14 things you'll only understand if you're from Sunderland, as we mark National Mackem Day

From reminiscing about the smell of hops and the clip clop of the Vaux dray horses to risking fillings through a steady consumption of pink slices, there’s many things you’ll only understand if you’re lucky enough to be a Mackem.

On National Mackem Day, August 12, we’ve rounded up some of the weird and wonderful things associated with people from our city by the sea.

9. Cheesy chips

Why have bog standard chips when you can have chips smothered in cheese? Cheesy chips are a delicacy best eaten on Wembley Way. For those after something a little more exotic, why not choose cheesy chips and gravy, best consumed around 2am after a night down the town. | Sunderland Echo

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10. A deep-rooted pride in our industrial heritage

Sunderland has a long and proud shipbuilding heritage and watching mighty ships being launched on the Wear was once a popular pastime. At the height of its success, Sunderland was the biggest shipbuilding town in the world and many of today's residents either worked in the yards or had family members employed in the industry. During the war, it was the women of Wearside who kept the shipyards afloat and played a key role in the war effort. Pictured here is youngster Andrew Rowland in October 1979 at the ship launch of the SD 14 Thai Binh from the new tandem covered-in berth of Austin and Pickersgill at the Southwick shipyard. | Sunderland Echo Photo: jpi media

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11. "I'll meet you at C&A"

Before mobile phones, before the internet, you'd have to set a meeting point in advance if you were catching up with your mates and C&A in the centre of town became a popular meet-up spot. It's pictured here in 1971 and was still a regular meeting point long after the Bridges got its roof. | Sunderland Echo Photo: jpi media