# Another example of a New Yorker thinking they are the center of the Universe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361 "2016-06-25T22:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/41 "2016-06-26T19:06:19Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > In Boston in the '70s it was a grinder. They also had ‘cheese pizzas’. Which was a just a pizza. I always asked my dad if you ask for just a pizza do they serve you only the crust? But I guess a cheese pizza was better than a garbage pizza-- also very popular in Boston at the time. Yes please, cheese and no garbage, thank you. “cheese pizza” is a useful term—how else would you say “pizza with only tomato sauce and cheese.and mo.other toppings”? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/42 "2016-06-26T19:07:55Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “cheese pizza” is a useful term—how else would you say “pizza with only tomato sauce and cheese.and mo.other toppings”? Slice of pizza, please. If you want toppings say ‘slice with mushrooms’ or whatever toppings you like. Cheese is a given, no need to ask for it. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/43 "2016-06-26T19:22:06Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Slice of pizza, please. If you want toppings say ‘slice with mushrooms’ or whatever toppings you like. Cheese is a given, no need to ask for it. In most places I have lived if you just ask for a slice of pizza then the clerk is going to ask you what kind or what you want on it. The term “cheese pizza” reflects a society in which a pizza without something additional is not assumed to be the default pizza. In fact, I rarely see people eating cheese pizzas. If there is any default, it might be pepperoni. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/44 "2016-06-26T19:32:19Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > In most places I have lived if you just ask for a slice of pizza then the clerk is going to ask you what kind or what you want on it. The term “cheese pizza” reflects a society in which a pizza without something additional is not assumed to be the default pizza. In fact, I rarely see people eating cheese pizzas. If there is any default, it might be pepperoni. You live in a fucked up world, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/45 "2016-06-26T19:59:52Z")
I never heard the song, but then in the early 80s, I was well past my teen years, a home owner, and a Navy officer. And I preferred the music of Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond, among others. And for the record, the last time I was in New York was for the World’s Fair in 1964. Except for 2 years ago when our cruise ended in Brooklyn and we drove home from there. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/46 "2016-06-26T20:02:28Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > You live in a fucked up world, my friend. Hey, I didn’t even tell you that I’m not a big fan of New York pizza. My favorite pizzas can’t be folded over—they break like a cracker if you try that. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/47 "2016-06-26T20:18:55Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Hey, I didn’t even tell you that I’m not a big fan of New York pizza. My favorite pizzas can’t be folded over—they break like a cracker if you try that. [Don LaFontiane] In a world were pizza cracks when folded and men brag about never hearing hip hop or electronica. . … Brick Hardcase in— NYC is Not The Center of the Universe![/D LaF] ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/48 "2016-06-26T20:22:56Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Just yesterday I was in a Stewart’s to look for some Crumbs Along The Mohawk ice cream, and saw on a shelf wrapped up buttered rolls for 99 cents. Never saw such a thing before, but there it was. Stewart’s has best selling those for years, though it’s not really a hard roll, which is crustier. It’s a decent cheap breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/49 "2016-06-26T20:31:37Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They didn’t steal our Coffeemilk though. We leave it out and unlocked and no one will steal it. I remember having coffeemilk as a kid. I didn’t much like milk, so it did help a bit. Of course, we could have hidden it in a “cabinet”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/50 "2016-06-26T20:53:51Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > In Boston in the '70s it was a grinder. They also had ‘cheese pizzas’. Which was a just a pizza. I always asked my dad if you ask for just a pizza do they serve you only the crust? But I guess a cheese pizza was better than a garbage pizza-- also very popular in Boston at the time. Yes please, cheese and no garbage, thank you. This is so wrong. In Boston it has been, is, and will be, a sub. I’ve been here since 1967 and never heard one person order or advertise a grinder. OMG. They had a shop in 1970 that was named after the Beatles movie, no, not “The Gunmetal Grinder” It was 'Yellow Submarine" Cheese pizza is a term indicating the lack of topping, by convention. If you want to order a pizza and say “pizza” you are obligating the person to ask “What do you want on it?” If you don’t want to be bothered to say “cheese” then maybe they are thinking that this conversation might be more pain than it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/51 "2016-06-26T21:10:55Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > This is so wrong. In Boston it has been, is, and will be, a sub. I’ve been here since 1967 and never heard one person order or advertise a grinder. OMG. They had a shop in 1970 that was named after the Beatles movie, no, not “The Gunmetal Grinder” It was 'Yellow Submarine" > > Cheese pizza is a term indicating the lack of topping, by convention. If you want to order a pizza and say “pizza” you are obligating the person to ask “What do you want on it?” If you don’t want to be bothered to say “cheese” then maybe they are thinking that this conversation might be more pain than it’s worth. So, if you ask for a cheese pizza they won’t give you tomato sauce? Or no crust. I mean, you didn’t specify you wanted sauce or crust when you ordered a cheese pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/52 "2016-06-26T21:16:34Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I’m confused by your sentence structure. In MA it’s a sub. In N.O. it’s a poboy. What is the sandwich taxonomy map? [Here.](http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/hoagiemap.png) ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/53 "2016-06-26T21:22:59Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > So, if you ask for a cheese pizza they won’t give you tomato sauce? Or no crust. I mean, you didn’t specify you wanted sauce or crust when you ordered a cheese pizza. You are precisely the customer I was referring to in my post, which I think you may not have read. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/54 "2016-06-26T21:28:24Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Here.](http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/hoagiemap.png) I know in Maine they mostly say “Eye-Talian Sandwich” Looks like CT is “other” country. Maybe that’s grinders. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/55 "2016-06-26T21:31:36Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > In Boston in the '70s it was a grinder. They also had ‘cheese pizzas’. Which was a just a pizza. I always asked my dad if you ask for just a pizza do they serve you only the crust? But I guess a cheese pizza was better than a garbage pizza-- also very popular in Boston at the time. Yes please, cheese and no garbage, thank you. > [@Biggirl](#): > > So, if you ask for a cheese pizza they won’t give you tomato sauce? Or no crust. I mean, you didn’t specify you wanted sauce or crust when you ordered a cheese pizza. O course you will get a cheese pizza if you order a cheese pizza. “cheese pizza” is shorthand for “just-cheese pizza.” I suppose you could call it “plain pizza” but not just “pizza” without getting more questions. Are you saying there is a region in which you have lived where you just say “give me a pizza” and you get a cheese pie? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/56 "2016-06-26T21:35:26Z")
> [@tenacious\_j](#): > > O course you will get a cheese pizza if you order a cheese pizza. “cheese pizza” is shorthand for “just-cheese pizza.” I suppose you could call it “plain pizza” but not just “pizza” without getting more questions. Are you saying there is a region in which you have lived where you just say “give me a pizza” and you get a cheese pie? Yes. That is exactly what I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/57 "2016-06-26T22:38:25Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > And for the record, the last time I was in New York was for the World’s Fair in 1964. I first arrived in New York that year. Believe me, it’s changed a bit since then. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/58 "2016-06-26T23:03:05Z")
O.K., I will concede that in a world were pizzas are always eaten with a topping, the phrase ‘plain pizza’ may be necessary. That’s not my world but, as I have found out, NYC is not the center of the Universe. But ‘cheese pizza’ is akin to PIN number and ATM machine. It is annoyingly redundant. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/59 "2016-06-26T23:08:17Z")
There are pizzas with bread, tomato sauce, olive oil, and if there is any cheese it’s only the slightest sprinkling of parmesan. I get that in Italian bakeries run by actual immigrants. So maybe that’s what a pizza is in it’s original state, if it must be litigated. Biggirl: Those pin numbers \*\*are \*\*annoying. Maybe you could IM me yours and that will take some of the burden away. I’m just that big a person. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361/60 "2016-06-26T23:31:42Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > O.K., I will concede that in a world were pizzas are always eaten with a topping, the phrase ‘plain pizza’ may be necessary. That’s not my world but, as I have found out, NYC is not the center of the Universe. But ‘cheese pizza’ is akin to PIN number and ATM machine. It is annoyingly redundant. Sure it is, but if I call my local NYC pizzeria ( or any pizzeria I’ve _ever_ patronized) and order “a large pie” , I’m either going to be asked a) “plain”? or b) “What do you want on it?”. It’s not crazy for someone to anticipate the inevitable question. And the song that prompted this thread may have been ubiquitous in your circle- but it wasn’t in mine. Sure, I may have heard it at Coney Island or some other amusement park, but not often enough to remember it. But I no doubt listened to a different radio station than you did , and there were probably songs I couldn’t escape that you never heard of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-example-of-a-new-yorker-thinking-they-are-the-center-of-the-universe/758361.md?page=4)