New York, New York!
Frankly, I don’t give a shit if you’re from New York! There, I said it!
Now I’m not directing my aggression at people who occasionally mention where they’re from as it pertains to a conversation or a story. I’m talking about people who base their entire existence on being “from New York”. As if it makes them special some how. I guarantee almost everybody knows at least one New Yorker who never lets anyone forget where they’re from.
Yeah I get it! You’re from New York! Let’s move on with life!
I mean you can’t even order a fucking pizza without every New Yorker within a five mile radius declaring there is no such thing as good pizza outside of New York. “Pizza?!? You call that pizza?!? That ain’t pizza! You ain’t neva had pizza till you had New York pizza.” Then they’ll go into some deep discussion about how the big difference is the sauce, or the cheese, or the dough, or your ass, or whatever. Honestly, no one cares! Let me enjoy my shitty Domino’s Pizza in peace.
And it’s not just pizza, it’s the same for any type of ethnic food. All of it is better in New York. I actually know a guy who said, “I love German food, but I went to Germany, and you know what? The food isn’t that good. It’s much better in New York.”
Soooo if you were planning on going to Germany, don’t bother. New York beats the entire country of Germany when it comes to German cuisine.
Sometimes, New Yorkers won’t actually come right out and say where they’re from, but instead they’ll talk extra loud and over exaggerate their New York accent in order to draw attention to themselves. Then they’ll just wait for someone to ask them, “Are you from New York?” Then, they can really pour it on: “Oh, yeah, I’m from New Yawk. I’m suh-prized you can tell! Ya know I don’ even hee’a da accent anymoor. When I go back East, dey tell me I sound like I’m from Arizona!”
Another thing that bothers me is how people sometimes use being from New York as an excuse to be an asshole. “So I told that waitress to take that food and stick it up her ass. Hey, I wasn’t trying to be rude, but I’m from New York, and I just tell it like it is.”
I hate to break it to a lot of east coast transplants, but being “from New York” and being a New Yorker are two completely different things. First of all, real New Yorkers don’t live in Arizona, or Montana or even in New Jersey. They actually LIVE in New York. Real New Yorkers somehow make it through their days without giving dissertations on pizza or discussing the authenticity of the Olive Garden’s menu. They also don’t sit around and marvel at their own accents. Oh, and believe it or not, not every New Yorker is rude. I should know… I’m from New York!
I thought I was the only person that felt like this in AZ! I cant stand when I run into a fellow transplant, only to be told how crappy the food is here, and how he/she knows where to find the only “REAL NEW YORK” deli/pizzeria in Arizona. I mean, seriously, if its that terrible, why subject yourself any longer, and just go back “home”? I cant possibly figure out why you left in the first place anyway? I mean you miss the fall, you miss the snow, you miss the night life, you miss the food…. In closing I would like to say the comment of “We gotta look out for each other” has been pitched at me by more people from “the old country” than I can recall. Great article!