多樣化的美國

By Amirah Ahmad

The Divided1 America

America is a large place. Like China， we are divided into regions that have their own idiosyncrasies2 that make different parts of our same nation unique. Thus， you can certainly tell a lot about an American tourist if you ask them the simple question： Where are you from？ However， although each region in America is different， we must be careful to refrain from generalizing the residents of each region.3 Saying New Yorkers are rude （which， unfortunately， is their reputation）4 is not saying that all New Yorkers are rude. Nonetheless， without further ado， here are you American regions， with all of their dirty details， unique characteristics， infamous reputations， and partially-stereotypes.5

The Northeast

I figured it would be fair to start with my hometown first before I begin to badmouth6 other regions. The Northeast is hands down known for its hustle and bustle.7 There is not a second of rest in the northeast， where opportunists， eager college interns， and successful businessmen and businesswomen stroll the streets.8 Northeasterners are typically considered more cosmopolitan， since they are located near the coast， and in comparison to the rest of America they are blessed with a lot of diversity.9 There is relatively more diversity in this part of America with a high proportion of immigrants to Americans.10 Furthermore， Id like to distinguish New York as its own entity， since New York personalities are strong enough to have their own description.11 New York is known to have the most rude people in America， whether that means the police officers who callously scold you for making a wrong turn or the barista who hands you your double-shot， mocha Frappuccino with a side of sass.12 Though New Yorkers can be described to have somewhat of an attitude， New York City is certainly a perfect encapsulation13 of America. The city has people from all walks of life roaming the streets， hot dog vendors with mystery meat hot dogs， and the best amalgamation of hole-in-the-wall restaurants juxtaposed with extravagant eateries.14 New York， simply， has it all.

The South

Ah， the South. Everyone loves the South. Blessed with most polite people and the most comforting foods， Southern America is certainly a spectacle15. Speaking on Southern politeness， there is， in fact， something called the Southern gentleman. It describes any man from the south with a southern accent and who has the utmost respect for women.16 A southern gentleman is a man who opens doors for others， sweet talks ladies， and is extremely chivalrous in all that he does.17 If you still dont believe me when I say the South is incredibly friendly， let me share a short anecdote.18 One of my friends was passing through Alabama this past summer when she and her friend ran into a jolly old man.19 After a couple of minutes of chatter， the man asked if the travelling girls wanted to get a bite to eat.20 He asked them which diner they wanted to go， and off they went to eat a hearty21 lunch. He took them to small diner where he fed them a nice meal over small talk and friendly chit-chat22. But lo and behold， they found out mid-way through conversation that this man was actually the mayor of the town they were visiting！23 On a side note， my vegetarian friend told me the only vegetables the diner had were green beans and potatoes.24 Southern comfort food is nationally renowned25 for being extremely delicious and unhealthy. Their staple foods are mashed potatoes， fried chicken， macaroni and cheese and anything else that warms the soul and clogs the arteries.26

The Middle

Next up27 is the middle of America. Coast dwellers typically joke around about the “irrelevance” of the middle.28 The middle states are typically known as the states you fly over， or rather “fly-over” states. These are states that typically arent destinations， but are instead the states you pass through via automobile or fly over via airplane when travelling from coast to coast. The typical stereotype of the middle of America are that they are simple and minimalistic， their favorite food group is cheese， people graze in the miles and miles of corn fields，29 and that they are too friendly. Of course， these stereotypes are merely stereotypes and barely hold a fraction of30 truth. Although they dont go cow tipping every night， dont eat corn and cheese for every meal， and actually drive cars instead of tractors， the middle of America is definitely more minimalistic and rural than its coastal counterparts.31

Texas32

It would be an understatement33 to refer to Texas as a region. Its more of its own country. Texas pride trumps all， and Texans as a whole have the character and personality to literally become their own nations.34 Texans have made many futile attempts to secede from the United States， however the chance of it actually happening decreases as time goes on.35 Nonetheless， Texas is intense36. Their adherence to The Second Amendment （the right to bear arms）， barbeque， and the Cowboys football teams is unwavering.37 In many areas of the state， many people wear worn out cowboy boots perfectly paired with a cowboy hat. As large as the state is， Texas pride is even larger. I recall my internship on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. surrounded by many people from many different states.38 However， the friends from Texas were most vocal about their loyalty to their state， constantly complimenting Texas at the expense of insulting D.C.39 I loved witnessing their intense loyalty， but one thing I learned was： dont mess with40 Texas.

The West Coast

When someone brings up41 the west coast， what typically comes to mind is California. However， I want to take the time to speak about the other states included in the west coast， namely Oregon and Seattle，42 who always go unnoticed. The only thing I particularly want to mention is the intense amount of rain these two states get， while California suffers from debilitating43 dry months. A friend of mine from Oregon commented that he was disappointed in the number of people who carry umbrellas in Virginia44. In Oregon， he can spot the tourists simply by seeing who is holding an umbrella to block themselves from the rain. Oregonians are so used to rain they rarely ever carry umbrellas with them. Moreover， California is also obviously part of the West Coast. Californians often boast， “West Coast， best coast” while simultaneously， from what I can imagine， whipping out the “hang loose” sign.45 Californians are known to be extremely easy-going， carefree， and “hipster”46. Filled with surfers， hippyesque free-roamers， and laid-back “dudes”，47 California is certainly a state worthy of a visit， as is the rest of America！

1. divided： 分開的。

2. idiosyncrasy： 特性。

3. refrain from： 控制自己不做……；generalize：（以偏概全地）推論；resident： 居民。

4. New Yorker：（美國）紐約市人；reputation： 名聲。

5. 但言歸正傳，下面就為你們介紹一下美國各個地區，包括所有不好的細節、獨特的個性、遠揚的臭名以及部分刻板印象。nonetheless： 然而；without further ado： 言歸正傳；infamous： 聲名狼藉的；partially： 部分地，在一定程度上；stereotype： 墨守成規的觀念，刻板模式。

6. badmouth： 誹謗。

7. hands down： 無疑地；hustle and bustle： 熙熙攘攘。

8. opportunist： 機會主義者；intern： 實習生；stroll： 漫步。

9. cosmopolitan： 世界性的；be blessed with： 賦有……的；diversity： 多樣性。

10. proportion： 比例；immigrant： 移民。

11. distinguish： 使區別于；entity： 實體； personality： 個性。

12. 眾所周知，紐約人是美國最無禮的人：如果你不小心拐錯了彎，紐約警察會給你劈頭蓋臉一頓罵；你點了雙份的摩卡星冰樂，咖啡館店員在為你上咖啡時可能會出言不遜。callously： 無情地；scold： 責罵；barista： 咖啡館店員；double-shot： 雙份的；mocha： 摩卡咖啡；Frappuccino： 星冰樂，又叫法布奇諾，星巴克的招牌飲料；sass： 無禮的話。

13. encapsulation： 概括。

14. all walks of life： 各行各業；roam： 漫步；vendor： 小販；amalgamation： 混合； hole-in-the-wall： 狹小的；juxtapose： 把……并列；extravagant： 奢侈的； eatery： 小餐館。

15. spectacle： 奇觀。

16. accent： 口音；utmost： 最高的。

17. sweet talk： 對……甜言蜜語；chivalrous： （對女人）彬彬有禮的。

18. incredibly： 難以置信地；anecdote： 趣聞軼事。

19. Alabama： 阿拉巴馬州，美國東南部一州； jolly： 快樂的。

20. chatter： 喋喋不休；get a bite to eat： 隨便吃點東西。

21. hearty： （飯菜）豐盛的。

22. chit-chat： 聊天。

23. lo and behold： 你瞧（表示驚訝的感嘆詞）；mayor： 市長。

24. on a side note： 還有一點；vegetarian： 素食主義者。

25. renowned： 著名的。

26. staple food： 主食；mashed potato： 土豆泥；macaroni： 通心粉；clog： 阻塞； artery： 動脈。

27. next up： 接下來是。

28. dweller： 居民；irrelevance： 無關緊要。

29. minimalistic： 簡約的；graze： 放牧。

30. a fraction of： 一部分。

31. cow tipping： 推牛倒，指偷偷走到站著睡覺的奶牛身旁，然后突然推倒奶牛取樂；tractor： 拖拉機；definitely： 肯定地；rural： 鄉村的；counterpart： 對應的人或物。

32. Texas： 得克薩斯州，美國南方最大的州，全美第二大州。

33. understatement： 不充分的陳述。

34. trump： 勝過；literally： 確實地，真正地。

35. futile： 無用的；secede from： 從……中脫離；decrease： 減小。

36. intense：（感情或意見）極為強烈的，熱烈的。

37. adherence to： 遵守；The Second Amendment： 美國憲法第二修正案，美國《權利法案》的一部分，該修正案保障人民有備有及佩帶武器之權利；unwavering： 堅定的。

38. internship： 實習期；Capitol Hill： 國會山，美國國會的辦公大樓。

39. vocal： 直言不諱的；compliment： 稱贊；at the expense of： 以……為代價；insult： 冒犯。

40. mess with： 惹（麻煩）。

41. bring up： 提出。

42. Oregon： 俄勒岡州，位于美國太平洋沿岸；Seattle： 西雅圖，美國太平洋西北區最大的城市。

43. debilitating： 使人虛弱的。

44. Virginia： 弗吉尼亞州，位于美國東部大西洋沿岸。

45. boast： 自夸；simultaneously： 同時地； whip out： 突然取出；hang loose： 放松。

46. hipster： 趕時髦的人。

47. surfer： 沖浪者；hippyesque： 嬉皮士般的；laid-back： 輕松的，自在的；dude： 男人，家伙。