I completly disagree as well. If they created their own foods with their own origins then yes you fan say one has stole their culture. New York did not invent those foods, Europe did. It’s not like they created an American born food like Pecan pies or Corn dogs. No NJ would not still be farmland if it wasn’t those cities, that could not be farther from the truth. Jersey City became a city in 1618 seven years before New York City. Newark was in the 1600’s. as well. Those two cities are a large part of what makes Jersey go. You can also say how much NJ people has helped build up NYC/Philly as well with how much we have supported those cities for over 100 years. NJ is just getting started on getting revitalized and every part of this state will be.

And all of those things originated in Europe way prior. It’s not like New York created any of those things. It still doesn’t have anything to do with New York. People are always disrepecting NJ and acting like we are a direct copycat of NY/Philly, could not be more false. The real Jersey people don’t care about NY/Philly the way everybody makes it out to be. I like both but I am not associated with them. New Jersey has it all and it is not because of NY/Philly.

This isn’t true. My great great parents from Italy and Germany came straight to North Jersey. That’s a big misconception that NJ people all have NY/Philly roots, a lot do not. New Jersey also makes all the food you listed better imo and it has nothing to do with New York, they all had their own food joints born and bred in Jersey.