People from North and Central Jersey experience extreme culture shock when they go to the southern part of the state. Our little state gets weirder and weirder the farther down you go. For some reason they call things by different names, root for different sports teams, and have an obsession with different foods. It's enough to create a lot of confusion between fellow New Jersians.
1. Hoagies, not subs.
We call them subs or sandwiches, but they insist on calling them hoagies. If you dare call them a sub everybody in a mile radius will hunt you down and correct you.
2. Wooder Ice.
Another weird thing people in South Jersey do is call any type of flavored ice water ice. Their accents make it sound more like "wonder ice", though. They also have a million names for different ices. There's Italian ice, water ice, cream ice, and Polish water ice. There are too many different names for one food
3. They've adopted the cheesesteak.
Almost every restaurant menu includes a cheesesteak. It's the signature dish of Philly but everybody in South Jersey has an obsession with them.
4. When they say the city, they mean...
When people in Central and North Jersey start talking about "the city" they are talking about New York City, but when South Jersey residents talk about "the city" they are talking about Philly. This makes for a lot of confusion when talking about "the city."
5. They have their own Red Bank and Bellmawr/Belmar.
South Jersey has places like Red Bank and Bellmawr that sound a lot like Central Jersey's Red Bank and Belmar. It can cause a lot of confusion if you're trying to talk about places with a friend from South Jersey. Again, our southern neighbors just want to confuse people when talking about locations.
6. Their "pizza" and "bagels."
Their bagels and pizzas aren't anything like what they make up in Central and North Jersey. Pizzas are doughy and way too cheesy to even come close to New York style pizza. The bagels are soft doughy rolls in comparison to the crunchy, chewy bagels known to the rest of the state. They are both a crime against the culinary arts.
7. They claim Central Jersey isn't a thing.
When they talk about the state they simply divide it in half, only seeing New Jersey as a North and South. Apparently Monmouth and Mercer counties don't exist to them.
8. They have an odd love of pretzels.
Just like cheesesteaks, you can find soft pretzels everywhere. Besides finding them everywhere, they have their own fast food chain of sorts that just sells pretzels. Philly Pretzel Factory is one of the best places to get a soft pretzel and thankfully they are everywhere.
9. There are Wawas and Walmarts on every corner.
Just like how in the North there are Starbucks on every corner, here you find either a Wawa or a Walmart or both. It's oddly convenient because you're never more than 5 minutes away from a snack or something you need.
10. Eagles, Flyers, and Phillies fans as far as the eye can see.
The North has their own slew of teams but Philadelphia sports fans are brutal. They are so proud of their teams that they will start arguments if you insult their team. Although they cheer on some horrible teams they have a lot of passion which is quite commendable.
11. They are always ready to fight if you dare say anything bad about South Jersey
If you openly criticize or make fun of any of the 10 points previously mentioned, they will start a brawl to defend their turf.
