Things you'd have to be a Long Islander to understand

'Are you kidding me?' high school proms

OK, we know Long Islanders can go a little crazy on weddings, but some LI proms have given high-end nuptials a run for their money. Check out the "Cirque du Soleil"-like Paul D. Schreiber High School's senior prom for Port Washington students, pictured, at Castle Gould at Sands Point Preserve in 2015. Port Jefferson parents have turned the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School's gym into paradises channeling Willy Wonka and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. In East Setauket, Ward Melville High School offered up an elaborate "Aladdin" prom entrance in 2016, and Lynbrook lets its high school close down Main Street each year for a prom parade. LI proms don't mess around!

King Kullen came first

You know that King Kullen is America's first supermarket and you've passed along that fact to someone as a source of Long Island pride. By the way, that first King Kullen was in Queens.

Nassau vs. Suffolk rivalry

There's a playful, but fierce, rivalry between folks from Nassau and Suffolk. Ask any group of native Long Islanders which county is better and you will likely get caught in the middle of a debate. For example, folks from Nassau might jokingly claim that everyone from Suffolk has a pet horse or chicken. The Suffolk contingent might complain about everyone from Nassau being a lousy driver or the county itself essentially being Queens East. The truth is that both counties are great — in their own unique ways.

Getting on the wagon

It's a red wagon and it's Fire Island. (P.S.: If you don't understand, we strongly suggest taking a ferry ride to Ocean Beach. You're welcome.)

No coffee confusion

Most Long Island baristas, like the folks at Anchor Coffee in Amityville, will know the drill when you order your morning brew "light and sweet" or "dark, one sugar." In other parts of the country, it's not that simple. According to Newsday reader Geraldine Merola, you may even be met with puzzled stares or a follow-up question: "Do you mean you want cream?" Merola says. "It's just painful."

Halloween at the Amityville Horror House

At some point you talked about venturing out with your friends to find the Amityville Horror House in October. Whether or not you were brave enough to stop the car (or decide to just head out to the North Fork for a pumpkin) is another question.

Billy Joel is really singing to us...

His solo debut album was titled "Cold Spring Harbor." "The Downeaster Alexa" is about Long Island fishermen. He's from Hicksville. He lives in Centre Island and the Hamptons. His motorcycle shop is in Oyster Bay. Face it world, Billy Joel is our guy.

Meet the Mets — by car

Taking the Long Island Rail Road to Citi Field means driving along the Port Washington line station first, because no one wants to transfer in Woodside.

NO mustard on burgers

Long Islanders have several burger options available at all times, from fast food to diners, from gourmet burger stops to backyard barbecues. Ketchup, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes — just about anything works on a burger.

Except mustard.

Outside of LI and NYC, most restaurants put mustard on burgers, but we do NOT. It's always a challenge to remember when traveling and dining out to tell your server "No mustard!"

Can't beat 'The Barn'

Nassau Coliseum's most historic times seem to have passed, but Long Islanders have four Stanley Cups that will forever be linked to "The Barn." If your forte is more tights than pucks, you share similar special memories, whether it was "Rowdy" Roddy Piper boxing Mr. T at WrestleMania II or fans turning on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in favor of Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2002. Most who visited never got what's so special about this place. We do. 

See ya at Adventureland

You know that the coolest amusement park in the world is on Route 110, and it's squeezed in between a bank and a small strip mall.

The Jamaica 'subway'

Trust us, there are people in other parts of the country who think the LIRR is like the subway. Those who need to get from Hicksville to Massaquea to party with friends know differently. But when all else fails, one can grab a couple of brews and take the scenic route, west to Jamaica and then back east. This may have become more nostalgia now we have Uber to go along with cabs, but the option to go old school is still there.

Rock lobster roll

A lobster roll is lobster meat soaked in butter on a heated hot dog bun. Period. Don't present it otherwise.

You're ON Long Island

People live in Connecticut, in Queens, in New Jersey or in Philadelphia. They live ON Long Island. If you're trying to fit in, don't say something silly like "It's nice to hang out here in Long Island."

Old Bethpage Field Trip

At some point between elementary and high school one of your field trips was to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration.

You're my hero

Heroes save lives. They're also edible. The long-form sandwich is called a grinder in Connecticut, a hoagie in Philadelphia and a sub elsewhere, but on Long Island, it's a hero. Batman, chicken parm on a long roll, what's the difference?

Beach bargain

Day trippers to Southampton Village know Coopers Beach, one of Long Island's stunning beaches. The cost to visit the spot is a not-so-affordable $40. But any area expert knows it's not hard to avoid paying the fee. Just go before 9:30 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Trust us, it's worth checking out.

The native language

Repeat after us: Patchogue, Montauk, Manhasset, Hauppauge, Mineola, Amagansett, Cutchogue, Copiague and Ronkonkoma. Didn't trip over any of those names? Alright, you're from Long Island. Extra credit if you knew this picture was taken in downtown Patchogue.

Wait. Where are you from?

Long Island has hamlets, villages, towns, unincorporated areas, two counties and more than 120 school districts. If you're not from Long Island, none of this will make any sense to you.

A toast to LI

It's not a Long Island liquor store unless East End wines are featured in a designated area.

Don't mess with ducks!

We have a Big Duck nesting in Flanders and a Long Island Ducks baseball team in Central Islip featuring the famous Quackerjack. Those have come so ubiquitous you almost forget about the real ducks, like the little waddlers that make Gerry Pond Park in Roslyn and many other LI spots so magical. 

The “g” is silent (for us)

Walkin.' Talkin.' Ridin.' Eatin.' Etc. We tend to lose our "G's" when we talk. However, that thing where we say "Lawn Guyland?" Does anybody really say that? A lot of Long Islanders actually think we don't.

'We went to Farmingdale, um, I mean Farmingville...'

We've got Bay Shore, Bayport, Bayville, Farmingville, Farmingdale, a whole bunch of Islips and Roslyns and a lot more where that came from.

The great escape from Jones Beach

Just as seeing a concert at Jones Beach is a rite of passage, so is making the heartbreaking decision to leave before the grand finale. Long Islanders know that if we want to get out of the parking lot alive, we have to leave well before the last number. If we wait, we're stuck in a sea of other concertgoers all clamoring to escape Field 5 through a handful of lanes.

LIRR, not LIR

It's the Long Island Rail Road, not railroad. You're not sure why it's two words, but you know that it is.