city of bable

In LA you come in contact with people all over the, world, the state, the country. I find myself doing a lot of translation lately. Not the kind where someone speaks another language and I paraphrase in English. It is more that I say one thing and provide its regional counterpart.

I realized this as I was planning my very first white elephant party. It wasn't until I invited someone on the east coast by mistake that I realize that out there they call it a "yankee swap" I had heard the term before but completely forgot about it.

It dawned on me that I actually do a lot of that here when I talk to people. I usually stop mid-sentence and say:

"where you live they call it this"

So in order for us to understand each other better, here is what I found to be true:

white elephant = yankee swap (east coast)
bag = sack (iowa and other parts of the mid-west)
World Market=Cost Plus (california and west coast)
Liquor store=packie (Boston Area)
Quit your job=gone drug up (deep south)

I hope that this will you help you to "overstand" people better.