Do Missourians Really Do These Things Better Than Anyone Else?

The website Only In Your State recently posted an article called "It's Fair To Say That Missourians Do These 9 Things Better Than Anyone Else".

So Is what they write, really true, or a hatchet job trying to kiss our butts? Let's find out.

Their article lists 9 things that they say Missourians do "better than anyone else". They are:

• We know good food.
• We're creative.
• We're adventurous.
• We're all about relaxation.
• We know how to go with the flow.
• We're always ready to help others.
• We're fun.
• We don't scare easily
• We're welcoming.

It's actually a pretty good list if you ask me. Missourians know their food. I'm constantly amazed by how many people read our restaurant and taste test articles. And even though the state seems overrun with chain restaurants, every town has at least one place to sit down and enjoy a really good meal.

When it comes to relaxing and having fun, most definitely! Have you ever been to Ballpark Village in St. Louis? The Missouri State Fair in our own backyard? Tailgated at a Chiefs or Royals game? Spent the week at Lake of the Ozarks? Not to mention the trails, state parks, history, and more the state of Missouri offers. Come on, what other state has the sense of humor where a comedian like Yakov Smirnoff can build a comedy empire?

We are welcoming too, and always willing to help others. In fact, those were two of the reasons I chose to settle down and work in West Central Missouri. For the most part, Missourians are friendly and welcoming. And they're always willing to help others out. Both individual to individual, and collectively through supporting great causes and charities.

Some things though can be a little harder to quantify. For example Missourians' sense of adventure, or that we don't scare easily.

Collectively, I guess we could say YES to our sense of adventure since camping is a big thing for many Missourians. And many like to hike or bike our trails and park systems. Of course, I'm calling biking or hiking an adventure. Someone who does that every weekend may call it exercise. And if camping is old hat to you or something your family has always done, you might not call that adventure. Personally, adventure to me is trying the latest hot sauce someone brought in for an on the radio taste test. Or roughing it at a seedy-looking cheap hotel along Interstate 70.

As for scaring easily, I don't know about that. I think that depends on what Missourian you speak to. Some scare easily, some don't. And it's the same thing when it comes to creativity. And that's OK, because do you really want your accountant to get creative on your 2021 tax return? Can you say audit?

There may be one miss on Only In My State's list though, go with the flow. Really? We're the show me state. And damn, we can be stubborn. Like a mule.  Not that that's always a bad quality either. I guess it depends on what we're being asked to go with the flow on.

This Missourian will go with the flow regarding this list. It's pretty good and not that far off the mark to say we do these things better than anybody else.