A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

This weekend, the MetroDad family is leaving the safe confines of Manhattan to embark on a journey to the Midwest.  One of our friends is getting married in Indianapolis on Saturday so BossLady, the Peanut and I have decided to make a long weekend out of it. 

Now, contrary to what one might expect from this denizen of the urban jungle, I'm actually a huge fan of the Midwest.  Yes, I've experienced Southern hospitality.  I've enjoyed the Frontier friendliness of the Wild West.  And I lived in northern California for years so I know all about Pacific-coast passivity.  But for me?  I'll take the Midwest any day of the week.  There's a genuinely wholesome and sincere niceness about Midwesterners that I always look forward to experiencing again.  Maybe I'm just a cynical New Yorker but, in a way, Midwesterners always remind me of those really nice but naively innocent kids at camp...the boys who would never try a cigarette, the girls who never let you kiss them.  I love that about them! 

It's funny because the BossLady always makes fun of me for being a Manhattan snob.  And I have to admit that she's probably right.  When we were looking for an apartment years ago, I refused to even consider any of the outer boroughs.  Even now, I venture into Queens only to watch my beloved Mets, eat Korean food or go to the airport.  And the only time I ever visit Brooklyn is for my bi-annual visits to the world's greatest steakhouse.   But though I may be a Manhattan snob and shun the outer boroughs, I have nothing but the warmest feelings for my fellow citizens in "that whole middle part of the country place." 

Coming back from any visit to the Midwest, I always feel like a nicer person.  Maybe it's due to the fact that day-to-day life there doesn't involve being shoved on the subway, getting cursed at on the streets or spending 20 minutes looking for a taxi.  Dinner reservations don't need to be made a month in advance and road rage seems more like an aberration than a way of life.  Unlike in other parts of the country, I always felt that Midwesterners were better able to appreciate the differences in people's lives.  They seem to be less judgmental but, at the same time, moderately progressive.  Also, aside from their general kindness, I always felt that Midwesterners were great at making you feel as if you were home.  They truly are hospitable people.  I love that about them.  In fact, I like a lot of things about them.  And while I might not be able to put my finger on it exactly, I know I always enjoy spending time there and I always look forward to going back. 

I'll tell you a brief story about my father that might help explain why I think Midwesterners are the paragons of American idealism.  Back in 1949, my father was essentially a street urchin on the streets of Korea.  As a teenager, he had run away from home when his father informed him that since he was going to be a farmer, there was no use in continuing his education.  My father, not wanting to live the life of a farmer and more than a little tired of getting his ass kicked by his father every day, decided he had no choice but to leave.  Therefore, he became a teenage runaway.  When the Korean War broke out, the South Korean government rounded up all the teenage street urchins and shanghaied them into the armed forces.  My father was able to avoid them for weeks by hiding in the fields.  But he was starving and eventually he needed to get some food.  When he came out of the fields, he was caught and immediately forced to fight for the U.S. Army.  Within 4 years, he actually rose through the ranks and ended up earning a Silver Star for his actions.  But then the war ended.  The U.S. troops were pulling out of Korea and my father was going to be forced to fend for himself again on the streets of Seoul.  However, a kind and generous U.S. general from the Midwest took pity on my young father and decided he was going to do everything in his power to help him out.  He arranged for my father to come to Iowa and become a U.S. citizen.  My father was to live with an elderly woman in Des Moines and attend Drake University on an army scholarship.  For my father, it's safe to say that this was a seminal life-altering event.  At the time, he barely spoke any English.  He'd never had a truly formal education.  And he didn't have a single penny to his name.  It must have been like landing on an alien planet for him.  And though he struggled mightily and suffered deeply, he persevered and has achieved great success here.  But without the kind-hearted generosity of a handful of Midwesterners, he (and subsequently I) would not be where he is today.  Not only did they save his life but also they gave him the opportunity for a better one.   

What more could one ask for?  God bless the Midwest!

Comments

[Celeste]

What a great story! I'm a native midwesterner and I've lived east and west, but the middle is best for me. I hope you have a great trip; the weather is supposed to be really good. I'm taking my DD to the park for her last weekend as a two year old so the weather report is of high priority right now that I've promised her the trip. ;o)

Celeste

[Amy]

Yay for Indiana! I know that we may be a little behind as far as fashion and everything "cool", however this really is a great place to live. I hope you all have a wonderful time visiting. Like Celeste said, the weather is supposed to be amazing by Saturday. Safe Travels.

[Robert]

Wow! The consummate New Yorker writes a love letter to the Midwest? Who would have thunk it? As a Californian who followed his wife to her native Indiana, I've got to agree with you. The midwest is great. I don't miss California at all and am forever grateful for having moved here. Yay for the Midwest!

[Not-For-Profit Dad]

Ok, two things. While in Indy you MUST take the Peanut to the Children's Museum there. My Sister-in-Law used to live there and the museum was one of our favorite places to take my niece. Heck, it was one of my favorite places to go, period. Info on the museum is at:
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/

Second, big props for Iowa. I spent four years at Grinnell College, about an hour from Des Moines and I truly believe the East Coast would be a nicer place if everyone on it were forced to spend a year or two in Iowa. It would also probably improve the quality of delis in the midwest, but that's a different post.

[Suzanne]

It was great living in New York for a while, but i'd never go back to that hassle! Have a relaxing trip!

[Linda]

That is a great story about your dad. My dad came from Korea to Milwaukee back in the day when the "white uncle" would bring the family on over to America. He seems to only have good things to say about it. I'm sure it was the influence of Laverne and Shirley. And beer. Ha ha.

Have fun on your mini vacation with the Peanut.

[Susan]

As lifelong military brats, my brother and I lived all over the U.S. and abroad. Every few years, our lives were turned upside down and we had to move homes, start new schools and make new friends. But of all the places that we lived, I always loved the midwest. It seemed that the people were always so much nicer there and it always made it easier for us kids to adapt to our new lives there. Now that we're adults and can live anywhere, it's no surprise that I'm living in Indiana and my brother is living in Iowa. God bless the midwest!

[LOD]

We head to the Midwest often to visit family, and it gets harder to leave every time. If I were to relocate there, about the only thing I'd miss is the ocean.

[Stacy]

I'm originally from the midwest (Michigan), transplanted to the south (Atlanta).

I miss it.

[JIM]

Great story about your dad. I love hearing those "only in America" stories. Ain't this country the best?

[Queen of Ass]

I think that with all of your compliments and stuff, you meant the SOUTHwest, honey.

[Kristie]

Oh, wow...you are so full of amazing stories! I love coming here for them.

[Beth]

Great story, Metro. Have a good weekend with Boss Lady and The Peanut.

[Colleen]

OK, good story. But, Pacific Coast Passivity? What?? Oh, alright. I guess so, whatever.

[enygma]

Ironically, my Dad likes Southerners. He thinks they're nicer than Northerners. Eh, whatever. But does the Midwest really feel different? A lot of East Coast peeps from college keep telling me that the Midwest is completely different from the East Coast, for all the same reasons as you. Indianoplis is a nice city, I've only been there once, for school, but I remember it be very clean, quite the opposite of Chicago. :D

[Jane]

Aww, this Wisconsinite just got all warm and fuzzy reading that entry. I've spent time living outside the Midwest and I agree that one thing that struck me so much upon return was how hospitable everyone is. And man, the older folks show quite an interest in just why you're there - many times I've been asked something like, "So, who do you belong to?" And, now that I now the drill, I explain, "I'm John P's eldest daughter - you know my dad John, Doc and Shirley's son? Lived over on Thomas Road?" Then they smile and squeeze my hand and ask if I might want to join them in another brandy Old Fashioned.

Have a great weekend!

[Mamacita]

I was in Indianapolis just last weekend. Was that you at the next table over? I thought so!

I actually live about an hour south of Indy, but we go up there a lot.

I also come here to your blog a lot.

[CityMama]

Heh. I'm Korean, too. Well, half anyway.

[panthergirl]

WOW...what a great story about your Dad! I love Chicago, but that's about as Midwest as I get. ;)

On the other hand, watch what you say about Brooklyn, buddy. Brooklyn is more than Peter Luger's. (I didn't even check the link!)

Have a great trip!!

[landismom]

Well, I'm an ocean snob, if not a Manhattan one. After spending one fateful summer in Boise, Idaho while in college, I vowed to never again live more than 2 hours drive from the sea. (or, "shore" as we say in the great Garden State in which I was raised).

But nice post about the midwest.

[Sara]

I am relieved to read this post. I am a lifelong midwesterner and with an upcoming move to Philadelphia, I am a bit nervous about views about Midwesterners.