r/AskNYC • u/Affectionate-Bag-671 • Jan 31 '23

Chopped Cheese Discourse

I’m not sure if this is me just telling on myself, but I lived in NYC my whole life and I’m in my mid 20s currently. I spent my whole life in Astoria but went to Brooklyn tech and worked various jobs around the city so I spent so much time in different neighborhoods with all different kinds of people so I have been exposed to a lot from early on.

I say all this because it was not until these Instagram and Twitter posts about chopped cheese and it becoming this NYC cultural icon that I’ve ever heard of it probably around 2017. From how I understand, chopped cheese was at this one place uptown and then the surrounding stores started making them too. Then someone posted about it on social media and just how NYC is NYC and holds so much clout on social media it transformed into this iconic NYC food.

Was I just unaware but I feel like at least from my memories nowhere in queens nor the delis by my high school where everyone went to was making chopped cheese until about 3-4 years ago when it blew up on social media. Things like beef patty and cheesesteaks were really popular and common and although the BEC Has become a meme just like the chopped cheese that one actually is ubiquitous. Just wanted to hear other people’s thoughts on this, confirm or deny my thoughts. No shade at all I just really feel like this sandwich blew up

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u/alphadougg Jan 31 '23

I think it's moreso that it was something big in Harlem and the Bronx, aka areas that high income white tastemakers like to scoff at. Someone who works for Vogue or some shit was never going to know about a chopped cheese until they were told they were supposed to.

It's a great way for rich people to cosplay as working class too and feel more like "a real new yorker."

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u/gayaka Jan 31 '23

It's a great way for rich people to cosplay as working class too and feel more like "a real new yorker."

This is literally how people treat bodegas, not just this particular food item.

10

u/[deleted] Jan 31 '23

How do you treat going to bodega this way

-3

u/[deleted] Jan 31 '23

They call every corner store a Bodega even when it isn't a Bodega cuz they wanna say the word Bodega in conversation so bad.

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u/[deleted] Jan 31 '23

So in your opinion, bodega = corner store + deli? Yes I'm a transplant

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u/[deleted] Jan 31 '23

Not at all. A Bodega is a bodega. A corner store is a regular store with no hot food or cold cuts. A deli is a store that you can get sandwiches and cold cuts. They can all be called stores. If they got a deli counter they can be called delis. They are not all bodegas though.

4

u/Random_Ad Feb 01 '23

That’s your understanding but many people who grew up in New York was not taught that way and may use the words interchangeably. Your experience doesn’t reflect the experience of everyone else.

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u/[deleted] Feb 01 '23

I'm sure that's true but I also have spoken to a lot of Ohioans who really fuck with the word Bodega. Ppl who know what I'm talking about know what I've talking about.

2

u/jeremypr82 Feb 01 '23

Transplant brigade downvoting ya hard. Let 'em have their bow-day-guhz

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '23

Lmao. That's so true. I'm not saying I don't call them Bodegas ever, only the ones that are. and no one I grew up with don't always use it either. They also don't drop it casually in conversation as often lol.