This post is in honor of two of my friends.
1. Esther: who thinks about certain "Baltimorisms" with a fondness that only someone who moved out of here and misses it can have.
2: Rena: who came up with the term OIB.
If, after reading this post, you decide to mention the term OIB, please reference it to Rena who is just so wise.
OIB is a term which stands for "Only In Baltimore". There are certain things that would only happen in Baltimore (specifically, in Jewish Baltimore, and even more specifically in Orthodox Baltimore). Anyone who has spent any time in this wonderful city will get this.
I believe Rena was overcome with the need to coin this phrase one day when she was on Park Heights avenue or another main street here and she was at a stop light. She looked over at the car next to her and noticed that the woman driving next to her was kneading her challah dough as she was driving. Let me repeat this. The woman next to her was KNEADING CHALLAH DOUGH WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING. Only one thing can be said about that: OIB.
That is one specific type of OIB. Another type of OIB occurs when annoying things happen in Baltimore, and we let them stand. Our lack of outrage helps the OIBness continue.
Here is a story that illustrates that type of OIB. It was the week before Rosh Hashana and one of the kosher butchers had been advertising that they would take orders before the holiday and be would be opened through Tuesday. My friend had made an order well in advance and she called the butcher on Sunday morning just to make sure they had her order. They told her that she had better come in quickly because they just decided to close the store at 12pm (the store was usually open until 5) and would not re-open until after Rosh Hashana. Hello?!? Why do we stand for things like that? OIB!!!
I should clarify something. I am a born and bred Baltimorean. OIBs bother me as much as the next guy, but I look at them as more annoyances and silly anecdotes than anything else. On the other hand, if some transplanted New Yorker, who has one foot back over the Verrazano Bridge were to start talking about OIBs, that would infuriate me.
Please feel free to leave your OIBs in the comments section.
Posted by peninah at February 15, 2006 01:29 PM | TrackBackI am so honored that you are mentioning me on your blog I have never till now nbeen deemed blog worthy and it truly is my 15 minutes of fame.
I am also considering writing The Book of OIB so if any of your readers have there own OIBs please get them to me
Thank You again
Rena
Come on Rena, share a good one.
Posted by: peninah at February 15, 2006 01:41 PMI'm sure that things like that also happen in other communities. The main issue is that frum people are often in their own world and are oblivious to the reality of anything outside of that world.
What really drives me up the wall is when frum people demand special treatment. It is such a chilul Hashem! Have you ever been in a drug store on Erev Shabbos and a frum person is demanding that the pharmacist fill his prescription immediately because his "Sabbath" is coming soon? Why couldn't this person have filled the prescription the day before?
Posted by: Jack Davidov at February 15, 2006 04:18 PMJack- I agree with you about the chilul Hashem aspect, but there are many times, especially with little kids that diagnoses happen literally right before shabbos and you are stuck at the drug store NEEDING that prescription before shabbos starts.
Posted by: peninah at February 15, 2006 07:05 PMI understand, but it can make a huge difference how one goes about doing it. Obviously, if someone desperately needs a medication than they need to let the clerk know about their situation. However, some people choose to make a scene. That is what bothers me.
Posted by: Jack Davidov at February 15, 2006 07:54 PMHow about the positive OIB's...the achdus we share!! where else but in Baltimore...are there no/or maybe hardly any machlokes over the eruv...kashrus...or where else but Baltimore, would Rav Heinemann Rav of Agudah be maspid Saul Taragin A"H, an avowed member and officer of Mizrachi...so there...OIB's don't have to be negative ... there are plenty positive OIB's...I challenge others to think of some too...if you don't mind Peninah and Rena!!
Posted by: BubbyTova at February 15, 2006 08:48 PMJack-I agree.
Ma- You are correct, but the negative OIBs are fun. Perhaps one day I will dedicate a blog post to the numerous positive OIBs.
Posted by: peninah at February 15, 2006 10:02 PMI don't know if this would only happen in Baltimore but...
Alon and I got some honey dish as our wedding gift and we wanted to return it because we got more than one. We knew the honey dish came from a certain store in Baltimore (it had a tag on the box) so we took it back to that store the next time we happened to be in Baltimore (since we live in Silver Spring) which happened to be a little after Rosh Hashana. We figured we'd just take it to the store, get store credit for the amount of the item and buy something else right?
Well, when we got to the store the person behind the counter said something like "why did you wait until after Rosh Hashana to bring this back" (I guess they thought we used it on Rosh Hashana bc it was a honey dish)and we were like "um well it was a gift and we don't live in this city" - so the person said well I'll give you $15 bucks for it. Meanwhile, we knew it cost at least $25 because we saw similar items in the store but whatever. So we said ok, what choice did we have, and we paid $1 to buy something else there that was $16. Anyway, we came back to the store maybe 2 weeks later because we happened to be in Baltimore again, what do we see? Our wedding present on sale again for $30 - what the heck? I felt like going to the person (it was the same person) and saying please give me $16 because you made $16 profit off of my wedding present. OIB (maybe?)
Posted by: Erica at February 15, 2006 10:50 PMErica- Yeah, I think that would qualify.
Posted by: peninah at February 15, 2006 10:58 PMI figured I should also post a positive OIB because it's only fair...
I needed shoes for my wedding, I have small feet,and I couldn't find decent ones anywhere (maybe I should have asked you Peninah) Anyway, I happened to be talking about it at my work one day and one of my-coworkers said "I know someone who got married who is your size" she disappeared for a few minutes and came back to me and said "ok my friend is married and lives in Israel but her shoes are still at her parents house on Yeshiva Lane, call them and go get them, she'd love to let you borrow them." It was like, weeks of searching and in two minutes a perfect stranger was lending me her wedding shoes! OIB :)
Posted by: Erica at February 15, 2006 10:59 PMOIB, will a car sit in the loading zone of Seven Mile Market waiting for someone inside the store, completely blocking traffic and preventing other cars from picking up their groceries. Then, when honked at, the driver of the car will stare into space and ignore repeated honks and wild hand gestures from other drivers.
I bet there could be a whole other category of "Only in Seven Mile Market" (OISMM)
Posted by: Lanie at February 16, 2006 08:54 AMRena,
congrats! You got mentioned in the blog! (I got mentioned before you, nyah, nyah!) :P
There are faaaar too many OIBs for a blog. We should definitely write a book.
Bubby,
you are so positive! I agree (especially as one who is moving to {{shudder}} New York!)
Erica,
I think that would totally happen in Brooklyn, too.
Lanie,
I love that! OISMM - that's why I try to avoid that place, if I can.
oismm...love it...was just there...but what you said Lanie...it is more prevalent in Brooklyn, as Erica mentioned!!
Posted by: bubby at February 16, 2006 03:39 PMwow so many people responded to the OIB post.
Regarding Seven Mile what about having to shop for Pesach in March for fear that everything will sell out.
March??...I've been walking into SMM with a real fear that the shelves will have been rearranged and restocked even now for Pesach...it's their own fault that people panic...if they wouldn't put out the pesach stuff b4 Purim...and rearrange the store...ppl wouldn't panic I think. although I saw OKP maxwell house on the shelf thursday...and I bought it!! (I'm hoping I avoided the price hike that will be when it's on the special "kosher l'pesach" shelf
Posted by: bubby at February 20, 2006 09:13 AM