In Provincia

People who move to Seattle are always stunned... STUNNED... that Seattlites* do not look to other regions as their cultural superiors. It's actually a matter of policy.

I had to explicitly tell my friend in college... no we don't care about L.A., no we don't care about the East Coast. He was stunned. STUNNED.

We don't care about fancy schools or New York vs. Chicago pizza. We have our own music scene, so New Orleans, Nashville, Austin, and LA to us just seem... nice, too. We are sick with theater, lousy with restaurants, up to our ears in libraries, public spaces, and parks.

So, all you folks who start your sentences with "Well, I'm from.... " I have to tell you that while we are listening politely, WE DON'T CARE. It doesn't impress us. We don't care if you're not used to rain or earthquakes, we don't care about your native city's snow contingency, we don't care about your inability to find Mexican food or a decent corned beef sandwich.

And where we do come up short, we come up with something better. I mean, I like fresh lobster as much as the next guy, but if there's dungeness crab in the room, you better get that lobster out of my face.

This is why we don't get all defensive when our sports teams lose. It's not that we're fairweather fans, it's that we remain superior regardless of wins and losses. So seriously, who cares if we win this weekend, who are we even playing? Sports events and other civic gatherings are not tests of civic pride... they are celebrations of it.

Anyway, yes, there is "real" Mexican food in Seattle; you gringos just don't know what to look for. And if you need that deli sandwich, try Subs, Tubs, or Tat's.

*the one exception is private school kids that grow up in Seattle. They tend to dream about going away to fancy schools in fancy towns and what ever. They tend to either long to come back to Seattle as soon as possible or go and stay gone. I know someone who moved to L.A., and thanks her stars that she got out of backward Seattle, where people are so ignorant. Ha ha ha ha ha!