Geographically-Specific Stuff

[Bear Up North]

In my weekly attempt to outdue Maister by introducing threads that are really off-the-wall strange......let's take a look at Geographically-Specific Stuff. Some background.....

London, England has NO snow plows. This week the huge Metro was hit with a major snowstorm. Obviously, London did not have the Geographically-Specific Stuff needed to clear the streets.
_____

My submissions.....

Snowshoes (Far north)
Snowplows (Any area that "regularly" gets some snow)
Plug-in heaters for automobile engine blocks (Fargo, Winnipeg....you get the idea)
Rattlesnake traps (Arizona?)
Indicator poles and flags on fire hydrants (Any place expecting heavy and accumulating snowfalls)
Grain Belt Beer (Minnesota)
Zamboni (Any place, inside or outside, with an ice rink)
Dust masks (Anchorage, this week)
Coast Guard Icebreakers (Great Lakes, other ice-cover-prone waters)
Sandals (Especially any southern USA beach with "hot" sand)
Cheap beads (New Orleans, Put-In-Bay)

What say you?

Bear

[JNA]

Clamming rakes or tongs - tidal saltwater bays
Crab Traps- same

avalanche beacons - seasonally necessary equipement for the mountains
avalanche probe poles - same

Wildland vs Structural Firefighter Bunker gear.

Airboats.

Ice sailboats.

[Tom R]

Terrible Towels -
Extra shelf space for trophies
PITTSBURGH!

[Plan-it]

Stuffies (Rhode Island)
Coffee Milk (Rhode Island)
Steamers (New England)
The Varsity (Atlanta)
Shrimp & Grits (Deep South)
Fried Chicken done right (Deep South)

[Maister]

In my weekly attempt to outdue Maister by introducing threads that are really off-the-wall strangeBear

Dream on!

Okay, down to business.

Something I thought nothing about until some friends from SC visited one day and remarked "why are all those reflectors and other garrish looking things at the end of everyone's driveway? I had to explain they were for the plow's benefit.
- driveway markers
- xeriscaped 'lawns'
- fire breaks in large forests (they may have them all over but for some reason you really seem to notice them out West

[dandy_warhol]

axes in your attic (NOLA)

after Katrina i said to my friend, "Who knew so many people had axes at the ready to chop through the roof in case of a flood/hurricane." she responded with, "One of the first things I did when I moved into this house was tell the boys to put the ax in the attic."

[Duke Of Dystopia]

Pasties (the food, not nipple covers)

North-east WI and Upper Michigan.

They are kind of bland, but amazingly filling and satiating!

[Coragus]

I'm still learning, and I'll find more in the spring when the snow goes away, but I'll go for:

Bourbon (Kentucky).

[Richi]

Florida and the Gulf coast especially - Huricane kits (couple gal of water, extra batteries, candles, matches/lighter, battery radio and if you want hot anything like coffee or food a camp stove)

[CJC]

Fry sauce (ketchup plus mayonnaise and usually some extras) - northern Utah, Idaho, western Wyoming, western Montana, and eastern Washington.

Signs stating "This is an unreinforced masonry building. Unreinforced masonry buildings may be unsafe in the event of a major earthquake" - California

[wahday]

Swamp Coolers (southwest - they won't work most anywhere else)
Fry Bread (anywhere in the west with a significant Native population)

That's all I can come up with at the moment.

Oh wait! How about a Chile Roaster? They are big gas fired tumblers that can roast several sacks of green chile at once. A ubiquitous piece of equipment that sits outside of many stores in the fall (even chain supermarkets get in on it). Now THAT's essential equipment - people 'round here have GOT to have their chile. I've never seen this anywhere but New Mexico, but you might find it in Arizona or some parts of Texas, too.

[Gedunker]

I'm still learning, and I'll find more in the spring when the snow goes away, but I'll go for:

Bourbon (Kentucky).

Oh, yes, but one can't live by bourbon alone (well, not for long, anyway).

So, set right down, pour yourself a neat one, and I'll fix you up with a Hot Brown. As it is cold outside, you might like a little burgoo to go with it. Let me think on it and I'll see if I can rassle up some other ol Kaintuck specials for ya.

[planning_chick]

Quiots (Lehigh Valley, Slate Belt areas of PA)

[Whose Yur Planner]

Oh, yes, but one can't live by bourbon alone (well, not for long, anyway).

So, set right down, pour yourself a neat one, and I'll fix you up with a Hot Brown. As it is cold outside, you might like a little burgoo to go with it. Let me think on it and I'll see if I can rassle up some other ol Kaintuck specials for ya.

You forgot Derby Pie. Hot Browns are heart attack specials. Burgoo can be real nasty, depending on how it is made.

[Gedunker]

You forgot Derby Pie. Hot Browns are heart attack specials.

Southerners are generous, but they don't give it all up the first time out.

Burgoo can be real nasty, depending on how it is made.

C'mon, a little opossum in their Burgoo never hurt nobody. Builds character

[wahday]

Who here wants scrapple?! You can't get it at Wawa, but I think they still sell it at Acme (and no, turkey scrapple ain't the real thing).

Around here, scrapple might be substituted with chorizo or perhaps carne adovada. Just don't get the menudo by mistake. That stuff is nasty!

[zman]

Fry sauce (ketchup plus mayonnaise and usually some extras) - northern Utah, Idaho, western Wyoming, western Montana, and eastern Washington.

So that's where my wife (from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) gets this combo... Whenever she does this, I am so put off that I never ask.

Since Colorado is made up of primarily the rest of YOU (from the influx of non-natives) it will take me a looong while to come up with something specific to this state other than:
-Orange football uniforms
-Shitty baseball teams
-Denver omlettes

Hmmm... time for a walkabout to think.

[kjel]

Meat and three, shrimp and grits (SC)
Fat Cat, Fat Darryl, Fat ... (New Brunswick, NJ)

[Richmond Jake]

Florida and the Gulf coast especially - Huricane kits (couple gal of water, extra batteries, candles, matches/lighter, battery radio and if you want hot anything like coffee or food a camp stove)

Add to that: generators and hurricane window shutters.

....... chorizo ....

I enjoyed chorizo for awhile when I was in California. Then I read the ingredients on the label. You can look it up.

[planning_chick]

Oooo, I forgot about Fat Cats. So yummy, even if they take about 2 years off your life each time you eat one.

[Raf]

Only in California (me thinks)

Santa Maria Style BBQ.
If you know what that is, your probably only ate it here.

[Zoning Goddess]

In the southeast: Maps of hurricane evacuation routes. And shelter locations. Every freaking year, you have to be up on this.

[kjel]

Oooo, I forgot about Fat Cats. So yummy, even if they take about 2 years off your life each time you eat one.

I have a once a semester allowance generally after exams are over. But damn they are good.

I am going to add WaWa to the list for NJ/PA....Gotta have a WaWa!

[jenniplans]

Crab Traps- same

I think any doctor's office would qualify as a geographically specific place too!

[GISgal]

Wisconsin

Brandy Old Fashioneds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Fashioned)
Deep fried cheese curds