Are you a true yinzer? Becoming a yinzer might not happen simply by living in any nook and cranny of the city. For all who were born here or migrated over the years, the feeling of ‘yinzer-hood’ is sublime! The energy and spirits of a real yinzer stem out from our love for our culture, our endless sports fervor, and our care for each other. That’s all it takes to be ‘Yinzer Certified’!
As proud yinzers, we could go on and on about what we love about the city and what makes the city so special. But, of course, it isn’t like all of us know anything and everything about this Pittsburghese culture since its beginning. Yet, there are certain yinz things that you should never miss out on if being a yinzer is something that you admire. So, no space for worries if you feel you haven’t still discovered the entirety of Pittsburgh!
Photo by Katherine Hanlon on Unsplash
We know about the ups and downs the city witnessed down memory lane. And, today Pittsburgh is identified as the ‘Most Livable City in the World’. That’s quite a fact to cheer on. So, why not celebrate our culture with a pint of exciting happiness? We have compiled a checklist to check whether you’re ‘yinzer certified’. Get down to discover what a true yinzer loves while exploring the ‘yinzer-hood’ in you!
1. Always yinz and never y’all
Pittsburghese is a heavy accent, having evolved with the time. The city has mostly welcomed a lot of immigrants in the early years of the industrial revolution. Different cultures were coming together and forming the blue-collared work culture of Steel City. So, we just chipped down all the elaborate words to form our unique yinz accent. And, that’s why it’s only ‘yinz’ and never ‘you all’!
2. Yinz live, love and laugh n’at way
Our hardworking ancestors were always bonded together by the threads of warm friendship. Just like our unique accent, we have our own way of describing things for sure. Be it purely about Pittsburgh or just in general, we own our style. For example, we go 'dahntahn' and not downtown or cheer for 'Stillers' and not 'Steelers'. We just don’t wanna be a ‘jagoff’ so we just ‘redd up’ our homes to keep them clean. The Yinz dictionary just seems never-ending and so much fun-filled!
Photo from Goldbelly
3. You bleed black and gold
Falling in love with sports will happen over and over when you're in Pittsburgh. You just can't resist the pumping energy to enjoy a game night, for sure! All sports teams in Pittsburgh are officially black and gold teams, commemorating our steel towns from the past. Be it Steelers or Penguins, the whole vibe with exciting sportscasters like Mike Lange can never be missed out by a true yinzer.
4. Sandwiches without fries aren’t real ‘sammiches’
There isn't a legit cuisine as Pittsburghese cuisine, but we have classic add-ons to most of our meals, the fries, and coleslaw! We love to devour a heavy meal of burgers and sandwiches with these on the side. Primanti's Bros would be the must-sought food place for every yinzer.
5. Your day might start with Mikey-Bob fun
Most of us really kick off a pretty packed day amidst jammed roads, especially if it's been a rainy night. However, Mikey and Bob are up to our rescue. They just go crazy over football memories and news through their show 'The Morning Freak Show'. What else to motivate your day than a cup of hot news from the sports world?
Photo from Visit Pittsburgh
6. You grew up eating chipped ham & pierogies
The food heaven keeps getting better and better with delicacies like pierogies and chipped ham. The potato-based savory pierogies go closely bound with our yinzer hearts. And certainly, we always want our ham to be chipped and chopped into neat and thin layers to hog on them. These both can undeniably be tagged as the ideal comfort foods for a yinzer!
7. The only beer is Iron City Beer
Yinzers are always up with the drinking game. But, we can never go over anything without a dash of 'Arn City' Beer. The drink embraces local flavors, initially produced by the historic Iron City Brewing Company. This traditional American beer in lager style with a classic Pittsburgh touch is what you want to uplift your mood for the day!
8. Kennywood is your summer pick
Most of us are the hard-core fans of spending an exciting summer vacation day at the famous amusement park, Kennywood. While this fantasy park wins the hearts, Idlewild is also an equally good spot to enjoy the perfect getaway. A thrilling day at Kennywood mostly concludes with a tub of classic Idaho fries with our favorite toppings from Kennyville.
Photo from Twitter
9. Never miss the view up the incline ride
Can any yinzer truly miss out on the ecstatic beauty of the city from its every corner? Certainly not! We can vouch for the sublime experience one could get on the Monongahela incline ride. Along with the beautiful skyline, you can enjoy the panorama of Mt. Washington too. Haven’t we all craved a little dinner date at the topmost point in Pittsburgh forever?
10. The weekend’s in Strip District
This small space in Pittsburgh is filled with shopping and dining options that you can’t think of anywhere else to spend the weekend. And, as experienced yinzers, we are always well-aware of the deals and bargains we could crack here. And, even during weekdays, we hit the roads of Strip District to get all the bits and odds done!
Get High With The Yinzer Spirits On!
The list to track the real yinzer in you is nearly innumerable. We might need Heinz ketchup as the only condiment for foods probably. Yinzers could even enumerate on the wonders of ‘City Of Bridges’ by debating all day about the bridges that connect to downtown. Your love is so insatiable that we pet dearly with nicknames such as ‘the Mon’ for Monongahela River. We could also track down our neighborhoods from epic movies such as ‘Fault In Our Stars’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. And, we adore our rich past as a Steel City. Here we go, yinzers!
Announce your ‘yinzer-hood’ with Yinzershop with our uber cool collections engraved upon as YINZER CERTIFIED!
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