There are many aspects of New Jersey I miss, but I keep coming back to two constants, referenced by several posters in this thread: 1) People and 2) Food. In one sense I am fortunate about number 2, because food in New Mexico is similarly outstanding, just in a completely different way. I suppose if I ever move from here, I will truly miss the taste of stacked green chile chicken enchiladas, posole, real tamales, green chile cheeseburgers, etc. They are truly outstanding here, in their own way. But this is precisely why I almost feel like a tourist, or a pseudo-interloper here. The food that remains in my blood are Delaware Valley style hoagies, scrapple, thin crust well done pizza, and real seafood. Let's not forget that. I know some people who live in NJ don't like seafood, but for those of us who do, and have moved to an inland state, the effects can be tortous.
As for the people, don't get me started. This remains the great 'blind spot' I had for New Jersey. When I left, I contemplated missing the food, and that was about it. I was very down on the state when I left. I considered the corrupt political system of government entrenched in Trenton as an extension of the quality of people that resided in the state. Having been gone now for 3 years, I realize in retrospect I could not have been more wrong. You can say what you will about the curt nature of many New Jersey residents, but after living somewhere else, you begin to appreciate the unique quality of the lifelong New Jersey resident. (New Jerseyans live in what I like to call 'the kitchen' of the U.S.A. The rest of us are in the living room, or in my case, the bathroom.) Mine realization was almost an epiphany of sorts. I've been pretty much langishing here intellectually since I've been here. There are many days when I feel dumber than a second coat of paint. One day, I took my kids to a custard stand here after dinner. The stand was recently opened a few months prior and I hadn't tried it yet. When I arrived, the man dispensing the custard behind the counter had an immediately recognizable flare to him. Very outgoing, flamboyant, and here's the key: his facial expressions and the way he spoke to you up close looking you in the eye was not indicative of many others I've seen here. He heard the way I talked and asked me where I was from. He then told me that his parents had relocated to here from Trenton. We spent the next half hour conversing, while he waited on a few other customers, and hung with him through it all. Throughout the course of the conversation, the floodgates began crashing down. This is what I missed, subliminally thrived, in fact, since I left. We discussed everything throughout that conversation, and if my kids did not have to be put to bed, I might still be there talking with him.
Missing food is one thing, but missing the quality of people is something else entirely. You can't put a price on it.
Also, as an ancillary factor, it seems most of you have relocated to venues in the Eastern portion of the country. Here we receive 8 inches of rain a year. You've never seen a place so brown. It's one thing to visit, but try living in it for an extended length of time. My mom comes here every year and leaves telling me she could never move back for that very reason. I can relate (though this reason in and of itself would not influence my decision to move) as when I come back, I'll drive down Rt 519 from Frenchtown to Warren County and just marvel at the bucolic landscape. To me, that drive is the essence of rural New Jersey. And boy do I miss that.
The architecture. Living in most parts of the country, but the northeast especially, you become used to a stately type of home. New England is also noted for this type of architecture. You have an expectation when you buy a house and what it's supposed to look like. Here's the home I used to own in Medford:
I don't have my jump drive with the photo that contains my current home, therefore I'll post one that looks similar to mine currently (in complete contrast):
If you are used to the former, as I am, how does one ever feel comfortable living in the latter (as well as several look alikes, nearly all the homes here look like this).
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12-22-2007, 05:07 PM
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