A little something for all my fellow New Jerseyans,
Currently I am on my way home for Fall Break from the University of Michigan, and I couldn’t be more happy. There are certain things people just won’t ever understand if they aren’t from New Jersey, and those people I feel very badly for. You see, now that I’ve been away for a good 2 months, I’ve started to notice the things I used to take for granted and now will be forever grateful for when I go back.
1) Jersey Bagels
You’ve probably heard before that we have the best Bagels, but trust me when I say NJ has THE BEST bagels. I mean the bagels at the dining hall and the bagel shops are just not going to cut it. Everyone needs to experience a NJ bagel at least one time in their life, but luckily for me I get a lot more times than one;)
2) Being only a 45 minute drive to the Jersey Shore... and NYC
God do I miss this. Having the freedom to literally just text in your group chat and either say “Who wants to go to the beach today?” or “Anyone want to take the train to the city right now?” and decide the day of is one of God’s many gifts to Jersey people. One of my favorite memories is driving down the shore with our windows down, blasting music and dancing and singing in our cars and just feeling a complete bliss. It’s really something and I’d do anything to get it back right now. Only we know the terms “down the shore” or “to the city.”
3) The pizza
It’s funny how people actually think the pizza is good around here in the mid-west. If only they tried Jersey pizza, man would they be in for a rude awakening. Just being blunt here, but compared to NJ it literally tastes like cardboard. There’s specialty pizza places, with pies like Cheesesteak pizza, Penne Vodka, Barbecue, Buffalo, Chicken Parm, and then there’s the true Italian margarita and prosciutto pizzas. Ugh yum.
4) How everything is conveniently right there for you
Whether it’s a little downtown you’re used to walking to since back when you were in 6th grade and could finally “go to town” by yourselves, or maybe a certain store that’s around the corner, Jersey is filled with these cute little towns that have all the greatest foods, restaurants, ice cream places, and just random even little shops.
5) Diners just don’t seem to be that big a thing
I haven’t found one diner yet around here and if you’re from New Jersey, especially my town Westfield which has both The Westfield Diner and Vicki’s which we’ve all been going to for years you can imagine how upset this makes me. I mean who doesn’t want to have pancakes and milkshakes with their crew at 2 in the morning? With what seems like 20 page long menus, the options are endless at diners and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. The people are friendly and the food is superb.
6) Trader Joes, Shop Rite, Whole Foods, etc...
Although there is Whole Foods around here, you can picture the look on people’s faces when I asked “Where’s the nearest Shop Rite/Trader Joe’s? Trader Joe’s is rare around here, but Shop Rite is nonexistent. I mean how can people grocery shop at a place called, for example, “Krogers?” Just doesn’t make sense to me.
7) Childhood Friends
Even though this goes for everyone, my Jersey friends whether it’d be from dance, sports, school, or other activities are always going to hold a special place in my heart. Going to school with these people from birth to senior year, everyone makes long-time best friends that they still keep in touch with. I for one like to believe I have the best of both worlds, keeping in touch with both my town friends and private school friends, and love seeing all they are doing around the world as we embark on this new era of our lives.
8) It’s soda, NOT “POP” It’s a sub NOT A HOAGIE.
Lol sorry that is just a fact. There’s not really much to say except it is soda and subs.
9) They’ve never even heard of mischief night
This doesn’t pertain to me as much anymore now that I am older, but when I randomly found out about this the other day I was shocked. “What is mischief night?” my friends would say and as I told them about people egging people’s houses and “tee-peeing” they’d look at me like I’m some crazy person. It’s tradition!
10) Apparently people think the mid-west is the best accent to represent the country
Okay, we don’t all talk like Snooki and JWoww. Everyone’s accents around here just sound very interesting to me, and that is one of the things I love about my school, it’s diversity, but I just wanted to share that. Everyone comes from all over and I think it’s cool to hear everyone pronounce things differently and find out people call it half-gals and not handles ;)
Maybe it seems like I just went on a tangent about how New Jersey> everything and that is because in my opinion, it is. But I also would like to point out that I am really loving learning about all the new things and habits of the people around here and experiencing something completely new and just as equally downright awesome.
Last note: Remember, Jersey girls don’t pump their own gas;)
