You Might Be From Hawaii If You Do These 15 Weird Things
By Megan Shute|Published August 07, 2017
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
As the most isolated population center on the entire planet, the Hawaiian Islands are incredibly unique in everything from our scenery and land formations to our culture and common quirks. And while not everyone is the same, there are a few habits most Hawaii locals share that we will defend endlessly – because backing into your parking stall is just easier, okay? Without further ado, here are 15 things people from the Hawaiian Islands do that might make other states tilt their head and ask, “why?”
Sometimes, you need to recharge by binge watching Netflix all day, but that can be hard when you feel guilty for not enjoying the weather and taking advantage of Hawaii’s beautiful landscape.
2. Call flip flops slippers - or even better - slippahs.
This quintessential canned ham product manufactured in Minnesota was introduced to the islands during the 1940s, and has become a wildly popular staple food across the islands.
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4. Refer to almost everyone you know as an auntie, uncle, or cousin.
Meaning "towards the mountain," and "towards the sea," respectively, our directions are easier than north, south, east, and west. We also have alternative names for many roads, and we give directions based on landmarks rather than addresses.
6. Break out your sweater when the temperature dips below 75.
When you're used to sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 85 degrees, anything colder makes you feel as though you're going to freeze... even if you once called the frozen tundra that is the American Midwest home.
Not only are geckos adorable, but they eat up all of those unwanted bugs that somehow make their way into your home - despite how often you clean your house.
And by hour we mean from 2 to 7 p.m. Traffic in the Honolulu metropolitan area is the second worst in the country, second only to Los Angeles.... At least the views are pretty, right?
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9. You struggle to decide what beach to go to on a regular basis.
We can’t simply just go to the closest beach, because we’re never very far from any particular beach. We will also spend a great deal of time checking current surf conditions at any beach we are actually considering.
Funny story: I once gave someone a shaka for letting me cross the road while visiting Minnesota. Their face was one of disbelief and concern that I was throwing a gang sign at them.
12. Talk about distance in the time it takes to get somewhere, not miles.
Ah, Shave Ice: the quintessential Hawaiian treat, the perfect snack for a quick sugar rush after a day spent in the ocean. Who in their right mind would chose boring ice cream over shave ice? Unless your shave ice is served on top of ice cream... which is delicious.
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14. Call the 48 contiguous American states "the mainland."
It not only disturbs the peace, but it's just plain rude. Have some Aloha spirit, man.
To people from Hawaii, these things seem normal, but many outsiders struggle to make sense of the cultural differences when they visit here on vacation, or even when they move here. What other weird habits have you picked up while living in Hawaii? Be sure to check out these 17 things all Hawaii locals have done at least once.
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