I waffle between being annoyed by bills that are filed every year to designate some new state symbol or icon and finding them harmless ways to tout Hoosier individuality.
This year’s poster child is a move to make the breaded tenderloin the state sandwich.
Do we really need a state sandwich? No. And it does take up some legislative time to push one of these bills through a session. So far, the tenderloin bill has passed the Senate and is headed to the House.
Time will tell if it joins our list of state emblems.
The fact is, the number of state emblems has proliferated in recent years. We are way beyond a state tree (tulip), seal (bison leaping over a log) and flower (peony). We have 16 of these entities now, with six of them put into law since 2005.
State rifle. Check.
State aircraft. Check.
State snack. Check.
State fossil. Check.
A few years ago, there were attempts to add a state mammal and a state fruit, but they didn’t pass.
This proliferation isn’t just happening here in Indiana — other states have some crazy stuff on the books. I reached out to editors at our sister outlets around the nation and rounded up some examples.
Let’s start with New Mexico, which has both a state aroma and a related “state question.” I’m sure you are as curious as I was. New Mexico is the first state in the nation to have its own official aroma: green chiles roasting in the fall. The follow-up state question refers to the color of the chiles: “Red or green?”
Indiana’s state aroma? I’m going to go with manure or burning leaves. The state question would be, “IU or Purdue?”
Next up is Missouri, which has the American bullfrog as its state amphibian and jumping jacks as the state exercise.
If these were adopted in Indiana, I envision the salamander — and playing HORSE in the driveway during twilight hours.
Michigan has a fascinating one: state soil. In 1990, Michigan declared Kalkaska sand as its official state soil. It’s relatively infertile, owing to its acidic nature, but nonetheless abundant, according to the Michigan Nature Association.
Based on my land, Indiana’s state soil could be clay.
My favorite comes next from Utah — a state cooking pot. And it’s none other than the Dutch oven. Utahns also have a state gem, which is topaz.
In Indiana, I would say the cast iron skillet could be our cooking pot. As for a state gem, I think the geode is the way to go. They are abundant and beautiful.
The last one I will highlight is currently under consideration in Kentucky. A Senate bill there would establish the Treeing Walker Coonhound as the state dog breed.
This could be testy here in Indiana, as dog lovers all believe their breeds are best. But I looked at the personality traits of various breeds and settled on a Labrador. They are known for being kind, friendly, outgoing and trusting. That sounds like a Hoosier to me.