Scene and heard

I was struck when I first came to New York in 1980, how it seems that just about every Deli Restaurant in New York proclaimed something on its menu to be “Our World Famous ….” In each instance, I can state with confidence and sincerity that I had never heard of them when I lived in London. I am not sure if this is still as common a practice, as I no longer frequent these establishments for dietary reasons.

Within the last few months, a new Barbecue Restaurant, Joey’s, opened in Hoboken, a short distance from where Susan lives. Upon opening, at least one item on the menu proclaimed itself to be famous. So I believe I have determined the meaning of these phrases, at least with regard to the New York Metropolitan area:

Famous means the chef and his relatives and friends like it .
World Famous means that one of those relatives lives in Brooklyn.

Remember, there is a precedent for this grandeur. The USA (29 teams) and Canada (1 team) are the only two countries which can send a team to the Baseball World Series.

Another favourite example of mine is that competitions here always have Grand Prizes. The ‘First Prize’ is really the second prize.

And of course, even if there is no fanfare, all new stores have a Grand Opening.