Not a lot of people outside of New Jersey know that South Jersey and North Jersey are very distinctly different places. When people find out that I'm from Jersey they says things like, "Joisey", "Boids", and "Hoity-Toity". But that's North Jersey, people. We don't talk like that down here.
South Jersey means farms: sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches, and dairy. It means beach, but not fancy-shmancy New Yorkers on the weekend beach, it means boardwalks and carnival games, and water rides, and just good ole beach. It means Russian mafia, Italian mafia, Greek Mafia, and lots of other mafias. It means high teen pregnancy rates, lots of drugs, and halfway houses. It means Wawa coffee and hoagies. In Vineland, it means Arroz con Gandules and Pernil and the Puerto Rican festival, the Greek festival, the Russian festival. It's not all good stuff, that's true. But it's not North Jersey.
North Jersey is yuppies and pharmaceutical companies and towns that all have the same name.
Anyway, just wanted to vent a little. It's not "Joisey". We don't talk like that.
i feel like my commetns on FB brought this post to existence. Sorry for being naive. But those festivals sound awesome and like i would like South Jersey.
ReplyDeleteI think that south jersey folk are jealous of the distinct vocal variety of their northern brethren...
ReplyDeleteHey, Isaac, while I got to thinking about it again from your comments, I didn't mean to come off so harsh. The Garden State soundtrack is a great idea and Central Jersey (which a whole 'nother topic) has great things to offer like Bruce Springstein and Bon Jovi.
ReplyDeleteIt's just that almost a decade of living somewhere other than South Jersey has brought with the eternal task of explaining the vast cultural differences of such a tiny state.
And Dan, we have our own local speak called the Delaware Valley/Greater Philadelphia Area accent. :P