Talk Like a Californian. Helena Ventura

      The massive

      quake that’s

      going to hit

      the Bay Area

      or Southern

      California any

      minute now.

      11

      We’re picking up my

      sister in Phoenix and

      taking the RV to Cali

      for the Rose Parade.

      CALI

      A word for California that no

      Californian will ever use; it’s as

      horrible as saying “Frisco” to a

      San Franciscan.

      DANK

      Traditionally, to

      inhale marijuana

      smoke, but more

      frequently used

      as an adjective to

      describe something

      exceptionally good.

      Have you

      had the paleo

      brownies at

      Urth?

      They’re dank.

      13

      DUDE

      or DUE

      A substitute for a person’s name,

      and the father of all modern Southern

      California slang. “Dude” is rooted in

      surf culture but is now used universally.

      Originally used just between guys, it

      is now gender-neutral. If used with a

      period, it means, “I agree.”

      Dude, that

      new ramen

      place in

      Truckee is

      epic.

      That selfie

      is fire.

      FIRE

      Hot (as in hip);

      often expressed

      with a fire emoji.

      15

      Can you bring

      guac and chips to

      the Oscars party?

      GUAC

      Guacamole,

      the state dish

      of California.

      I’m driving Uber

      and dogsitting as

      my side hustles.

      HUSTLE

      Your work.

      17

      JUNE

      GLOOM &

      MAY GRAY

      The damp marine layer that blankets

      Southern California in late spring and

      early summer; in San Francisco, June

      gloom is heavy fog.

      The June gloom

      is bumming

      me out—

      let’s go to the

      desert.

      Oooh,

      you’re

      hella

      moded.

      MODED

      To have been proven wrong

      in an embarrassing way, or

      caught doing something, or

      shut down.

      19

      I’m jonesing for a

      big ol’ pocho burrito

      from El Tepeyac.

      POCHO,

      POCHA

      People of Mexican descent who don’t

      speak Spanish and are considered to

      have lost their culture; also used for

      food and cultural references.

      PRIDE

      The gay pride parade

      in San Francisco; to a

      lesser extent, the one

      in West Hollywood.

      Did you get

      an AirBnB

      for Pride?

      21

      The Celebrity

      Center sounds

      pretty sketch

      to me.

      SKETCH

      When something appears to be

      questionable, illegitimate, or de-

      liberately misleading.

      SUS

      Short for

      “suspicious,”

      has replaced

      “sketch” with

      most people

      Katie says the

      under 40.

      sushi at Ralphs

      is great,

      but I think it

      looks sus.

      23

      Want to hit

      Mammoth this

      weekend?

      Yeeee.

      YEE

      Yeah. The Bay Area

      claims it as its own,

      but it’s statewide

      now.

      A FEW

      REGIONAL

      NICKNAMES

      THE 415 — San Francisco

      ACROSS THE BAY — the East Bay,

      to San Franciscans

      THE AVENUES — the Richmond and the Sunset

      districts west of Twin Peaks in San Francisco

      THE BAY — the San Francisco Bay Area