One thing that really peeves me about the midwest, and I don't understand why they do this, is the whole ye-olde-silo-and-thresher school of decorating. That wasn't chic at all when I was growing up, and that's back when there were a lot more family farms.
I am not a big fan of Wimsey anyway, but I guess I just hate seeing farming made into some sort of cutesy, kitschy, old-timey eccentricity. Farming is hard work, which requires both brains and brawn. It doesn't deserve to have doily put on in.
The thing that really got me was when visiting the old Howard Johnson's that I worked at in college. Back in those days, it was a remarkably well-preserved piece of Mid-Century Americana, right down to the light fixtures, and "control centers" between the beds. And it was popular and profitable: People liked the retro look.
Sure enough, someone bought it, and now it's a "Country Inn". They boxed in the space-age lobby building with all sorts of gables and gunk, and put huge heart-shaped dried floral arrangements and floral bedspreads in each room. It was like taking Mrs. Robinson and putting her in a gingham dress and sun bonnet.
To each his own, of course, and I mean no offense to people who like that style, or use it in their homes, but I just don't understand that look in a commercial application. I think it feeds into the stereotype of Midwesterners being sort of behind the times.
Oh, and the coffee shop in Council Bluffs uses cool-whip and SPRINKLES on their mochas. But at least they have a coffee shop.
On the bright side of things, my previously lilly-white high school is much more integrated and - according to the librarian, who was there back when I was there - everybody pretty much gets along. The same is true of my Mom's church, which was always very homogeneous. But even they market themselves as "The country church in the city", which makes me want to yak. ;-)
