I recently returned home to the Midwest and it reminded me of how much I love it there. Things move a little bit slower, people are a little bit friendlier, and there’s plenty of green space to take nice walks. The Midwest gets a bad rap for being boring or bland, but to me, it’s as vibrant as any other state. Not only is there geographic beauty (um, have you heard of the Great Lakes?) there’s interesting culture and history, good food, and plenty to do. 

Some of our nation’s most favorite dishes were invented in the Midwest. The brownie was invented at the Palmer House in Chicago. Fried fish was perfected (in my opinion) in Wisconsin, and toasted ravioli hails from the great state of Missouri. How bout that for culture? Those may not be high-brow, but they sure are tasty. Almost as tasty as these Midwest memes that celebrate their great region.