Midwestern is an umbrella term, carrying under it all manner of different kinds of ways of being. One of these ways of being is niceness. If something is nice, odds are it’s a little bit Midwestern, even if it’s not literally. It’s kind of the opposite of the rule that champagne can only be called champagne if it comes from a certain region in France. You don’t need to be from the Greater Great Lakes Area in order to be Midwestern. 

If you’re throwing a hot dog on a grill, that’s inherently Midwestern, no matter if you’re in Florida or Florence. If you’re crushing a beer on someone’s patio in the early afternoon, you’re partaking in a Midwestern activity, no matter if you’re in the Bayou or Berlin. If you receive a compliment on your outfit and respond, «Thanks, I got it on sale,» you’re Midwestern, even if you hail from Leesburg or Laos.