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Jon Bon Jovi from Sayreville is from North Jersey. Read this excerpt he gave in a Playboy magazine interview:

“The roadside diner right off the circle in Wall Township is a fabulous greasy spoon, one of the real silver-bullet diners. Taylor ham—a pork roll—is a Jersey fixture. Taylor ham with cheese on a hard roll is love. The big question is: ketchup or mustard? Everyone in north Jersey puts on mustard, everyone in the south, ketchup. I’m a mustard guy myself. A cherry Coke is wonderful with chipped ice. Diners are made for Sunday mornings or the day after when you need grease to soak up everything you did the night before. Then you order breakfast and lunch at the same time. That’s the greatest. It cures a hangover.”

It certainly challenges the Raritan River/ Driscoll Bridge theory . . which states that everything south of the Bridge is South Jersey. But Bon Jovi used both terms: Taylor Ham AND Pork Roll . . . but he used Taylor Ham twice. NORTH JERSEY!

Take our survery on whether you put ketchup or mustard on your Taylor Ham or Pork Roll.
Taylor Ham or Pork Roll?

Taylor Ham Pork Roll Map

From my travels, this is the map of where people in New Jersey use the terms: "Pork Roll" (RED) and "Taylor Ham" (BLUE).  It is still up for debate - and I pretty much followed county lines on this one (except Warren), but I believe it to be pretty accurate.

Taylor Ham Pork Roll and more

Click to Play

Is it called "Taylor Ham" or "Pork Roll?" For those that eat pork, New Jersey's famous breakfast can be eaten with ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise. But what to call it? It is as devisive as "sub" or "hoagie." And then, there are some clips from my weekend as we try to wrap up filming.

My hometown, Ewing, North or South?

When asked, "Why did you start this project?" I have often cited that many people who grow up in Mercer County ask this question often.  For instance, there are many facebook groups dedicated to North and South Jersey and one of them debated "getting rid of Mercer" . . . . and did. 

It was feeling like we didn't fit in anywhere.

In Mercer, we really are our own entity. Princeton-Trenton is considered to be its own metropolitan area, even though the influences from New York and Philadelphia are both quite high. Well now, my hometown, Ewing, is in the spotlight.

Arguments for North:

-Residents get nearly all the New York news and sports' channels on basic cable with the exception of NBC 4 out of New York, though they do get it on HD.
-It is North of Trenton
-As of 2000, the county is considered to be part of the New York metropolitan area (if you ignore the smaller Trenton-Princeton metro area referenced above)
-No Wawas in the town, but there is a prominent 7-11 close to TCNJ (and I rarely, if ever, visited a Wawa when in High School  . . . except that dingy one near Princeton University).

Arguments for south:

-It is a "hoagie" here and "Pork Roll" . . and since Pork Roll was actually invented around this area, don't EVER call it Taylor Ham.
-Closer in miles and driving distance to Philadelphia
-Township borders the Delaware River
-Septa train line connects town with Philadelphia

Reasons for confusion:

-Both local newspapers cover Philadelphia AND New Jersey/ New York sports' teams; it was common to see teachers and students fighting at my High School over the Giants and Eagles.

-It is easy to get the NJ Transit train out of Trenton to go to New York or the SEPTA R7 to Philadelphia, also out of Trenton.

-In our documentary one girl summed up the feelings that many have in Mercer. When interviewing her on the campus of TCNJ, she told me that she was a Yankees' fan and grew up in Burlington County her entire life. She said that she was messed with by Philly fans often, but once she crossed into Mercer, she felt "it is now OK to be a Yankees fan." Certainly the Yankees don't dominate the area, as there are many Phillies' fans, but in Mercer, "It is now OK."

So Mercer County's slogan could be: "Mercer: the county where's it's OK to root for any sports' team and not get thrown out of the bar. . . . well unless you're a Dallas fan."  

Though you may say it's an argument for Central Jersey - try finding any other counties like this one.  It could be just my native pride - but there is no other place in Jersey like it.  But please vote above and we'll see if it's closer than the Asbury Park vote . . which turned out to be: 63% North to 36% South.

5 Jersey Shore reality TV shows that don't exist, but should

With a couple spinoffs resulting from MTV's Jersey Shore, other network execs are likely frothing at the mouth for ways to continue to exploit showcase our state. It appears NJ's time on stage has not yet expired.

But what if there are more chapters in the Jersey reality storyboard still unread that could leave a different kind of legacy to the world?

So television executives looking for that next big hit, I present to you a list of five reality TV shows that would broaden the narrow spotlight on us, while preserving the Jersey Shore as the centerpiece of action. If produced correctly, some serious ratings gold might be achieved.

1. The Other Side of Jersey Shore

PBS does a great documentary series entitled, POV, showing viewers controversial issues from different sides. This variation would examine the locals who have weathered rowdy crowds similar to the Jersey Shore cast for years, in this case, let's focus on the people at Benny Go Home. Put cameras on this loose alliance of locals and:

Follow their struggles with tourists littering, swelling traffic and the bad behavior we're already used to seeing on TV. They roll their eyes as the police come to break up another boardwalk brawl. They campaign against eminent domain and support independent businesses. They throw a huge party after Labor Day celebrating the end of the tourist season. You may disagree with their philosophy: but I dare you to find one group that bleeds Jersey Pride more.

Likely Channels: PBS, the CW or WB
Hangout: The Wonder Bar during Yappy Hour (Can't we set something there?)
Watchability: 9 - BGH has a healthy relationship with the Jersey Shore Roller Girls out of Asbury Park. While the focus could shift from one group to the other, these two organizations often do events together and embrace the locals tag ferociously. Roller Girl matches would adrenalize any down times. Being set in and around Asbury Park, an added highlight would be the eclectic live music scene.

2. Ice Water Surfers



I've written about New Jersey surfing legend Dean Randazzo before, but it's also important to emphasize Alex DePhillipo's stunning documentary, Dark Fall the movie in which Randazzo and other Garden State surfers are featured. The film could easily be molded into a television format: Follow around these nomadic amphibians during fall and winter. Tension builds every time they check the weather for reports of a Nor'Easter barreling our way. They brace for the news, like firefighters awaiting the call bell.

In addition to seeing these protagonists brave the frigid temperatures of the North Atlantic, the show should also focus on the relationship surfers have with the environment. Many are already stewards of the sea. Learn a couple environmental tips while getting some hot coca and developing a deep respect for what these thrill seekers will do for a rush.

Likely Channels: National Geographic, Planet Green, The Weather Channel
Hangout: The surfers would swap stories at the local Diner, where we could also introduce Taylor Ham Pork Roll to the world.
Watchability: 8.5 Surfers crave challenges. It could make the Jersey Shore a destination for every surfer: You go to Costa Rica in the winter? That's cool; it's like the kiddie pool compared to getting slammed by unpredictable frozen winter waves. Additionally, with Randazzo, DePhillipo and some other common Jersey surnames, it would doubly show that not every Italian American from our state is a member of the GTL crowd.

3. Sand in my Dancing Shoes

While the Harold and Kumar movies fall into the stoner comedy category, I thought the two actors were more notable for breaking prevalent Hollywood stereotypes about Asian Americans. So why not further shatter that ceiling while showing that New Jersey is actually a very culturally diverse place?

Use the Diwakar Bollywood Dancers: They're young, they're hot, they're from New Jersey and they do more than fist pump. They practice by day and tear up Jersey Shore dance floors by night. The guys came from breakdancing roots, the girls from classical and traditional styles. Some were born in India, most were born here. And then there's Alex, who refers to herself as, "the white girl." Founder of Dance Diwakar, Anil Diwakar, emigrated from India to New Jersey where he met and married an Italian American woman from Passaic County. East meets West with familiar cultural ties that would focus heavily on family, food . . . and footwork.

Likely Channels: Travel Channel, TLC
Hangout: During the day, they'd be at the Dance Studio or eating on Oak Tree Road, USA. They'd hit up the Jersey Shore clubs at night. Bollywood dancing is very physical, so a nice twist would be to see if their athleticism could also translate to the beach volleyball courts.
Watchability: 9.5 It's true that Outsourced, failed on NBC just after one season, but this is about Indian Americans from New Jersey. This show has the versatility to include permanent judges. Maybe native Garden State son, Kal Penn, makes a couple appearances? Or maybe, like Jersey Shore going to Italy, they travel to India and compete giving the show the strongest international flavor? I was impressed enough, I'm likely signing up for a winter class

4. The Real Lifeguards of the Jersey Shore

It's fine if you imagine this as a New Jersey Baywatch, but it's much, much more than just chiseled tan bodies in the summer sun. These Jersey Shore lifeguard races are fiercely competitive and over one hundred years old (take that California). Stone Harbor captain, Sandy Bosacco, told me, "Many of these lifeguards are former division I and III athletes. It's intense."

Cameras document the initiations of freshmen lifeguards, the grueling training trials and feature the veteran lifeguards who compete in local, regional and national tournaments.

I'm betting many lifeguards find summer romance together; walks on the beach at sunrise would get our hearts racing.

Likely Channels: Any ESPN Channel, The History Channel, Spike
Hangout: A Jersey Shore Bar/ Restaurant with a cool outdoor deck. Bonus if it has a colorful grandma-like owner who treats the lifeguards like family.
Watchability: 7 You'd have a very attractive cast, but because they are public employees, it would be tough negotiations with a town to follow off-duty lifeguards out to the summer bar scene. But maybe we could just concentrate on the sport of it all? It would be good for families and promote healthy living. More action photos and some videos here.

5. Law and Order: Beach Badge Divison - by Chris Illuminati

Follows the courageous men and women of the New Jersey beaches who put their life on the line every day selling and checking beach badges. From the sweat box sellers (it gets to about 110 degrees inside those little outhouses) to the men and women walking the beach checking to make sure everyone has paid their $8 to use the usually free sand and ocean. In an early episode, all hell breaks loose when someone accidentally writes the wrong water temperature on the chalk board and Sally over on 5th street runs out of singles before 10am!

Likely Channels: NJTV, Comedy Central
Hangout: City Hall
Watchability: 10 Before every Memorial Day weekend, the mayor or captain to deliver the best motivational speech to beach badge patrollers will produce a video with the potential to go more viral than Jim Mora's famous 'playoffs' press conference. The end of each episode would be a slow montage of outsiders' reactions once they find out they have to pay to go on the beach, all set to AC/DC's "Money Talks."

The current offering of Jersey reality shows is like being stuck in the frozen foods section. Time to give audiences access to more than one aisle of the Garden State supermarket. Each of these shows has immense potential. Writers, if you develop something similar and it's a hit, please just add my name to the credits. If it flops, a maid in my hotel wrote this.

High fives to Chris Illuminati; Eli Kazin and Derek Tagliarino for the "watchability" inspiration and 95 Sports for the AC/DC idea.

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Why Jersey Pride is unfashionable . . . for some

Below I attempt to dissect why New Jersey has a wounded self-confidence that is unrelated to its oil refineries, traffic jammed roads or power plants. . . . let me know what you think.
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In October, Jon Bon Jovi was the host of Saturday Night Live. One of his first sketches was portraying Carlo, who works two no-show construction jobs around New Jersey. The game show studio was "located" in Secaucus, NJ and the premise was that anytime anyone found something offensive, they had to buzz in and say, "Ohhhhhhhh" and then explain why it was wrong.

Fred Armisen's character noted that substituting velveeta for ricotta when making baked ziti was like spitting on his grandmother's grave.All of the characters as well as the host were Italian-Americans from New Jersey and even the girlfriend who came on, was a whiny Italian woman who did the unthinkable: insult Frank Sinatra to her on-and-off boyfriend, the game show host.
Even, before the Sopranos - this has been the image of the iconic New Jerseyan: Italian, working class and thus, uncultured. When Ashley Dupre was revealed to be New York Gov. Spitzer's call-girl, this was only strengthened. (Since her mother's last name was Capalbo - it is safe to say that Dupre has some Italian heritage).

If I asked you to imagine what the prototypical Jersey girl is - she'd probably be the North Jersey Italian (or many times Jewish) girl- as describe here, "the dumb brunettes." Even MadTV had a sketch known as "Jersey ladies" which helped popularize the image of the Jersey Girl. . . though they are somewhat more diverse here:

It is true that not every joke about New Jersey goes back to Italians . . some could argue that the cultures have mish-mashed so much that we're all uniquely "Jersey" now. But, I still argue that the image others have about New Jersey - starts with that usual Italian, North Jersey caricature.

New Jersey has the second largest ratio of Italian-Americans in the US and because of the media's romance with the mafia - this is the image that has endured. It has usually been the North Jersey working class guy - "who tawlks with w's when ordering cawfee and chaw-klate" even though some of the largest Italian-American populations in New Jersey are in Hamilton, Hammonton and Vineland.

It is of important note that most are already third and fourth generation Americans, many have married non-Italians and thus cannot even utter a word of the mother-tongue. (Your writer here is half Italian . . . ma parlo italiano abbastanza bene).

Not all the stereotypes are about Italians, true, but many have started there. However, despite these labels - New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation. We are many cultures, religions and ethnicities and have benefited from them all. We have a vast array of awesome ethnic restaurants because of this. And if you ever check out the New Jersey tourism guide - you can celebrate many ethnic and religious holidays at very big festivals - and gorge yourself on the food that - let me tell you - you cannot get in many other parts of the US. And if you can, the quality is questionable. (My parents now live in Arizona and my dad begs me to bring a piece of pizza or a bagel back from New Jersey . . . we won't even get into Taylor Ham Pork Roll).

When you are right next to the most cultured city in the US, and on your southern half, you have the birthplace of the nation, you will automatically have a complex like you're not good enough. This is why many educated people from North Jersey will tell out-of-staters that they are from "the New York area" or their southern brethren will say they are from "the Philadelphia area" and cringe if they had to utter . . . New Jersey.

While this is going on - many of the blue collar people that I spoke about earlier will embrace the tag of saying, "I'm from New Jersey" along with the Shore people who usually don't try to escape the tag either.

So Jersey Pride has mostly been equated with blue-collar, working class culture (and thus unfashionable for many of the more educated New Jerseyans). And though many musicians like Springsteen, Bon Jovi the band and director Kevin Smith have embraced the state in the media - the bad taste for many remains.

So people fear saying that they are from New Jersey would have them labeled as a "Guido" or perhaps even, "The toxic avenger." And up North, there are those who shun it too and I would think it is why they would rather be Ranger fans than New Jersey Devils fans . . . but let's stay on topic.

I have seen many people at the shore changing this image, whether they meant to or not. They do not hide their Jersey Pride, and although they clash with the group known as "Bennys" - they do share something in common with those Bennys from New Jersey - Jersey Pride, though it may be of a different variety.

So I believe that part of our complex (not the part related to North Jersey being thought of as ugly) is that New Jerseyans, right or wrongly have been stereotyped so much in the media, the North Jersey mafia-tied, Guido guy and big-haired girls- that we seem like such a culturally distinct group - such as the Cajuns in Louisiana - but an undesirable one at that.

And those of us that don't fit under these labels - shun the state as to avoid being labeled unfavorably. In my experience is it certainly why South Jerseyans would say "South Jersey" or "Philadelphia-area" before saying "I'm from New Jersey." . . . They don't want to be called Tony Soprano.

But New Jersey does have culture. We have a tremendous amount of museums, theaters, concert venues and trendy downtowns to make most states jealous. The iconic New Jerseyan as portrayed in the media does exist. . . most stereotypes aren't invented out of thin air and yes, the state has a lot of corruption, but they do blur some lines.

Part of my project in this film has been trying to explore the many New Jersey cultures and find things besides Springsteen and Bon Jovi that unite us and give us all pride. Going here is a big part of that pride for sure. . . but what is Jersey Pride for you?

Is Flemington in North or South Jersey?

Is Flemington, the county seat of Hunterdon County, in North or South Jersey? Please Vote above.

Arguments for North:

-It is called a "sub" there
-Few Philadelphia local news channels in sight on basic cable (only FOX 29 and CW Philly)
-Mostly New York area sports' fans
-People will fly out of Newark rather than Philadelphia.

Arguments for South:

-There is a nearby Wawa
-It is Pork Roll, not Taylor Ham
-It is south of the Raritan River
-Closer to Philadelphia in miles.

Note: Google maps lists Flemington as being the same driving TIME distance (not miles) to Center City Philadelphia or Lower Manhattan.

Is Asbury Park in North or South Jersey?

OK, I was shocked at how one-sided the Flemington votes were (88% North, 11% South) so I decided to go across the state - way across - to the beach. Bruce Springsteen had a great speech about what it means to be from New Jersey at the New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony a week back. . . so I thought it appropriate to pick the town which inspired his first album cover, Asbury Park.

Arguments for North:

-Residents get all New York local news and sports' channels
-NJ Transit train lines to Newark/ New York go through the town (and south of it) . . . no --Philadelphia linked train line.
-Residents are New York/ New Jersey sports' fans . . . not a Philly fan in sight
-People fly out of Newark
-It is a "sub" here
-They call tourists "Bennys" not Shoobies

Arguments for South:

-They get some Philadelphia network affiliates - it differs slightly with cable plan*, but both get at least 3 -4 channels
-It is Pork Roll, not Taylor Ham
-There are an abundance of Wawas around, complete with Philly soft pretzels
-It is south of the Raritan River
-It's at the Beach . . so a completely different attitude than those farther north . . . many flip flops around during summer months.

*Asbury Park is split with basic cable, some residents get Cablevision, some get Comcast.

Finding the line: part II

We guarantee that this post will be more controversial than the last. But these are the counties that after exhausting research - pointed NORTH. These counties have more in common with North Jersey than South Jersey.

Now it must be said, that this is a debate mostly about Somerset and Middlesex counties, where most residents consider themselves as being from Central Jersey. However, if we are going by CULTURE first and geography second, then it must be understood that this is North Jersey.All of these counties have many things that bind them together.

#1 - Sports loyalties. No one can hide behind the Central label here. Someone from the south of the county, from even Cranbury or Skillman, roots for the same sports teams as someone from Mahwah, with very rare exceptions.

#2 - They watch the New York news. Even though some of the southern towns here get some Philly stations; they all get more New York channels.

#3 - It is closer to fly out of EWR than PHL in all of the above counties

#4 - The following are called a sub, Italian ice and sprinkles (not hoagie, water ice and jimmies)

#5 - All are within the New York metropolitan area and "The City" is NYC.

#6 - Somerset is north of Princeton (which is a big deal that I will talk about in my next post) and Middlesex is in the Gateway region as defined by the state of New Jersey.

#7 - The Newark Star Ledger is the biggest selling paper in all of these counties and has a special section for all.

Somerset & Middlesex Debatable:

#1 The towns of Rocky Hill, Montgomery, Plainsboro & Cranbury have a 609 area code and some of them are geographically closer to Philadelphia.

#2 It is Pork Roll (not Taylor Ham)

#3 The southern parts of these counties are below the Raritan River - which the Driscoll Bride spans.

But let's be clear on one thing. Most people in North Jersey cite the Driscoll Bridge as their biggest dividing line. Since that spans the Raritan River - we can use that as a dividing line and easily take out the northern parts of Middlesex and Somerset counties.

Now in the next post, I will explain why the southern parts of Middlesex and Somerset are still culturally North Jersey.

Warren County - one of our most interesting

Warren County's proximity to Easton, PA and also the Philadelphia Eagles' training camp in Bethlehem on the campus of Lehigh University makes it weird as far as it being a Northern New Jersey County. Some people call it a hoagie, and you'll also find Pork Roll on the menu (and not Taylor Ham) at most diners.  .  . . . not to mention a good amount of Eagles' fans.

Well, read this article on the change in demographics over the years in this area known as the Lehigh Valley (it also includes the PA side).  

Lehigh Valley Live