Parks and Rec

Erich and I enjoy watching the sitcom Parks and Recreation. If you are not in the know, it's a documentary-style show set in a fictional small city in Indiana. It's funny and clever enough to make its inaccuracies forgivable.

But as an adopted Hoosier by marriage, as someone who spent many long car rides in my life going back and forth between Illinois and Michigan, and as someone who lived in Indiana part time during my college years, I must set the record straight on a few issues.

First, the ways in which the Indiana setting is believable:

1. They mention real Indiana towns like Indianapolis, Gary, and Muncie.

2. Corn.

Ways in which the Indiana setting is not believable:

1. Asian people. Let's be honest; there aren't very many Asians in small town Indiana. They're all over the background in this show!

2. Small mid-century modern houses. Very California.

3. Beautiful weather all the time! Okay, I don't actually expect them to film in Indiana, but the lack of leafless trees and other marks of changing seasons is very noticeable.

4. The one that inspired this post came up in last night's episodes. One of the characters has a vacation home in "the foothills." THE FOOTHILLS?? Of what mountain range? Anything resembling foothills near Indiana would be far out of state and thus no one would be casually referring to them as "the foothills." Or driving to them in one evening.

Other than that, it's a top-notch, very funny show. Go Parks and Rec!