Our last blog was all about apples in all imaginable sizes and colors. However, we have deliberately left out one very special apple: the Big Apple .
Come with us on an exciting tour through New York City and experience some of the little-known facets of this exciting metropolis on the Atlantic.
Big Apple or Big Apples?
New York, New York - often sung about, the city that proverbially never sleeps is and remains an unbroken magnet for fortune hunters and globetrotters.
Where the city got the nickname "Big Apple" is Unfortunately, this has not been clearly proven . Modern interpretations even go as far as suggesting that the city area, viewed from space, is said to resemble the shape of an apple. However, the city area looks much different today than it did just a few decades ago, and we have only recently had the luxury of satellite images.
In fact, there is origin of the name There are only a handful of really convincing attempts at explanation, and all of them actually only have an indirect connection to America's second favorite fruit.
The nickname became popular in 1924 through the title of a column by the sports reporter John J. Fitz Gerald . According to this version, the name is a parallel to the "Big Money" - a slang for New Yorkers Horse racing tracks , as there was a lot of money to be made there at that time. Of course, Prize money only goes to the jockeys and so, as a parallel, the horses were given the chance to win the "Big Apple".
Another legend about the origin of the name refers to a Song from the same year , written by Pianist Peter W. Hendriksen , who, in reference to the freedom of New York women, certain physical aspects as "Big Apples".
Another verifiable mention of the term "Big Apple" comes from the Jazz scene of the 1930s . Here the term was used as a common slang for Harlem and New York as the jazz metropolis of the world.
Even though these explanations have very little to do with apples, it is interesting that New York has historically is very much connected with apples . As readers of our last blog on the subject already know, edible apples are not actually native to America and only came to the New World with the European settlers. New York was of course one of the first ports of call and thus also one of the first experimental areas for apple cultivation.
But the city still has much more curiosities to offer more than just a quirky nickname.
Who would have thought, for example, that, according to national statistics, New York one of the healthiest cities of the United States – despite the typical hot dogs?
Why is that?
New Yorkers eat, for example statistically twice as much Arugula, almonds and breakfast cereal like other Americans - all things that are particularly important in view of the typical American, sugar-rich breakfast - no pun intended. Apples, however, are not sold more often here than in other cities.
What is less consistent with the health picture is that New Yorkers statistically have 7 times as much coffee drink like their compatriots.
Money, Money, Money…
One often hears voices complaining about the shortage of housing complain in New York.
Modern New Yorkers have it quite good. In fact, the vibrant city of New York is only about one-eighth as densely populated as ancient Rome. In plain language: Even in ancient times, the living space of every single New Yorker had to be 8 people share .
However, a main reason for the perceived lack of space is probably the exclusivity of real estate and associated price A one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, for example, is for a monthly rent of $3,400 (just under €3,000) is a bargain. It is therefore not surprising that statistically speaking, every 21st New Yorker a millionaire is.
And it’s not just New Yorkers themselves who are rich.
Fort Knox Many people probably know this, but the majority of American gold, and indeed the largest gold reserve in the world, is in a safe below Wall Street . This is where the 25% of all gold worldwide - Total value: about $90 trillion. Since most of us probably rarely act in such dimensions, here is a brief explanation: This is a 1 with 12 zeros.
Given this wealth, it seems somewhat unfair that the first settlers sold the area of Manhattan to the natives for the equivalent of just $1,000 had bought.
While we are on the subject of Wall Street are - the city area actually owes its name to an old wall. This dates back to the times before the city of New York actually existed. What many do not know - the settlement, which at that time was mainly populated by Dutch people, was once called New Amsterdam . The New Amsterdamers had regular pirate attacks to fight and built a large wall along the coast for defense - the namesake of today's Wall Street.
And what do you do if you feel like you don't have enough space but have a lot of money?
New York has thus secured a bizarre solution for the big cities so common homeless problem The city actually pays Airline tickets for every homeless New Yorker who has a place to stay or some other type of accommodation elsewhere.
But maybe this actually just serves to protect the homeless.
Violence is more the norm than the rarity in big cities, but even this takes on its own forms in New York. For example, statistics show that every year ten times more People bitten by New Yorkers than by sharks.
Law & Order
Of course, biting other people in New York is just as illegal , as in most other places, but New York also has some very unique definitions of crime.
For example, drying laundry on a leash only after purchasing a corresponding license allowed.
In addition to good housewives and househusbands, couples should also be careful. Public Flirting In New York, you can actually get a fine of up to $25 And if you still want to take your date to a party on Sunday, delicious ice cream If you want to carry out the meal, you should be particularly careful not to eat it later to carry around in your pocket . Because yes, that is also a criminal offense in New York.
The fact that honking in traffic without an emergency is illegal, just like in our country, is hardly surprising, nor is the fact that no one follows this rule.
And also before the etiquette New York's bizarre laws don't stop there. For example, it is a rule that you are not allowed to talk to anyone in an elevator, but instead fold your hands and stare at the elevator doors.
Another funny peculiarity of the New York legal system is that a couple not because of irreconcilable differences divorce unless both parties agree to this request. Perhaps this is also the reason for the relatively low divorce rate in New York City, where only 2.8 out of 1,000 residents are divorced. The national average in the USA, by comparison, is just under 15 divorces per 1,000 citizens. In Germany, according to statistics, one in three marriages breaks down sooner or later.
sewergators
Another New York law seems to allow the conspiracy theorists Unlike in most other states, it is illegal in New York to buy, sell or own alligators without a license. This quickly brings to mind the old legend about Alligators in New York City's sewers again.
In fact, even this legend has a A little bit of truth . Even today, small alligators are still caught in the city's waterways. However, these are unlikely to be animals that make their home in the dark, stinking tunnels beneath the city. The environment, with the predominantly cold water temperatures and the lack of prey of adequate size, is conceivable unsuitable for survival a large lizard.
Nevertheless, the legendary origin of the sewer lizards as unwanted pets cannot be denied entirely. Before the legislative intervention, baby alligators actually popular pets and were imported from Florida or simply brought them back from their vacation. When the animals grew too big, it sometimes happened that these now unwanted animals were simply abandoned or, according to legend, flushed down the drain. However, in most cases, rather than an underground paradise, these animals probably faced certain death, whether from hypothermia, lack of food or even drowning.
If the animals managed to survive, it was probably mainly if they were lucky enough released into rivers and over the years several alligators have been caught in New York waters and this continues to this day. Because even though alligators have been largely banned from the city by the legislature, this rule has not managed to break the fascination of terrarium enthusiasts. The shipping of "small, harmless cold-blooded animals" is not prohibited in the USA and so the local post offices often stumble upon baby alligators on their way to their new unlawful owners during sporadic checks.
In most cases, the animals, like the specimens sporadically recovered from the waterways, end up in the Bronx Zoo , the largest zoo in the USA with over 4,000 animals from over 750 different species.
The Melting Pot
New Yorkers themselves are as diverse as the animal world in the Bronx.
So-called Euro-Americans, i.e. Americans with European roots, actually make not even half of the city's population. Above all, the Italians with 8.2% of the total population, followed by Irish with 5.3%, Germans with 3.6% and Russians and Poles with just under 3% each. Today, only less than 2% the city's population.
With such an Italian background, it is hardly surprising that the very first pizzeria of the United States in 1895 in New York City.
The majority of New Yorkers belong to other ethnic groups. About 25% are African American, 12% are Asian, and just under 30% are Latino.
It is hardly surprising that in about half of all New York households, a language other than English is spoken within their own four walls.
And this diversity is not a new phenomenon, as New York has always been a port of call for displaced persons and fortune seekers from all over the world. From 1886 to 1924, more than 14 million immigrants through the ports of New York to the USA. And even though many of them did not stay in the city, today about 40% of all Americans trace their lineage back to immigrants who first entered the country through the immigration collection point on Ellis Island achieved.
Especially the high number of Irish people This may seem surprising, especially when Ireland has just about 5 million inhabitants itself only ranks 122nd among the most populous countries in the world and thus has even fewer inhabitants than, for example, Hong Kong, Singapore or Palestine.
The reason for this is the large wave of emigration in the 19th century, when many Irish people died due to the potato blight and the resulting great famine. In fact, New York has suffered from this event since 1850 and even today. more inhabitants with Irish roots than Dublin .
Everything has an end...
Finally, let’s take a quick look at the probably most famous fast food the New Yorker throw: the Hot dog .
The sausage in a roll in its current form was invented in 1867 on Cooney Island by German immigrant Charles Feltman. The sausage itself was apparently based on a recipe from Frankfurt which had been developed there almost a decade before Charles Feltman emigrated. Hence the name of the snack at the time: instead of hot dogs, New Yorkers bought " Franks" .
The origin of the name “hot dog” is unfortunately as dubious as that of the “Big Apple”. The most common explanation is simply that the elongated shape of the sausage reminded people of dachshunds and they thus became colloquially known as dogs. Since the sausages are eaten warm, this is how the current name supposedly came into use.
In fact, this is probably just another legend, based on a caricature by cartoonist Thomas Aloysius "Tad" Dorgan, in which a dachshund is depicted in a hot dog bun. In reality, however, the name probably comes from an article called "The Kidnapping of the Nighttime Food Cart" of 1895, according to the Yale University student, “contentedly chewing hot dogs.”
In the first year alone, Feltmann is said to have driven from his cart over 4,000 hot dogs sold. A considerable amount and perhaps also due to the German population group, which was not negligible even then.
If you are still hungry at the end of our tour, we warmly recommend our delicious relishes as a tasty addition to your own hot dogs:
We hope you enjoyed our little tour through the lesser-known sides of New York City. If so, how about a little souvenir as a reminder?
We have put together a whole range of great fan articles for you with which you can easily bring the flair of New York City into your own four walls, such as:
- oven glove I Love New York
- New York Skyline tea towel (100% cotton)
- Baseball - Collage New York Icons
- FDNY Mug - Fire Department New York
- NYPD mug
You can find these and many other great fan articles directly in our shop.
Have fun browsing.
