Sheboyganisms

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, this is Justin from Manitowoc calling.

From where?

Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Welcome to the show, Justin.

I actually have two questions for you guys.

I recently moved from Green Bay, Wisconsin, down to Manitowoc, and apparently there’s a couple regional phrases that I’ve never heard before.

Ooh, let’s hear it.

So, you know how some local fire departments for fundraisers will have a barbecue or a cookout that can’t ideal?

Yeah.

Over here, that’s called a fry-out.

A fry-out?

Fry-out.

So what part of the state are we talking about?

Is it southwest?

We’re actually right on Lake Michigan.

Okay.

And so what other big cities are near there?

Sheboygan is south of us.

Green Bay is north of us.

How far south is Sheboygan?

About 30 minutes.

Okay.

Okay.

Interesting.

So a fry-out.

And this is exactly like a regular barbecue, or is there something different?

From what I’ve heard, it’s exactly like what I would call a barbecue.

So what kind of food gets cooked on what?

Hamburgers, brats, stuff like that on a grill.

On a grill.

Yeah.

So a grill with open flame underneath, right?

That’s what my understanding of it is, yes.

Okay.

So it’s not fried in a pan.

Oh, interesting.

One theory that I’ve seen is the reason it’s called a fry-out or just a fry is that the sausages and brats that used to be cooked in the kitchen, you would kind of technically fry them in a pan.

And they’re lying in a pan, kind of frying there on a surface.

And when you bring them outside, even though the instrumentation is different, they still called it a fry.

So the word came with the food, even though it didn’t apply much anymore.

Interesting. So it’s more about the out than the fry.

The fry, as long as the taste is good, right?

Yeah. The other thing is also food-related.

Oh, yes, please.

You know, like a Sloppy Joe sandwich, I’ve actually heard it a lot of times referred to as a hot tamale sandwich over here.

Hot tamale sandwich?

Yes.

Is this spicy?

I haven’t noticed a difference.

Okay.

And have you, what does it have in it exactly?

I want to say it’s just your standard sloppy joe.

Well, sloppy joe can mean different things.

Aha.

What’s your definition of a sloppy joe?

Is it like a spoon burger?

What the heck is a spoon burger?

I think it’s like a sloppy joe.

Oh, right.

That’s like a hot tamale.

I guess everybody’s got their own name for something like that.

Right?

It’s different from a made right because there’s no sauce on it.

No made right, right?

Yeah.

Exactly. So, Justin, what’s your recipe for Sloppy Joe?

Manwich.

Okay, so it’s a red tomato sauce and ground beef that’s been cooked with the grease drained off, right?

Correct.

Okay.

And there they call them hot tamales.

Yeah.

What’s going on in Sheboygan over there?

Oh, you don’t want to know.

What is the rest of the country referred to a hot tamale as?

Well, a hot tamale is the Mexican dish.

I mean, we’ve kind of Americanized it a little bit.

So there’s, what is it, a corn tortina or masa tortilla in a sauce with shredded meat inside?

Or sometimes it’s in the corn leaves.

Corn leaves, there we go, yeah.

Okay.

So maybe the hot tamale, they’re thinking of it being kind of that put in a bun.

You know, the inside of a hot tamale being put in a bun.

I could see that where they might have just extrapolated a little bit or maybe even a tiny bit misunderstood and just made their own version of it.

Yeah.

We don’t have tortillas here, let’s use a bun.

We don’t have the corn.

Just keep replacing all the ingredients until it’s very different.

Well, yeah, there is such a…

I don’t imagine us not having corn husks.

Corn husks, that’s what I meant, corn husk.

A couple of these terms seem to be really associated very strongly with Sheboygan.

They are used elsewhere in Wisconsin and even maybe a little bit in some surrounding states, but very closely allied with Sheboygan and the people who live there.

Sheboygan, I guess.

Sheboygians.

I think we need to hear from the folks in Sheboygan.

What are you eating and why?

Justin, you are now our man near Sheboygan.

You must report on food words as you encounter them, all right?

I will do so.

Okay, very good.

Thank you very much, all right?

All right.

Take care now.

Eat well.

Bye-bye.

What is the weird food they eat in your town?

Let us know, 877-929-9673, or send the recipe in email to words@waywordradio.org.