Why is the DMV so unaware of the traditions of the DelMarVa region? If you are from the DMV, how familiar are you?

[Anonymous]

I live in suburban Northern Virginia, why should care about the Ocean City bar scene?

*I did actually have an orange crush in Annapolis recently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, Did you think they were the same?

Come back.

Op here. No, I think you misinterpreted the question. My question is not if they are the same, I am a native Washingtonian so I know they are not the same. My question pertains to why many people on both sides know so little about the other when we are not that far in distance. Is it a lack of interest in knowing about the life and culture on both sides? The distance? The differences? Etc..

How much do you actually know about DelMarVa and its traditions if you are from the DMV area and vice versa. Kind of how Bakery Pizza is well known outside of Rhode Island in the surrounding New England area but some of the things like Orange Crushes are not locally as you get further from the Bay. Smith Island Cake, if you polled people in the DMV, how many would know what is is? It’s not served in the DMV area all too often. Things like that.

Liar. A native Washingtonian would never use the term 'DMV'. Never. Ever.

Tell me you’re white without telling me you’re white.

[Anonymous]

What is an orange crush? Isn't is just a soda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, Did you think they were the same?

Come back.

Op here. No, I think you misinterpreted the question. My question is not if they are the same, I am a native Washingtonian so I know they are not the same. My question pertains to why many people on both sides know so little about the other when we are not that far in distance. Is it a lack of interest in knowing about the life and culture on both sides? The distance? The differences? Etc..

How much do you actually know about DelMarVa and its traditions if you are from the DMV area and vice versa. Kind of how Bakery Pizza is well known outside of Rhode Island in the surrounding New England area but some of the things like Orange Crushes are not locally as you get further from the Bay. Smith Island Cake, if you polled people in the DMV, how many would know what is is? It’s not served in the DMV area all too often. Things like that.

Liar. A native Washingtonian would never use the term 'DMV'. Never. Ever.

Tell me you’re white without telling me you’re white.

Nope. Not white. Try again, racist.

[Anonymous]

Nobody serves vinegar with fries anymore and it makes me sad! There used to be a bottle of vinegar at every condiment station in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I (late 50s) are Fairfax County natives and our parents (and my way back to my great grandparents) all grew up in Washington, DC proper.

I call my parents’ hometown Dee Cee or maybe Washington. The DMV is dept of motor vehicles.

DH and I rarely visit DC. Maybe once a year for an event or if we have guests who’d like a tour.

I’ve given zero thought to “Delmarva” although I’ve spent every summer on and around Delaware beaches.

DH and I aren’t alone in our shared hatred of the entire state of Maryland - the drivers, the infrastructure, and with very few exceptions the state’s overall grubby grittiness. We joke that any time we drive into MD we feel vaguely queasy and a bit car sick. I could never live in Maryland because I fear the nausea would be ongoing. I think there’s a reciprocal “rivalry” between VA and MD. My friends and family from equivalent suburban MD expressed surprise/discomfort/unease when visiting VA ‘burbs (“you have the same stores we have!” or “I can’t find my way around here - can you help?”).

Delaware? Sure. Sign me up and would move there in a hot minute. Love the tax free shopping.

Md resident: hate to break it to you but we never even think about Virginia. They say 'hate' and 'love' are both passionate feelings. We are in your head rent free. Where as I am totally meh about Northern Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scrapple

Isn’t scrapple originally Pennsylvania Dutch?

No it's from West Virginia and then migrated to PA.

But where do they hold the Apple & Scrapple festival?

Scrapple nommmm, Harrington De is the source for locally made scrapple. Kirby and Holloway
Or locals would say Hairntin. (2 syllables)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scrapple

Isn’t scrapple originally Pennsylvania Dutch?

Plenty of Amish in Sussex County De. We have Kirby and Holloway scapple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:fried soft shell crabs
oyster dressing
parker house rolls
hot crab dip

All of that is just east coast southern and not specific to “Delmarva”

Born and raised in Salisbury. I've never had oyster dressing or hot crab dip anyplace else in the south and I've lived and worked in Virginia, NC, and SC.

For Thanksgiving in lower De and Md you always have oyster dressing in the turkey, a side of hot crab dip and crackers.
The men also go duck and goose hunting Thanksgiving morning.

[Anonymous]

Waking up to gunshots fired at 5:00 am on Thanksgiving morning when the menfolk are duck and goose hunting.

[Anonymous]

sweet potato biscuits

local fire departments

Sweet potato biscuits being sold at church and fire department fundraisers around the holidays.

chicken--forgot all of the barbequed grilled chicken fundraisers that are in all of the small towns

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Baltimore, have lived on the Eastern Shore (still have lots of family there and go several times a year) and have spent the past 20 years living in the DC area. I've heard of all of the things on this thread (though have never eaten muskrat). What surprises me more than DC not knowing about DelMarVa is how little DC people know Baltimore and vice versa. And they have no interest. Both cities offer so much, are so close and yet they feel worlds away from one another.

I was talking to my uncle who lives in Baltimore recently and told him he should come to DC for the day. He said he hadn't been to DC since the 8th grade. He's 74.

True that. I lived about a decade in PG and we spent weekends pretty equally in DC, Baltimore, and the Annapolis area. My son has a good friend now that grew up in Baltimore and we joke they probably played together at Port Discovery as preschoolers since we both had memberships for years and went there all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scrapple

Isn’t scrapple originally Pennsylvania Dutch?

No it's from West Virginia and then migrated to PA.

But where do they hold the Apple & Scrapple festival?

Bridgeville, Rapa Scrapple (Ralph and Paul Adams).

Am I a heretic if I admit I don’t like the stuff?

[Anonymous]

NP here. I grew up in southern MD, college in Baltimore, lived in central MD, and have been in NoVa since 2000.

I have had muskrat (I had no idea until toda6 that others ate this - just thought my dad was awful making us eat it!) we ate Scrapple growing up (thin and crispy please!) loved oyster dressing, but loved raw oysters far more. My siblings and I would eat them as fast as my dad could shuck them. I would put an oyster on a saltine cracker with a little cocktail sauce on top. OMG I miss those days!

Crabs - don’t waste time making crab dip, etc. Emptied the produce drawer in the fridge to store leftovers and ate them cold the next day. Vinegar and old bay on fries - incredible! Orange crushes. I didn’t know about smith Island cake until a few years ago, but I grew up on the opposite side of the bay and we never really ever crossed the Bay. Dad’s family traced back to southern MD since the 1600s.

Here’s something not mentioned yet - stuffed ham. It is a southern MD specialty. Corned ham stuffed with kale. I never liked it but my siblings do. My mom who grew up in the Midwest had rto learn how to make it for my dad.

Of course, can’t forget rockfish and soft shell crabs and Natty Boh.

After school when I wanted a snack, I would pour cheerios in a bowl, drizzle melted butter over them and sprinkle Old Bay on top. So delicious!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, Did you think they were the same?

Come back.

Op here. No, I think you misinterpreted the question. My question is not if they are the same, I am a native Washingtonian so I know they are not the same. My question pertains to why many people on both sides know so little about the other when we are not that far in distance. Is it a lack of interest in knowing about the life and culture on both sides? The distance? The differences? Etc..

How much do you actually know about DelMarVa and its traditions if you are from the DMV area and vice versa. Kind of how Bakery Pizza is well known outside of Rhode Island in the surrounding New England area but some of the things like Orange Crushes are not locally as you get further from the Bay. Smith Island Cake, if you polled people in the DMV, how many would know what is is? It’s not served in the DMV area all too often. Things like that.

Liar. A native Washingtonian would never use the term 'DMV'. Never. Ever.

Except that Black natives would. Though in my experience, white natives, who typically grew up WOTP, know very little about them.

Maybe that’s an age thing?

Third generation Black DC Native — I never heard Black DC natives say “DMV”. My parents were born in “The District “. I grew up “in DC” — in Chocolate City. The people I’ve known who were and are DC natives have zero interest in linking our city with M and definitely not with V.