Watch: Family Guy Makes Fun of Michigan’s Favorite Game, Euchre
The show Family Guy may have perfectly summed up what it's like to be a person who has never played the oh-so-popular game of Euchre.
Euchre is one of Michigan's favorite card games. I'm basing that solely on the number of Michiganders that have pressured me to learn and play the game since I moved here two years ago.
Now, I have had a few very kind people try to explain the rules of Euchre to me and, I have to be honest, the more I listened the more they sounded like the teachers in Charlie Brown. Wah wah wah, wah wah.
My utter confusion about the game undoubtedly led me to laugh a little too hard at a recent bit featured on the show Family Guy.
In the brief clip, from Season 21 Episode 2, Lois is explaining the rules of Euchre to the rest of the family as they look on with horrified expressions on their faces.
Before you view the clip, I feel it's necessary to warn you that there is a joke about self-harm. As always, the creators of Family Guy enjoy pushing the envelope with their humor:
Yup. That's pretty much how it feels! But, I'm sure, it's easier to understand once you actually play it. Right?
A Quick History of Euchre
Popular in the late 1800s, Euchre was once dubbed the "queen of card games". As it tends to happen, the game lost popularity as the years went on. But, not in Michigan.
In fact, there was at one point an entire "Euchre belt" that included Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and, of course, Michigan. If you're visiting friends or family in those states or planning to move there, don't be surprised if someone whips out a deck of cards to challenge you to a game of Euchre.
You can read more about the history of Euchre, the rules (which I will not attempt to explain), and more here.