Donuts, Pizza, Lobstah, oh my!

Most places you go in this world, there is some sort of food that is associated with it. In this country however, it can be a variety of things. Experiencing the food of a new place is a large part of the experience, because, lets be honest, good food is honestly just one of the best things in this world.

New England is full of chain restaurants that have become hugely popular, and there are also restaurants that are special and unique to Boston. In general, New England may be associated with seafood, like clam chowder, lobster, and other random foods, like whoopie pies, apples, cranberries and baked beans. Here is a short list of the restaurants that came to mind as the most important places to know.

Dunkin Donuts
Well, the obvious. Dunkin Donuts began in Massachusetts in 1950, but has since become a national phenomenon. However, I have some family members that rely on Dunkin like we rely on oxygen, and after they visited California they were shocked to find that Dunkin does not exist there. The horror, I know. While Dunkin Donuts may not seem that special, it is a staple, not just in New England, but also many other locations.

                                                   by Brian S

Donuts with a Difference
I have to admit the title is quite goofy. However, I find the donuts here to be top tier, better than Dunkin. While my favorite donuts are warm cider donuts, those only come around once a year at farms so I have to find another way to get good donuts year round. Based in Medford, MA, I used to come here when I was younger with my dad, who would constantly tell me that these donuts were better than others, and I finally realized it all these years later. Although it is a tiny little place tucked away, it holds many delicious treasures inside.

by Best of Boston 2014

Regina Pizza
"Boston's Favorite Pizza" doesn't do the place justice. Started in 1926, the original place is small, always crowded, and on a corner in the North End, the Italian neighorhood of Boston. I have only been once, but it was probably the best pizza I have had. The interior has photographs of famous people that have come to eat there, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Sandler. It is casual and fun, and always very crowded, especially on game days, where everyone eating is decked out in Red Sox gear.

by Kathy Chan

Ben & Jerry's ice cream
Where would we be without them, seriously? This company is not only part of New England 's history, but Penn State's as well! Ben and Jerry took a correspondence course in ice cream making here at Penn State in 1978, and continued to open an ice cream shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. They are known for having a huge array of flavors that are unique to them (fun fact: my dad went to the original shop and ordered plain vanilla...)

by Gray Cargill

Tripoli Pizza and Bakery
I know what you're thinking- more pizza? However this pizza is unlike anything you've ever had. The sauce is sweeter, and it's square pizza. Sounds crazy, I know. I hated it when I was younger, because it was the pizza place that was right on the beach that we ordered from in the summer. They have only a few locations, one of them being on Seabrook Beach in New Hampshire, and some people call it beach pizza, since it originated on the beach. While Seabrook Beach and the surrounding areas are stocked full of seafood restaurants, the following one is the most notable for New England.

                                             by Emil Geithner

Union Oyster House
Confession, I have never eaten here, but it was highly suggested to me by my mom. This is the oldest continuously running restaurant in America, and was started in 1826. Seafood is probably the biggest food industry in New England, primarily Maine and Massachusetts. As you can guess, pretty much everything on the menu is seafood. It has received many awards, such as being in the top ten for best restaurants in the world, and Obama himself got 10 clam chowders to go when he recently visited. This is only one of the literally hundreds of seafood restaurant in the area, so I think one top tier restaurant will suffice.

                                             by Union Oyster House

Boston in 2 hours or less: movies you need to see

Now, who doesn't love movies? I am a huge fan of movies, from Spiderman to Girl, Interrupted to Pride and Prejudice.  Many great, classic movies take place in Massachusetts, so I've compiled a small list of the best of the best from my amateur opinion. Confession- I haven't seen some of the best of the best movies ( like the Departed) , so I have failed on that part. Also, these are in no particular order, just a list.

Good Will Hunting

Ah, Good Will Hunting.  The story of an unlikely genius, Matt Damon, trying to find himself with the help of a professor, Robin Williams. This was written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who are both from Boston and had the plot take place in Boston, specifically Southie, MIT, Bunker Hill, and many more places. This classic won many awards, for the movie itself and for Robin Williams performance. It is a real, gritty, and amazing story of potential, life, love, and finding oneself. It is a movie for anyone and everyone.

Mystic River

While this movie is also set in Boston, and is gritty and kind of rough around the edges, the plot is much darker and more suspenseful. I actually used to live along the Mystic River, so this movie freaked me out slightly afterwards. It touches on darker subjects, and shows the relationships between 3 childhood friends grown up, after one of their children is murdered. Sean Penn won an Oscar for his performance as an ex con, now married and with children. He is accompanied by Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins as the other 2 childhood friends. It is a movie of mystery and drama, and is extremely gripping, and very good if you enjoy dark movies like such.

Spotlight

Spotlight is hands down one of my favorite movies of all time. Not only is the acting incredible, the story line is based on real life events and is never boring. It is full of fantastic actors like Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and more. The film follows The Boston Globe's Spotlight section, which deals with investigative journalism, and the team explores the cases of child sex abuse in the Boston area Roman Catholic churches in 2001. Again we see the gritty side of Boston, and the portrayals of people these actors are doing. This film was eyeopening, well made, and won many awards this past year.

Fever Pitch

Fever Pitch is a fun romantic comedy; however, it takes place in Boston, and one of the main characters Jimmy Fallon is completely in love with the Red Sox, to the point of obsession. It takes place during the 2004 World Series, which the Red Sox win. He starts dating Drew Barrymore, and he struggles to fit his love for her with his love for the team. It is a fun, lighthearted movie, and ties the great game of baseball, specifically the Red Sox, with a romantic love.

The Boston Marathon | 2013

One of the major and most important things about Massachusetts and Boston is the history. However, much of that history is learned in school, or is something well known like Thanksgiving and its origin. So, I decided to dedicate this blog post to the Boston Marathon Bombing, a more recent event in Boston's history that was shocking and devastating to the area and many others. I thought because I was there, at the event that day, I could give some insight into what it was like to be present.

The Boston Marathon, one of the oldest events in Boston, is a spectacle to see. With people from all over the country and the world, it is really something special. The attack was April 15, 2013 and I had been going to the Boston Marathon for a few years, with a couple friends while one of their dads ran the race. The first explosion (though extremely loud) did not scare me as much surprise me; myself and everyone around me though it was a celebratory cannon, but the smoke I could see down the street was a little confusing to say the least. I remember the sidewalks being so jam-packed, with no room to move. There was a dad right in front of me with a little girl on his shoulders that started to cry a little, and he kept reassuring her it was ok, and nothing was wrong. However, his calm demeanor quickly changed when the second explosion went off to our left now, this time slightly closer and obviously not meant for celebration. I will never forget the way he grabbed onto his little girl so tight and pushed his way through the crowd, doing whatever he could to get away. My 2 friends and I were with one of our moms, and together the two of us kicked over the barrier of the race, latched onto eachothers hands, and ran anyway we could without running into people. There were many racers still trying to finish, among all the chaos. I saw many people and things that that day that continue to shock me, and I can still feel all the emotions I felt that day as well. After we had run to some random point on Boylston Street, we stopped so my friend and her mom could call her dad and try to find him. I stood there, holding onto my other friend, shaking uncontrollably and looked around, noticing a man with shredded pants, and a woman with blood all over her hands. I forget sometimes that when this happened I was only 16, and still had a flip phone and was still in love with One Direction. Nevertheless, the four of us trucked on, and after going into every nearby stores and hotels and eventually getting evacuated out of all,  we had walked across a huge chunk of the city until we found her dad, safe and sound. One of the big issues during this day was the malfunctioning of the phone lines, leaving my parents to find out this happened on the news, and then being unable to reach me for hours.

Later that night, hungry, tired, and shocked to the core, we arrived back home after hitching a ride with a relative in Boston, due to the lot with the car being inspected for further bombs. I have never seen my mom so upset and happy at once, because of what could have been. I didn't sleep that night, as it sunk in what had actually happened. I hadn't had an iPhone at that time, so all the news that was being covered that day was unavailable to me until that night, and it hit me like a brick wall. I believe it was this event that made me realize what I wanted to do in college and hopefully for life, is criminology. That day will be with me forever, and to this day I still keep up on what is happening with the man that did all of this, who was only my age when he did that. Watching videos of the marathon actually gives me chills and kind of makes my throat hurt, in that strange way that only happens when certain things strike that spot in your brain or your heart. I feel beyond lucky to have been there and not have gotten injured or hurt in any way, and I am proud to be Boston Strong.

Is it chowder or chowdah?

To start off my blog dedicated to the life of a New Englander, my first post will be all about the quirks and sayings that go along with life here. This past weekend I was walking through downtown State College and I saw on a sign "cheesesteaks and hoagies", and I had no idea what the heck a hoagie was. Not only that, but my friends I was with couldn't get over the fact I didn't know what that was. I have also noticed when I order coffee "regular" it doesn't mean with cream and sugar like in Massachusetts, it means black, which was disappointing to say the least. It was then I realized the many differences between the regions of our lovely country, and how diving into the quirks of one place, like my home, can give others the sort of "ah ha!" moment I experienced this weekend. Now I don't live right in the city, but most of the sayings and quirks are the same throughout New England. This is also not a complete list, or else that would be a full novel. However, this is a small insight into the language of Massachusetts.

The obvious thing that gives Boston a very distinct reputation besides angry drivers is the accent. Yes, Bostonians and New Englander's alike have a strange accent, but it is one I've grown to love. Not only does my dad have an extremely thick accent, but so do all my uncles and aunts and most adults in my life. The basics of it are that you just disregard as many "r"'s as you can. For example, Bar Harbor, Maine becomes "Bah Hahbah", clam chowder becomes "clam chowdah" and so on. Another thing often said is "Wassuh kehd?" also known as "What's up kid?" and my papa used to called all the grandkids "chowdaheads" when we were being silly.

Many Massachusetts residents, especially people that come from Boston or right outside the city like Medford (where I am from) or Somerville, have this bad habit of speaking completely awful English. Not only do people forget to keep the "r" in a word, they also say things like "so don't I". The intent for this term is to agree with someone, but it is a double negative and makes absolutely no sense, yet my dad continues to use it constantly. The comedian Seth Myers actually did a mock Boston accent movie trailer, and I have to admit it is not only hilarious but also accurate. There is also the extremely funny movie,  The Heat , with one scene showing the Boston accent to an extreme.

One of the phrases I am sure many of you already know, is wicked. Now, wicked is not to be used like "That's wicked!". The correct way is like so: "It is wicked hot out!" or "This Dunkin Donuts coffee is wicked good!" Wicked takes the place of using words like very or so. If you really want to fit in with the Massholes, then go ahead and throw a wicked in your conversation a few times. The list for strange words goes on and on, like "frappe" instead of milkshake, a buzz cut becomes "a whiffle", a roundabout is a rotary, sprinkles are "jimmies", a "Nor'eastah" is a blizzard, a water fountain is a "bubblah", soda is tonic, and dinner is always called "suppah". While the language used by New Englander's is beyond odd and is often laughed at, it has created a unique place to live, one that is fun and never boring.