A Yooper is a backwoodsman of intrepid nature. Fond of pasties, sleds and nature, what often exclaims “Holy Wa!” for a short answer..
The long answer: Yoopers are the locals from Upper Michigan the ‘U.P.’ or ‘Yoop’ and is just a fun name for the people that live there. The U.P. is the land above the Mackinac bridge that connects the lower peninsula of Michigan to the upper peninsula bordering Wisconsin to the west.
Yooper culture is a mixture of deer camps and Finnish heritage (the only place colder than the U.P.) and upper Michigan is the only place in the entire United States where a majority can claim Finnish ancestry. Many Finns immigrated to the united states and felt home among the trees and strangely familiar lakes of the region as it reminded them of home.
Deer camps is where families and the boys go (or the boys go to get away from their families) to relax and enjoy nature; And shoot at it. Yoopers are avid fishermen and huntsmen, and hunting deer is a past time that all have tried at least once. Before going back to the camp, both loving and hating the impossible heat from the old woodstove, and cracking open beers to go along with playing “Euchre” a game of cards. Euchre is a tradition in the dorms of MSU too.
The Pasty, a regional delicacy (wild blueberry pie is better)
Brought over from Cornwall England, the pasty is a continuation of the British meat pie. The U.P. mined some of the most copper in the united states, and immigrants from Cornwall had been mining coal for just as long. The small hand pie was a convenient way for the wives of the miners to pack a meal they could eat that could fit in the palm of their hand. The only question left is ketchup or gravy to top it with, this has resulted in many heated arguments at deer camp.
Blueberries; God’s chosen fruit.
