# Buttered roll-- a New York thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137 "2012-10-18T16:34:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/121 "2017-04-08T05:43:33Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > One of the reasons they refer to blue jeans as ‘dungarees’ is the predominance of Navy and merchant shipping ports here, dungaree was the original term for sailor’s pants. If you walk up to any US merchant marine, coast guard or navy veteran and say dungaree they will immediately think of their old working uniform. > > mrAru probably has 40 or 50 pair of dungaree ‘jeans’ knocking around the farm, he bought a [triwall](http://www.tri-wall.co.th/images/column_1281491935/unipak.gif) of them at a [DRMO auctio](http://www.dispositionservices.dla.mil/)n once to have seomthing to wear around the farm that was durable and cheap. Heh. Do you still have an excess of dungarees? I wore mine well past my service dates because they were so comfortable…and I guess they aren’t a thing anymore (don’t get me started on “Navy Camo”!). I’d love some vintage dungarees. Hell, even the chambray shirts, those were pretty nice too. Edit: Oops, I didn’t realize this was a zombie… ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2017, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/122 "2017-04-09T02:27:17Z")
> [@](#): > > As for buttered bagels - bagels are not supposed to be toasted, they’re supposed to be as fresh and hot as possible, firm on the outside and chewy on the inside. Closer to being a pretzel than bread, in a way. As such, toasting is for leftover day old bagels, or the “bready” kind of bagels that aren’t the right consistency (the usual complaint of a New Yorker getting a bagel outside of NYC). Some advice here - I found out the hard way that if you want your bagels to be really really REALLY chewy, put them in a microwave for about 30 seconds (or maybe a little less). You’ll find that a chain saw would be a real help in subduing the things. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/123 "2017-04-09T03:12:56Z")
I grew up in New England, and am quite familiar with “regular coffee”, although I didn’t know the phrase kept it’s meaning all the way south in NYC. 🙂 As for “buttered roll”, I would have imagined it to be a roll with butter on it. Never actually heard the term before. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/124 "2017-04-10T21:51:34Z")
> [@Mike8615](#): > > I did not realize that a “regular” coffee was a ny thing. It’s not. It’s a northeast thing, encompassing some, if not all, mid-Atlantic states, all of New England, and according to **Anonymous Coward** parts of Canada too. It’s so common that those of us who don’t even drink coffee know exactly what is meant by the term. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/125 "2017-04-11T05:33:11Z")
I’ve seen this thread before, I think it was linked in some other long forgotten thread, but I still can’t get my head around this, y’alls folks in nyc eat hamburger buns for breakfast? Just…plain? With nothing on them? No peanut butter or jelly or sausage or eggs or anything? Just a plain. buttered. hamburger bun? ---
**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:** [April 11, 2017, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/126 "2017-04-11T06:45:41Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > I’ve seen this thread before, I think it was linked in some other long forgotten thread, but I still can’t get my head around this, y’alls folks in nyc eat hamburger buns for breakfast? Just…plain? With nothing on them? No peanut butter or jelly or sausage or eggs or anything? Just a plain. buttered. hamburger bun? Who said anything about hamburger buns? ---
**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:** [April 11, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/127 "2017-04-11T15:30:12Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > Just a plain. buttered. hamburger bun? You clearly don’t understand what we are talking about. A proper [hard roll](https://notalkxjusteat.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/1-hard-roll.jpg) is nothing like a hamburger bun. It has a hard crust and a chewy inside. If you used one for a hamburger, you would hurt your mouth. Most commercial hamburger buns have a soft crust and are very sweet. Even when a so-called “kaiser roll” is used as a hamburger bun, a soft-crust version is used. A real hard roll is much more like a baguette than a hamburger bun. And like a baguette, a plain buttered hard roll is great for breakfast together with a cup of coffee. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/128 "2017-04-11T23:48:31Z")
Every few weeks, when I was growing up in Queens, we’d get rolls and jelly doughnuts for Sunday breakfast. I miss them. The rolls were essentially seeded Kaiser rolls, the kind a deli would serve sandwiches on. But they were delicious with a butter and some coffee to wash them down. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/129 "2017-04-12T02:17:34Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You clearly don’t understand what we are talking about. A proper [hard roll](https://notalkxjusteat.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/1-hard-roll.jpg) is nothing like a hamburger bun. It has a hard crust and a chewy inside. If you used one for a hamburger, you would hurt your mouth. Most commercial hamburger buns have a soft crust and are very sweet. Even when a so-called “kaiser roll” is used as a hamburger bun, a soft-crust version is used. > > A real hard roll is much more like a baguette than a hamburger bun. And like a baguette, a plain buttered hard roll is great for breakfast together with a cup of coffee. Oh, I’ve had those, not the soft kind, but the hard crusty type, as a hamburger bun, worked really well too. They also go really well with stew and chili. That why I have a hard time picturing this as a normal part of a regular breakfast. I guess in a pinch I could see it. Cultural variation within the country I guess ---
**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:** [April 12, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/130 "2017-04-12T04:18:50Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > That why I have a hard time picturing this as a normal part of a regular breakfast. I guess in a pinch I could see it. Cultural variation within the country I guess Then that’s another misconception on your part. A hard roll is not a “regular breakfast.” It’s an accompaniment to a cup of coffee, like a bagel, a donut, or a Danish. While some people might have just that as a light breakfast, in my experience, a full breakfast with eggs, bacon or sausage, etc would not typically include a hard roll. You would usually get a side of toast with that. In college, I used to work during the summers as an elevator operator and porter in Manhattan. Mid-morning we would send someone out for coffee and hard rolls. It was a snack, not breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/131 "2017-04-12T15:07:13Z")
I’m originally from NY State. When we moved to PA and went looking for buttered rolls, they looked at us like we’d grown an extra head. “You want what?” ---
**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:** [April 12, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/132 "2017-04-12T15:51:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > While some people might have just that as a light breakfast, in my experience, a full breakfast with eggs, bacon or sausage, etc would not typically include a hard roll. You would usually get a side of toast with that. This said, the [bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a roll](https://www.dailydot.com/irl/best-bacon-egg-cheese-sandwich-yelp-nyc/) is a NY deli standard for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/133 "2017-04-12T17:31:22Z")
And it’s identical twin brother - sausage egg and cheese on a roll with salt and pepper. These two sandwiches comprise the Cain and Abel of breakfast foods in the Northeast part of the United States. Within this family is the evil step child, the hard roll with Poppy Seeds. While it is true that one can apply butter to this heinous object, it really has no place in civilized society. 😃 Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/134 "2017-04-12T19:43:38Z")
oddly enough there’s a Ca equivalent among places that have an Asian/islander population You get a warmed Hawaiian roll or two (either kings or homemade) and butter or jelly to put on it I found this out when I walked by a bakery that said “breakfast rolls 1.50” and got 2 for the 1.50 that were wrapped with butter and strawberry jam all ready on it it seems to be mainly for the kids walking to school ---
**Author:** ![NJ\_Kef\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b487fb/32.png) [@NJ\_Kef\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NJ_Kef_1)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/135 "2017-04-12T20:26:27Z")
Trenton, NJ. Kaiser roll with butter + Regular Coffee = breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/136 "2017-04-12T20:56:55Z")
Count me as someone who has never heard of what you describe. Roughly 25 years in Oklahoma, 5 years in Texas, and the last 25 years in Georgia. Wow, I need to get out my resume and see if I’ve actually lived here in Georgia longer than I’ve lived in Oklahoma where I was born and raised. ---
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/137 "2017-04-13T16:42:13Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > And it’s identical twin brother - sausage egg and cheese on a roll with salt and pepper… Or triplet. Pork roll, egg, and cheese. The pièce de résistance! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/138 "2017-04-13T16:59:46Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > This said, the [bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a roll](https://www.dailydot.com/irl/best-bacon-egg-cheese-sandwich-yelp-nyc/) is a NY deli standard for breakfast. And it is well worth the $3-5 it costs you at a deli. I make them at home occasionally. You need one pan for the bacon, your omelette pan for the egg (you can use the bacon grease from the bacon instead of butter) plus you have to turn on the oven to properly toast the roll and melt the cheese onto it. Lots of work (and cleanup) for a simple breakfast sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/139 "2017-04-14T01:12:51Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > This said, the [bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a roll](https://www.dailydot.com/irl/best-bacon-egg-cheese-sandwich-yelp-nyc/) is a NY deli standard for breakfast. Rocky’s! That was the place to go when I was growing up, my dad (who had a fun time getting hard rolls in PA, from my post 5 years ago) owned a shop right down the street. I can’t count how many times I’ve ordered Bacon Egg and Cheese with Pepper and Mayo (try the mayo, it works) from those guys. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137/140 "2017-04-14T01:51:27Z")
I agree. A swipe of mayo is better on a BEC than a schmear of butter, no idea why, it just is. And you have to ask the grillman for S&P. At home, you S&P the egg as you beat it, but the grillman never does. An underseasoned BEC is a sad thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buttered-roll-a-new-york-thing/638137.md?page=8)