Why Do New Yorkers Care So Much About These Foods?

One of the things about me that surprises people is I was born and raised around the Maryland/Delaware border (literally, next town over from a town called “DelMar”, which is in both states).

I moved to New York in August of 2021 for school, and I’m so happy to now call it my full-time home. Nonetheless, there were several things about New York I didn’t fully understand or realize before I got here.

The biggest thing (other than learning my geography; I thought New York City and Long Island were the same thing for like 3 weeks) has been the strong opinions people have on two things; pizza and bagels. Growing up in Maryland with Texas/Arkansas-raised parents, pizza and bagels weren’t things I’ve developed strong opinions on.

As long as the pizza has sauce, cheese, and pepperoni and the bagel has cream cheese, I’m good to go.

Bill Keeler/TSM

According to a fellow co-worker, part of the reasoning behind it is the water in New York. For pizza specifically, the water used in the composition and quality of the dough can drastically influence its taste and consistency, which has led to debates in nearly every New York town over what place is the best for pizza.

On the topic of bagels, I then asked one of my friends, who is from New York City. She had this to contribute:

“Bagels are originally a largely Jewish food, and there’s processes to making them that got lost outside of the NYC metro area. That’s why downstate bagels are so different from upstate. Bagels, in my opinion, are never good outside of downstate” - Sara Donovan

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So, looks like both of my questions were answered. Must be something in the water.

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Source: Why Do New Yorkers Care So Much About These Foods?

Filed Under: pizza, food, new york, bagels

Categories: Photos, Opinion, This And That