For those of us who are not from New England area, college can be a bit of a shock.
1. “Wicked”
Does “wicked” really have to be a thing? It is without a doubt the most irritating slang that has ever existed. Living with a roommate from Massachusetts was all “hunky-dory” until the “wickedness” started to sound like word vomit in every sentence. It seems two out of every three people have adopted this into their everyday vocabulary. The origin shall remain a mystery, as will the motive of wanting to use “wicked” to us New Yorkers. Oh, and yes — New Yorkers will continue to point it out every time it is said and mock New Englanders.
2. HOT ‘CAW-FEE’ NEEDS TO BE APPRECIATED.
You would think that New England natives would be the first people to attest to the importance of a freshly brewed cup of hot coffee. But moving here for school and finding out that hot coffee is obsolete was very surprising. Some of the harshest winters happen within these few states, and yet the same monotonous behavior of drinking iced coffee continues? Also on this topic of coffee: is it really necessary to use a plastic AND Styrofoam cup when enjoying this strictly summertime beverage? Our world is slowly dying from carelessness like this, but someone’s hands getting a little ‘chilly’ is a headline story. (Side note: New Yorkers will keep pronouncing it ‘caw-fee’ as long as New Englanders say ‘wicked’)
3. Small, Medium, & Large Pizzas? What?
It struck eleven o’clock one night, aka the time for every college student’s second dinner, so we ordered pizza. A moment of complete astonishment hit when size options were given. Apparently, as we New Yorkers learned the hard way, New England has the luxury of being able to pick their pizza size. Just want something unhealthy to munch on in the wee hours of the night? The small pizza is for you. It was quite remarkable, actually. However, not calling pizzas “pizza pies” is also something us New Yorkers find strange. People from New England have a look of bewilderment whenever they hear the word “pizza pie”, but it seems everyone has their own slang discrepancies.
4. Grinder vs. Hero
The first time hearing someone call a “hero” a “grinder” was a moment of pure perplexity. To New Yorkers, it is a chicken parmesan HERO, an eggplant parmesan HERO. “Grinder” sounds like a wrestling move or an aggressive dog name. However, New Englanders call these beloved sandwiches “subs” as well, which is one of the few things they say that makes some kind of sense. Good job, guys!
5. The “Bubbler”
Water. Fountain. That is all.
6. The Pats vs. Every Other Football Team
This is probably the most painful circumstance to endure. Having people worship Tom Brady (who is for sure guilty in this whole ‘flate-gate’ thing, sorry not sorry) gets quite old after the first Sunday Night Football game. In all honesty, it is basically a cult. Being a diehard Jets fan in Pats territory is absolutely toxic and, all in all, a death wish. New Yorkers who follow football know that the New York Jets may not be the best football team, but hope will still prevail. However, many New Yorkers are also Giants fans (and maybe the occasional Buffalo Bills fan), but they face the same hardships Jets fans do. The New England Patriots are probably New Yorkers’ (and everyone else outside of the New England boarders) biggest pet peeve — not just as a team, but the fans as well. Whenever a Patriots game is on, the whole campus is filled with a low roar of hooting and hollering. In this moment, us New Yorkers will put in our headphones or slam shut the window. Tom Brady is not the GOAT and #FreeBrady should not be a thing (this is probably dangerous to post in this particular geographical area, but the truth hurts sometimes).
7. The Loathing of Every Other Sports Team
The Boston Redsocks, the Boston Bruins, the Boston Celtics. Each seem to have a timely rivalry with our cherished New York Teams. Maybe it is the close proximity in which the teams originate, or it could quite possibly just be the fans picking a fight with each other since the beginning of time. Some people may say, “Why can’t we all just be friends?” but the fact of the matter is, sports a make or break a friendship nowadays, so choose your friends wisely!
8. Long Island is Bigger Than You Think
Having a hometown on the eastern tip of Long Island means being at least two hours from the city, on a good day. Long Island is not called “LONG Island” for nothing. It may not look extensive on a map, but with miles and miles of farm fields and wineries, you’ll have to trust us here. Long Islanders are not the same as people from the city, and you could offend if a true Long Islander by suggesting that they are. Also, the entirety of Long Island is not like the Hamptons. Actually, living on the island for 18 years does not mean you have ever even visited the Hamptons and the luxurious, extravagant shops where celeb sightings are common. If you asked us where we are from and you get the reply “Lawng Guyland”, just roll with it.
9. Beloved Dunkin’
Dunkin’ Donuts are everywhere. The area is absolutely infested. Coming from a place with barely any chain-restaurants and moving somewhere where Dunkin’ is basically a religion was a culture shock (not necessarily a bad one). Dunkin’ is great, all of us here at Her Campus could probably agree with that, but will they ever perfect the Frappuccino? Probably not in our lifetime. Not trying to hate on Dunkin’ here because they do have a mean Boston crème donut, it’s just that sometimes we crave that cup with the little green mermaid for our artsy “pretending to study in the library” snapchat story.
10. Your Absence of “R’s” and Our Elongated “W’s”
This is obviously the most prominent difference between our cultures. It is the telltale sign of where someone grew up, and is ultimately just accepted by everyone we meet. Some people may “walk to the cah “and others may “be ‘taw-king’” to their friends. This is just another thing that makes us seem to come from alternate universes, but it all seems to work out (kind of) in the long run. Long live the friendships between New Englanders and New Yorkers!!