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The reality of New Jersey accents and dialect boundaries

Uncle Floyd vs. Captain Noah

In New Jersey: the Movie we documented the TV differences in the state.

However, we missed a channel specific divide. We'll call it: the Uncle Floyd - Captain Noah line.

For instance, in North Jersey, most people have very fond memories of Uncle Floyd Vivino.

In the early years of cable, and even on my old antenna TV, we could get The Uncle Floyd show in Mercer County. My father absolutely adored the man; and watching his show became something of a family ritual in our household that would only be rivaled years later by Fox Sunday Nights with The Simpsons and In Living Color.

The years have passed, but when Uncle Floyd announced his run for New Jersey Governor, my dad immediately emailed me from Arizona, where my parents live now, to make sure I considered him as a write-in vote.

Turning the rabbit ears south, in the past, many kids in PA and South Jersey ritualistically turned their TV sets to Captain Noah on their local network affiliates. Captain Noah was more of a children's show compared to Floyd's, and because dad didn't watch this - I really don't have any memories of Captain Noah.

More familiar to me was the musician who scored the show, Larry Ferrari, because he played at the Ewing fireworks every 4th of July. But the Captain's set still lives on at the Please Touch Museum.

However, I do have a clearer Philadelphia/ South Jersey TV family tradition.

Every New Year's Day, our household usually tuned into a Philadelphia affiliate and watched the Mummers parade. Especially since my father was stationed for a time in Philadelphia's Naval Yard, this was a big deal. I even attended a wedding where Mummers dancers were part of the entertainment.

I often wonder if we still lived in our old house today, if our family would watch the Mummers or the Winter Classic.

As for the divide?

Ask someone from North Jersey who Captain Noah was or what the Mummers are, you'll likely be met with blank stares.

Ask someone from South Jersey if they remember Uncle Floyd (even though he was syndicated for a short time on Channel 29). Unless they have a relative up north . . . they probably won't know either.

Don't believe me? Go ask a friend or a colleague now. But make sure they're over 30, or they'll probably have no idea what you're talking about:

It was pretty cool growing up in Mercer County, NJ in the 1980s and 1990s and getting all four network affiliates on basic cable: NBC, ABC, CBS & FOX from New York and Philly. And it probably contributed to this NJ identity complex that I have.

If you grew up in Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Monmouth or Ocean counties, I'd be especially interested to hear your experiences on the Uncle Floyd - Captain Noah Line.

More to Jersey - part II

This was published on youtube a while ago. Sorry for the delay. You should follow Steve on youtube too.

More to Jersey - part I

Jersey Regional Food Traditions

The food we eat defines us. In, New Jersey, we already have access to some of the best food in the world due to our diverse demographics. Our pizza & bagels are top notch and our ethnic foods are far reaching. However, there are some areas of NJ where the locals swear by a certain food. In Mounmouth County, it's Windmill Hot Dogs, but next door in Mercer, people barely have heard of them. This lead me to come up with a small map showcasing a local area's culinary chains. I've got 5 so far; what would you add to the list?

In the Trenton area, (besides Pork Roll which we've pointed out enough times), DeLorenzo's Tomatoe Pies, are a tradition.

In Monmouth County (and one in Westfield), you have the aforementioned, Windmill Hot Dogs.

In the River towns along Burlington County, you have Boost! Cola, which is like catnip to young residents there.

In Ocean & Monmouth counties, it's Surf Taco (thanks to John and Lisa for the rec).

And it may be a stretch, but if you went to Rutgers, Grease Trucks, are part of your vocabulary.

Even the Media knows it's an East-West line

New Jersey's hot right now. So hot, we'll be boasting five reality TV shows come summer (take that California and New York). The New York Times even had a recent article on this entitled, "Going to New Jersey to find America."

But when looking at the locations of these reality TV shows - seeing a divide is obvious. Let's call it, "The Media Divide."

In, New Jersey: the Movie, we theorized the cultural dividing line in the state wasn't North or South, but East and West. We drew the line, but also mentioned the historic Keith and Lawrence lines. If you look at a map of the Lawrence Line (giving East Jersey the least amount of land) and where the reality shows are located; they all fall into old East Jersey:

You could argue that this is merely a product of East Jersey's population being much larger. You could say that East Jersey just has more Italian-Americans, which all five shows focus on. And having the Zeitgeist of "Mayberry" with the voltage and excitement of New York City doesn't hurt either.

But as a half-Italian kid growing up on the west side of this line; I always wondered why big media never focused on us. Even looking at fictional shows like, The Sopranos, and oft-forgotten, That's Life and movies like Date Night and Kevin Smith's Jersey trilogy, East Jersey OWNS NJ's media portrayal to America and they always have.

And outside of films focusing on Princeton University, all the West seems to have is Boardwalk Empire - which will most likely have its fair share of New Yorkers anyway.

West Jersey people would most likely say that they would never parade their lives on camera for lowbrow television. Maybe it's the Quaker values . . .

But it begs a question:

Are people in East Jersey just more interesting?

If you had an idea for a West Jersey reality show - what would it be?

Which blogger will win a free DVD?

Since it is the NHL playoffs and New Jersey has been divided by sports again, I wanted to bring to your attention two great sports bloggers both from New Jersey, one of whom writes all things surrounding the New Jersey Devils and the other who writes about the Philadelphia Flyers.

John Fischer of the blog, In Lou We Trust, which is named after New Jersey Devils' General Manager and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Lou Lamoreillo, is from Middlesex County and also a New York Giants fan in addition to pulling for the Devils.

Travis Hughes of Broad Street Hockey, which is named after Broad Street in Philadelphia, as well as the Broad Street Bullies, is a total Philly sports fan, even listing the expansion Philadelphia Union of the MLS as a favorite of his.

They write for the grassroots fan network, SB Nation and when I tell you that it's some of the best sports analysis that I've read, that would be an understatement. It is true that when I was younger on field trips, I still remember going into the offices of the Star Ledger and the Trenton Times and hoping I would see Rich Chere or Mark Eckel respectively. And most of the beat writers' articles are linked on these blogs. But the number crunching and stats compilations these bloggers sometimes pull off is quite breathtaking. The fan interaction options also highlight the experience and its part of the whole (Sports Blog) Nation's philosophy.

Now the two are debating back and forth about this series, Devil and Flyer things on the ice, but also off the ice as well.

So, here's the deal. If the Devils win, I'm going to send a free copy of our DVD to Fischer. If it's the Flyers, I will send one to Hughes. And because I am a big Phillies and Devils' fan, I own sports things they both might like - I will also include a little slice of paraphernalia, probably an old hockey or baseball card or some other form of nostalgia as well with the DVD.

In the meantime, check our their blogs and also the many contributors they have that keep it all running so well. And cheer for your favorite team.

Devils and Flyers score hattrick - split New Jersey for 3rd time in 16 months

I'll have more on this, but it's been 3 times in the playoffs now in 16 months time. Wow.

First it was the Giants and Eagles in Jan. of 2009 and the NFL Playoffs.

Then, it was the Phillies and Yankees in the 2009 MLB World Series.

Now, it's the Philadelphia Flyers playing against the New Jersey Devils in the NHL playoffs. It's hockey, it's the 1st Round and thus . . . not as important to New Jerseyans, I'm suspecting.

But since hockey is my favorite sport, it's BIG for me. And I'm calling this: the tiebreaker.

More to come . . . I will be at Game 1 in Newark and Game 3 in Philly.

New Jersey's Property Tax Divide

Numbers are from 2007. Here is the map and ranking of counties' average property tax. Highest 11 are highlighted green. Statistics taken from NJ.com's By the Numbers.

Last Day to buy NJ the Movie in time for Valentine's

Today Monday February 8, 2010 is the last day to order New Jersey: the Movie so it ships in time for Valentine's Day.

New Jersey: the Movie ON SALE!

New Jersey: the Movie is ON SALE!

It will ship by February 10th. Discount code to get you 15% Off - ewing2010. If you buy the 2 pack you get an additional 10% off.

BUY HERE