quickly that I had said it when the person next to me would give me a confused, quizzical look. I can’t help it, it just comes out. I once explained it’s definition to someone as the Norwegian “Oy Vey”. They readily accepted it, and I was off the hook. I met a man who had lived in Norway for a few years. I asked him if Norwegians said Uff Da. “No, not really. Not the younger people anyway. You might hear someone older say ‘Uff‘”. Great. So I’m uncool on two continents. I could never live down the way I said “hamm-ock”, though. I still don’t know the proper way to pronounce it. Do you say it fast? “Hammick”? I know it isn’t two words. I just don’t know how to sound normal when I say it. You can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the hamm-ock out when it’s -32 below……

10 comments:

Marcy said...

Ummmm.....I just said "UFF-DA" today at work!

*Lissa* said...

I say hamm-ock. Doesn't everyone? ;o)

I spent my youth (living in other states besides ND) being teased about the way I said "bag" and "aunt".

Queen Bee said...

I say hammick. But I'm from Jersey and I'm told that I tawk and drink cawfee and eat chawklit so what do I know?

MJS said...

Yeah well, my ND accent has had it's ass thoroughly kicked by the deep south but it's still my inner Fargoan whose voice I hear inside my head while I'm reading your blog or the Forum online.

Bilby P. Dalgyte said...

Uff....da? (wha?) Crikey you got weird words.

OK I don't actually know what a person from Fargo would sound like so now I just want to find out what you sound like :P Mwahaha to youtube! Loading...... hmm..

OK while we wait: "Yes I'm from Australia.... like the croc hunter." OK seriously I thought it was just an urban legend that American's would say "G'day mate!" and then ask us about riding Kangaroos around places but no... no you guys ACTUALLY DO THAT. People don't do that sort of things with Kangaroos (and the only people who really ever say "G'day mate" are people from other countries.) We don't have dingos as pet dogs (and our babies don't go missing often.) And not all of our country is desert and we don't sound like the Australians on The Simpsons (at all!)

I don't mind what people think of Australia. It's entertaining I once convinced an American that I didn't speak English as a first language. (We speak a never heard language called "Australian" and learn English in school from a young age... hehehe) so haha to the stupid people out there (and congratulations to the not stupid)

P.S. Hahaha fargo accent is amusing :P I'm a terrible person for laughing...

Bilby P. Dalgyte said...

Hammock.... Hammick? HammOck! OK I say it with a bit of an E instead. Hammeck. Ham-me/o/ck. Fast yeah...

Sarah K said...

i love it! i have everyone questioning how they say hammock! may it now be your burden! all.summer.long. (but now it's winter in australia. i think?)

bilby- i don't want to believe people think you ride kangaroos! that's lame. do your toilets flush counter clockwise?

queen bee- MTV seems to only show people from long island, and they all seem to be the stereo typical "looong aislandah's".

stereotypes make for good tv, and good movies. you should all rent "Fargo". i hated it. youtube wisconson accents. they're bad!

♥ Braja said...

Never saw Fargo :)

The Courteous Chihuahua said...

Well, poop. I've been sitting here saying "hammock" so much that it doesn't even sound like a real word anymore. Actually I think it's more like "hammuck".

Bilby P. Dalgyte said...

Curses! Your evil plan to get us saying "Hammock" again and again until we go crazy is truly evil!.... and didn't really work cause I forgot all about it 2 minutes later...

Oh yeah well, is "Vaccuum" a dirty word!?

Counter-clockwise hmm? TO THE BATHROOM!.... and while I'm there I might aswell test that theory :P OK *flush*..... the water just went straight down! What? No! Don't drain really quickly you stupid effienct toilet thing! OK to the SINK! *pull plug* Straight down again!? But... I wants mah swirly spiral... I can not has mah swirly spiral? Noooess.

To answer your question: Water says "f*** you coriolas effect!" down here in Australia.

Not quite Winter yet. Soon though :) yay for sub-30 degree weather! :P

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