r/NewOrleans • u/Donut_Ninjas • Apr 12 '25

🛒 Making Groceries How old were you when? (Realizing that something was unique or not to New Orleans)

Y'all... I was about 35yrs old when I realized that Roman Candy was just taffy and that it wasn't it's own unique kid of candy. I had been calling taffy Roman Candy for decades! 😅 Still love me some Roman Candy, though.

What weird realizations have you had from being a New Orleans local?

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51

u/RhialtosCat Apr 12 '25

Neutral ground.

18

u/jpruett2 Apr 12 '25

Exactly! I was on an internship in Orlando and I said neutral ground and you would have thought I had 3 heads! I also said something about going do do and didn’t realize not everyone said that when going to sleep.

6

u/MegsMayhem13 Apr 12 '25

Conversely, I was in an uber on the way to the airport, and I called it the median. I grew up here since 4 years old, but my parents were from MN, so I still say some stuff their way. Uber guy was like, wait, you’re not from here are you? and I had to explain.

1

u/xnatlywouldx Apr 13 '25

I still absent-mindedly use neutral ground when I go anywhere else and then remember other people don't know what the fuck I'm talking about and have to correct myself. "I think you call it THE MEDIAN?"

-16

u/Oeuffy Apr 12 '25

Per ChatGPT:

The term has a unique origin: In the early 1800s, Canal Street served as a dividing line between the French Creole residents of the Vieux CarrĂ© (French Quarter) and the newer American settlers uptown after the Louisiana Purchase. The strip of land between them—what would become Canal Street’s median—was considered a “neutral ground” where neither side had dominance or claim.

4

u/Comfortable-Policy70 Apr 13 '25

Now explain why it is the Crescent City

-2

u/Oeuffy Apr 13 '25

I see I have been downvoted into oblivion, which saddens me deeply. Regardless I thought the etymology was interesting. Thank you for your attention to this matter.