Ok, I thought it was time to share a little about the culture where I live. Well, I don’t live in the city, it’s just the city has wide-ranging influence. First I have to explain what I mean when I say 'Burgh. This is a reference to the largest city nearest my home ... Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For those from around the world, this is in the United States.
     The city is a true melting pot of cultures. People from many countries call Pittsburgh their home. Because of this, you can choose from many different types of restaurants and entertainment. It's easy to mix and mingle with people and learn about the various cultures. Even outside the city limits, you find this mix. Like in many other cities (as well in southwest Pennsylvania in general), most people will simply say they're from the 'Burgh. More often than not, you have to get to know the people a little better before you see the cultural differences. In a way, you can say it's a 'Burgh thing to describe all the individual cultures rolled into one.
     Although some people may think it's bad, people in the 'Burgh like to brag about our native sons and daughters. To show the mixture of people you can find in the city, you need only look at a few of our famous residents ... Fred Rogers (Mr Rogers Neighborhood - television show), George Romero (movie director), Jimmy Stewart (actor), Gene Kelly (dancer), David Selznick (directed "Gone With the Wind"), Andy Warhol (artist), and Anne Dillard (writer).
     We also have our own language. Once you hear someone from the 'Burgh talk, you'll never forget the "accent" and know if someone ever lived in southwest Pennsylvania. For example, we say arn (iron), caddy wampus (askew, tilted), dahntahn (downtown), gumbans (rubberbands), nebby (nosey), and yins (all of you). Just so you know, I'm one person from the area that says y'all instead of yins.
     If someone is REALLY from the 'Burgh, they bleed black and gold ... our professional sports teams colors. THERE ARE NO OTHER PROFESSIONAL TEAMS except the Steelers (football), Penguins (hockey), and Pirates (baseball). Win or lose, we're fans. If you want to start a fight in the 'Burgh just bash one of our teams. Just kidding about the fighting. We have the nicest fans in the world!
     Since I mentioned sports, I have to clear something up. All football fans everywhere now wave towels in the stands during football games to cheer on their team. YOU COPIED US! The original "Terrible Towel" was created by Myron Cope and was first waved at a Pittsburgh Steeler game. Look it up.
     The 'Burgh is full of cowboys and hippies, gays and straights, computer technicians and steel mill workers, Americans and people from other countries, Catholics and Protestants, and many other types of people. What we all have in common is the 'Burgh. You don't have to live in the area long before the city becomes a part of you. No matter what part of southwestern Pennsylvania someone may be from, when we travel and someone ask where we're from, we all say "We're from the 'Burgh!" Of course, we then have to explain what we mean by the 'Burgh, but that's ok. We understand why you don't know. It's a 'Burgh thing.