Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Cincinatti are way more cultured, unique, and "cool" then Denver LOL. Denver's allure comes from whats outside the city, not in.
Exactly.
Denver's entire brand is being near something else that has nothing to do with the city.
If I'm wrong, what's a quirk, mannerism, or any custom unique to Denver (something more concrete than high COL or having a cool vibe) that Joe Average would know about? There aren't any. There aren't even any recognizable structures in the city.
If I'm wrong, what's a quirk, mannerism, or any custom unique to Denver (something more concrete than high COL or having a cool vibe) that Joe Average would know about? . . .
Unique, quirky custom (not only in Denver, but in all of Colorado) we smother everything in green chile.
Would Joe Average know about it? I have no clue.
Denver is in fact in Colorado. It is part of and shares in Colorado culture, even if you prefer to categorize it only as "near something else that has nothing to do with the city."
Speaking of Denver and going back to the original topic, this is an interesting one. I've seen some accurate and insightful observations so far in the thread-and my take is that CO is definitely a hybrid, not really like either the midwest or the west coast. The midwest connection is there- when I lived in Denver in the late 2000's/early 2010's during the big resurgence, the crowd that I got to know, as well as many of my fellow students I met in grad school in DU, was massively overrepresented by people from WI, MI, MN, and IL. Tons of transplants from places like Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and the Twin Cities. They didn't seem to bring a ton of midwest vibes with them, though. In fact, everyone seemed to move to CO to be part of something different than where they came from. So I guess if pressed, I'd say that it probably aligns more, mentality-wise, with the west coast than it does with the midwest. But it really is more of its own thing.
That's a great point - it's almost like Denver is where Midwestern transplants who think they're moving to the West Coast go. I'm being facetious, of course, but I do think Denver has a very "A Midwesterner's version of the West" vibe, if that makes any sense.
Unique, quirky custom (not only in Denver, but in all of Colorado) we smother everything in green chile.
Would Joe Average know about it? I have no clue.
Denver is in fact in Colorado. It is part of and shares in Colorado culture, even if you prefer to categorize it only as "near something else that has nothing to do with the city."
Fair enough, but I believe this strengthens my point.
Denver is the only major city in a not very major state, and its local culture is downstream from the state culture?
Contrast that with Seattle, Portland, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta....the states are pretty much dependent on the major cities to provide a national cultural brand.
Unique, quirky custom (not only in Denver, but in all of Colorado) we smother everything in green chile.
Would Joe Average know about it? I have no clue.
Denver is in fact in Colorado. It is part of and shares in Colorado culture, even if you prefer to categorize it only as "near something else that has nothing to do with the city."
That's a great point - it's almost like Denver is where Midwestern transplants who think they're moving to the West Coast go. I'm being facetious, of course, but I do think Denver has a very "A Midwesterner's version of the West" vibe, if that makes any sense.
I lived there a few years. Big midwest contingent and the people were very nice and polite. If you remove the mountains, I think Denver physically looks like a midwest city. Not a west coast city.
I think the green chile smothered Den-Mex cuisine as defined by Gustavo Arellano in Tacos U.S.A. is our claim to fame. Denver's large percentage of Mexican-American families have created this cuisine over the past two or three generations and it has evolved as separate and unique from other Mexican-American foods. The green chile in Denver is unlike that of New Mexican cuisine, and while some in the comments to follow are sure to write it off as "slop," it's OUR slop, and I wouldn't be without it. When it's done well -- with fresh, piquant chiles, hearty chunks of braised pork shoulder, long-simmered stock that's been slightly thickened with roux, and very little else, it's a thing of beauty.
If the tourists want to think that Colorado cuisine is bull's balls and elk steaks, that's okay by me. More green chile for me!
As a longtime resident of Colorado (I came here the same year that John Elway did, if that helps pin me to a specific era), I not only eat more than my share of green chile, I think about it — a lot. I ponder the significance of green chile in the Colorado diet; I discuss the flavors and textures with my friends; I constantly tinker with my own recipe at home. In my travels, I’ve sampled regional variations — in Tulum, Mexico, where I ate pork ribs doused in chile verde at a beach-side outdoor cantina called El Tábano; in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico; on the streets of Pueblo, Colorado, during the city’s annual Chile & Frijoles Festival; and many places in between.
What I’ve learned over the years almost has more to do with the residents of those locations than it does with the sauce itself. People defend their cities’ recipes and ingredients with a fierceness and inflexibility usually reserved for politics and religion. Perfection lies in the types of chiles used, the other ingredients added, and the thickeners — or lack thereof — that give green chile its body. For most, the green chile they grew up with is the only green chile, and all other styles are weak impostors.
Those new to Denver from the East Coast, the Midwest or the American South may not get what all the fuss is about, but you should at least know that there are differences, so keep an open mind as you sample your way through this city’s mean green. . .
For years, these Rocky Mountain states have squared off on a spicy subject: Who grows the best chile peppers, an indispensable ingredient in southwestern cuisine? Our man hit the road to find out.
There’s nothing like a fight in which different states and regions square off about who’s better at producing a popular food. . .
To me, the most compelling of these conflicts is one that has played out for years in my own backyard: the dispute between Colorado and New Mexico about which state grows better green chiles, among the world’s tastiest agricultural commodities. (In both states, the preferred spelling is chile, not chili, which is how they spell it in suspect places like Texas and Cincinnati. On this we stand united.). . .
I'm mostly in the Seattle city limits. Probably different than Bellingham.
I said nothing about disliking the stereotype. The point was I don't see them that much.
Fair enough. Even though it was actually Seattle's old scene that popularized them - and even though I still see them being them worn there (especially the music scene, beer scene, outdoors scene, etc), flannels these days seem to be more frequent outside Seattle and the Eastside area. In fact, many people from CO seem find areas outside of Seattle more appealing. I think half of my neighborhood here in Bham is from the Front Range (exaggerating-kind of).
Denver and Colorado as a whole is developing it's own unique regional culture, it has that libertarian americana feel that is deeply rooted but more western european liberal on the surface. I'll say this though, I've seen way more alternative people like emo/goth/metalheads/hispters/art hoes in Colorado than in the PNW which is often stereotyped for having these people which I find rather funny.
Denver and Colorado as a whole is developing it's own unique regional culture, it has that libertarian americana feel that is deeply rooted but more western european liberal on the surface. I'll say this though, I've seen way more alternative people like emo/goth/metalheads/hispters/art hoes in Colorado than in the PNW which is often stereotyped for having these people which I find rather funny.
Washington State and Oregon (outside of the big cities) are not nearly as counter-culture as people think. People in the Pacific Northwest have certain traits - they abhor flashiness and glib behavior, they value authenticity, they have a libertarian-driven live and let live attitude - that aligns with what certain people associate with “counter-culture” but like I said outside of Seattle and Portland traditional American values are actually pretty strong. And Seattle - while it does have a strong counter-culture presence - it also has a lot of jocks and frat boy types.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm being facetious, of course, but I do think Denver has a very "A Midwesterner's version of the West" vibe, if that makes any sense.
