Fun with Friends

Today we went out to eat hamburgers with our friends from Utah. It is so fund to find people around you who you have so much in common. 

Here is something I only people in Utah would know about and you get a point for each one you have done. 

Visited the spiral Jetty 

Been to chuck-A-Rama for dinner 

Hiked the donut falls

Had breakfast at Ruth Diner 

Made funeral potatoes when no one died

Know where High School Musical was filmed

Gone ice blocking

Can pronounce Tooele, Hurricane and Hooper correctly 

Hiked to delicate arch

Asked for fry sauce

Walked on the salt flats

Have a favorite Osmond

Bought from a cookie only store

Eaten a hamburger at Hires 

Gone to Lagoon

Enjoyed a scone with honey butter

Said, “Oh my heck” or “you bet!”

Walked through temple square to see the Christmas lights 

Had Mexican food at Red Iguana or Café Rio

Complain about the inversion

Watched the Holy War. 

Phrases on people in Utah will Understand.

When faced with their own idiosyncrasies Utahns laugh, cringe and question things they commonly say or hear. A 2019 Deseret News article about things Utahns say attracted so much attention, a follow-up article seems necessary. Many of these common Utah sayings are direct suggestions from the people living in the Beehive State.

Here are 10 phrases you’ll rarely hear outside of Utah.

Point of the Mountain

When most people think of mountain points, they probably envision something at high altitudes. Not so for Utahns.

“Point of the Mountain” refers to a particular point of the mountain range that separates Salt Lake and Utah counties. 

Welcome home, Elder

While most Utahns will find this phrase familiar, it must be confusing for all out-of-towners who see hordes of people gathered at the airport with posters and balloons to welcome home these rather young “elders.” Some people also mistake “elder” for a first name

Contrary to referring to the aged, elder describes 18 to 20-year-old young men who serve as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s also worth mentioning that female missionaries are referred to as “sisters,” which is no less confusing if you’re hearing it for the first time.

You bet!

In the Beehive State, people are generally friendly and willing to express gratitude. But if they can do it in as few words as possible, all the better.

Explore Utah explains that “you bet” means “of course” or “you’re welcome.” If you’ve lived in Utah for any amount of time and have never heard this, try doing something nice for 10 random people and it’s likely to come up.

If the person is particularly grateful, they may go for the Minnesotan variant: “You betcha!” Then you know you’ve made a friend.

You’re fine

Context is important here. One Reddit user pointed out that when someone says “sorry” to a Utahn, they cheerfully reply, “You’re fine.”

Perhaps it sounds a little more friendly than the boring old standby: “It’s okay.”

Holy War

You can’t come to Utah and not hear about the Holy War, especially if it’s football season. This “war” refers to a sports game against BYU and the University of Utah. While mostly in reference to football, true fans get in the battle spirit for any sporting event.

While the exact origins aren’t known, the Holy War supposedly got its name because of the large population of Latter-day Saints living in Utah — and playing for both teams.

Fresh powder

Known for the ski slopes and great snow, Utah is bound to have some ski-related phrases few others would understand. Only in Your State says, “In Utah, the powder is addictive, but it’s not an illegal drug.”

When snow falls in Utah, it’s usually to the dismay of most commuters. However, ski bums rejoice in the fresh powder-like snow coating the ski runs. Ski Utah says the snow density is 8.5%, which makes it feel like gliding through powder instead of navigating through dense, rock-like snow.

Fry sauce

Everyone in Utah knows about the unique blend of mayonnaise and ketchup commonly called fry sauce. But if you travel out of state and ask for fry sauce, fast food workers are likely to respond with a blank stare.

According to Eater’s brief history of the popular pink-hued condiment, fry sauce was invented in Salt Lake City in the 1940s by Don Carlos Edwards, the original owner of Arctic Circle. While you may be able to find it in various locations in the western United States, fry sauce has yet to conquer the world — but it’s only a matter of time.