From the Giant Ball of Twine to This Quirky Tradition — Minnesota Is Just Different

Every state has its quirks.  Minnesota has a few.

Don't be offended - you know it is true.

• We are the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but we actually have 11,842 according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
• There is a giant ball of twine that people drive to see in a super small town called Darwin.
• We are known as being Minnesota Nice.  What that actually means is we have small talk with absolute strangers in line, we wave cars through when we are at a 4-stop just to be nice (although this could cause an accident), and we tend to avoid confrontation.  Instead of saying, "I don't like that", we might say, "Well, that's different!"  In other words, we are experts at being passive-aggressive.

According to a new study by Stacker, those isn't the weirdest quirks Minnesota has.  Think about what that #1 answer might be...and when you are ready, look below to see what it is.

READ MORE: Hippies Love This Small Town in Minnesota

The One Thing That Proves Minnesota Is Just...Different

I was born and raised in Iowa, and the only thing I really knew about the state above me was that there were a lot of lakes and a guy named Kirby Puckett. I grew up surrounded by corn and hearing a lot of Minnesota vs. Iowa jokes.

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I moved to Minnesota in 2000, and it took me a very long time to understand what a hot dish was.  I thought you were all talking about the hot plates that Iowa State University banned in our dorm rooms.  I was very confused when everyone at work said they were bringing a hot dish for our potluck.  I thought no one was actually bringing food...they were just bringing a dish that was hot for the food to sit on.

The quirk that Stacker picked as the oddest for the state of Minnesota is another one I will never understand.  If you grew up here, I'll give you some grace.  But for those of us coming into this state as adults, this tradition is just plain odd.  You are definitely doing this wrong.