I arrive later than most so the heap of doughy goodness has been winnowed down to a few stragglers.
I did not scale the heights, but I did have half a bagel with a schmear (look it up if you don’t know). Although I didn’t get drunk last night, I had 48 ounces (three pints) of beer over about 3.5 hours. Alcohol has a similar effect on me as sugar in getting the cravings going. For lunch I have ordered a tuna salad on rye with a large house salad. I need to load up on veggies to help get back in the groove.
A digression here: I don’t know about the rest of the world, but in New York tuna salad is always referred to as “tuna fish”, which is redundant. Is there tuna chicken? tuna cat? tuna greens? And in delis adding the “fish” means salad. If you want just plain canned tuna (there is no fresh tuna in a deli) it is called “individual tuna”. I referred to schmear in the last paragraph. I’m down with schmear, but “tuna fish” and “individual tuna” give me linguistic heebie-jeebies. (Try the linguistic with clam sauce – bah-dah-bum!)
I have walked a half mile today, but obviously in the wrong direction.
Big Fat Queer 
I grew up in NYC and it’s always been “tuna fish” if you want it mixed with mayo. I have never even questioned it till just now. I sometimes have to remember that not everyone in the U.S. speaks NewYawkese. In the same way I have to catch myself when I go to Puerto Rico and I speak Nuyorican and people look at me like I’m from Mars.
Comment by Ray — April 10, 2010 @ 10:44 am |
When I first moved here I and worked in restaurants I had a problem understanding certain NY conventions. For example “regular” coffee. The definition of that actually varies in burroughs and neighborhoods in the city, but where I worked it was milk, no sugar. What was regular about that? Also the first time somebody ordered a “container” of coffee. I thought “it’s always in a container.” In that area it meant coffee to go.
Comment by bigfatqueer — April 10, 2010 @ 9:31 pm |
Tuna fish here does just mean the whole fish, tuna salad is tuna fish with some salad
personally i hate the smell of tuna so best to avoid it lol
lots of places have quilocalisms, its mad trying to understand them all!
Comment by Robb — April 10, 2010 @ 10:53 am |
Maybe you haven’t had good tuna. I prefer fresh to canned, but some of the cheaper varieties are pretty smelly.
Comment by bigfatqueer — April 10, 2010 @ 9:32 pm |
The NY tuna fish thing seems like a linguistic cousin to gefelte fish?Maybe?
We just say tuna but then there are probably only 2 or 3 decent NY worthy delis in the whole country.2 in Montreal and 1 in TO.
I would like to try some vacu-packed tuna I saw on Good Eats. Apparently much closer to fresh than canned.
Comment by angryislander56 — April 10, 2010 @ 11:36 am |
Gefilte fish is different. There’s no such thing as a “gefilte”. It just means stuffed fish. Unless it’s homemade it can be pretty disgusting too.
Comment by bigfatqueer — April 10, 2010 @ 9:34 pm |
yeah that happens a lot where i work too. weekly i come in to everything from bagels to chocolates to girl scout cookies. temptation is a bitch!! esp being an og vegetarian. it is so fab that you only had half! i dont think you went in the wrong direction, i think you found restraint =)
Comment by lea — April 10, 2010 @ 1:50 pm |
Oh my yes. One of our offices is very big on girl scout cookies. It’s in the suburbs so everybody’s daugher is a scout and they all sell them through their parents offices. Thanks for the encouragement. It was actually your comment from before that made me think to have half and not feel so guilty.
Comment by bigfatqueer — April 10, 2010 @ 9:35 pm |