Minnesota Education Association, or MEA, is the last unofficial holiday weekend for this season. Growing up in Iowa, I had never heard of this monumental vacation from school. We were not blessed with such a gift from the Iowa Education Association. It seems like there should be an Iowa joke in there somewhere, but I would not know. They usually go in one ear and out the other.
I have noticed that people enjoy joking about the state that is located directly south of their border. I guess that makes Northern Minnesotans pretty safe from ridicule. For instance, Minnesotans love their Iowa jokes. Iowa picks on Missouri and everyone ridicules Alabama. Florida gets the short end since they have no states below them.
Many of Florida’s residents are transplanted from other states, so there is much less “local pride,” at least in Key West. I could tell someone in Florida that I was from Iowa and they would simply say, “Oh yeah, the potato state.”
Not quite, but at least I was not having to defend my honorable birthplace.
One of the first times I met Bob Miller at Northern Light Resort in Ontario, I made the mistake of telling him that I was from Iowa. “A whistling suspender,” he called me.
“Okay, I give, what is a whistling suspender?” I asked.
He proceeded to explain that every time an Iowan asked him the price of gas or bait, they would respond by hooking both thumbs in their suspender straps and whistling in disapproval. Even the Canadians have Iowa jokes!
Many of my Minnesota customers like to razz me in the boat while fishing. I have been asked many times, “How does an Iowan become a fishing guide in Northern Minnesota?”
I don’t know. How does a former WWF wrestler become a governor?
Idiots out wandering around, the acronym for Iowa is certainly over told.
We are called bull head anglers, farmers, flatlanders, and Iowegians. “Did you hear about the Iowan that came up here last weekend? He brought a $100 bill and a second pair of overalls and never changed either.”
I let them tell their best jokes before responding with, “Do you know why Iowa does not have a professional football team? Because Minnesota would want one too!”
Picking on the Vikings is just too easy this year. Not the Cook County Vikings, they are a team to be proud of, but the Minnesota Vikings are just like a 24-hour gas station. They never close.
You might remember a television show called Coach that was a series based on a Minnesota college football team. What you might not know is that part of the opening credits are of the University of Iowa campus. The head coach, Hayden Fox, was named after the legendary Hayden Fry, who was the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes for my entire childhood and young adult life. Clearly there was some Iowa influence on that show. I am not sure why I am telling you this other than trying to convince you that Iowa is not that bad.
Enough defending my colors. I love Minnesota, but I bleed black and gold. The U of Iowa was a life changing endeavor, and some of my fondest years. Six to be exact. That is how long it takes to get a four-year degree in journalism. College was fun and it took me a couple of years to find my degree. Changing majors from business to journalism was a great decision that cost me a couple of extra dollars and semesters. No regrets. Life is grand and it just keeps getting better.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218-388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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