Oh, good old South Jersey. Home of Wawa, conflicting sports teams and summer beach tests. However, this small part of the world comes with tons of quirks, traditions and big personalities. There really isn't anywhere truly like it. If you ever lived in this little corner of the garden state, I'm sure you can relate.
1. You identify your small New Jersey town by which big city you're closest to.
"I mean, I'm from Philly. But in New Jersey."
2. But we're all basically from Philly, and Philly sports fans do not mess around.
"Like, I know they're not doing good, but one day they might, right?"
3. More than two inches of snow is a blizzard and everything must be cancelled immediately.
"What do you mean school didn't get cancelled? The snow stuck to the ground last night. Do they want me to die?"
4. You knew people that actually were afraid that the Jersey Devil was going to kill them.
"No I swear, I watched a documentary about it and this lady in my town actually saw it."
5. You have a favorite 24-hour diner out of the six in your town.
"It's 3 a.m., lets go to the diner."
6. You're fueled by Wawa, and if anyone brings up QuickCheck or Sheetz, you feel a piece of yourself dying inside.
"How long does Hoagie fest last?"
7. Liking a New York sports team, or even arguing that New York is better than Philly in any way, is basically one of the deadly sins.
"You're wrong, but that's OK I guess."
8. We don't really want to talk about Camden.
"I swear, the waterfront is nice! Don't worry!"
9. Every time someone asks you about Snooki or the Jersey Shore, you can feel yourself cringe, and try to explain none of them were really from anywhere around you.
"No, No, No! Like, they're all from New York and north Jersey. We're not like that."10. But the Jersey Shore is actually where your family rented a house or where you have spent many day trips.
"So are we going to LBI, Wildwood or Ocean City?"
11. Jersey veggies are actually better than any other state's veggies.
"That's way to small to be considered a Jersey tomato."12. It's a pork roll and it's a hoagie. It's just the way the world is.
"Taylor Ham is just a brand of pork roll, you know."
13. You've never pumped your own gas in your life and it is still unreal to you that people actually do that.
"But don't you get cold in the winter getting out? What if someone tries to rob you? How do you know how to work the machine? What if you forget the pump in the car?"
14. Seeing someone with an out-of-state license plate operating a jug handle or a circle and saying a silent prayer for them.
"Why does everyone who doesn't live near me not know how to drive?"
15. You've had to explain to more than one person that New Jersey isn't all industrial buildings and beaches, and that we are actually the garden state for a reason.
"Trust me, that's only the north. I swear."
16. The only thing you can really agree with northerners on is the fact "Central Jersey" doesn't exist.
"There really only is north and south. Sorry."
