This is one that definitely had me scratching my head at first.

On TikTok, a video from the account @belliedupod raised the question, "Should Alaska be a part of the Midwest?" In the video, which you can see below, a caller who lives in Alaska gave a few reasons why he says the answer is, yes:

If you're in a place where you can't watch a video, I'll break down his reasons.

First, the caller, who isn't named, brings up the oh-so-classic Michigander move of using your hand as a map. He proposes that making a fist with your right hand and then sticking out your thumb and pinky, essentially, creates a similar shape to the state of Alaska. Therefore, it could also be used as a map.

Feels like a bit of a stretch, but, I do love the idea of more and more states trying to create their state's shape using their hands and then using it as a map. It feels so unnecessary in the world of smartphones but, I'm here for it.

Second, ranch dressing, baby. The caller challenges the hosts of the podcast to look up the inventor of ranch dressing. While the man, Steve Henson, was originally from Nebraska he moved to Anchorage, Alaska where he went on to invent ranch dressing.

If there's one thing I've noticed about transplanting to the Midwest it's that, yes, there is a great love of ranch dressing. Which, I'm not hating on, by the way. I, too, love some ranch dressing.

Thirdly, Alaska has great hunting and fishing. Another trait that's similar to the Midwest. In fact, there's an entire website and magazine dedicated to the hobby called MidWest Outdoors. See more here.

With that final argument, the Bellied Up Podcast hosts, Charlie Berens and Myles the You Betcha Guy, declared Alaska officially a part of the Midwest.

The above Tiktok video was actually taken from a much longer interview that you can see below:


The Bellied Up Podcast often focuses on Midwestern content with episodes like The Perfect Midwest Tailgate, Best Midwest Movie, How to Spot a Midwestern Man, and more. Find all of their podcast episodes here.

Before Alaska considers joining the Midwest they should probably check this out first...

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