Personal Terroir

I've lived in New York since 1990. I know the streets, the neighborhoods, the best bagel place (Essa), and how to hail a cab in the rain. I spent a good part of the nineties in much the same way that Carrie Bradshaw and her pals spent the nineties. And if you had asked me back then whether or not I was a New Yorker, I would have said yes emphatically.But lately I've come to the realization that, despite my familiarity with this city and its folk, I am, and probably always will be, a New Englander.Call it personal terroir. For those of you who don't know what terroir is (I only learned of it recently), it's usually associated with wine. Here's wikipedia's definiton:

originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon particular varieties. It can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place."

I was grown in New England and only now do I see the characteristics that geography has bestowed upon me.So here (because I haven't said anything controversial in this blog for a while) are two things that make me a New Englander.1) Nature. Nature is everywhere, no matter where you grow up. But in New England, we have a specific attitude toward it. Nature is not something you visit, experience, consume, or appreciate. It's bigger than you and you are of it. It is the seasons, the sea, the snow, the cold and the mosquitoes. It is not to be conquered but endured. It is not there for your enjoyment but rather for respectful contemplation. This is why I've never had any appreciation whatsoever for the Hamptons. The Hamptons are nature tortured into an amusement park for the rich. For me, a beach only counts if the human footprint upon it is small. Crane's Beach is a beach. Coney Island is not a beach.2. Complaint. A New Englander is allowed to complain about the weather, traffic, politics, education, and a whole host of other issues. But we're not allowed to complain about personal problems. We're supposed to suck it up or do something about it. The whole time I lived in Massachusetts, I knew maybe one person in therapy. In New York, at least half the people I know are in therapy.I'm sure there are many more ways in which geography has engraved itself on my personality. But the great thing about New York is that it seamlessly absorbs people manufactured all over the world. It doesn't even have a problem with Red Sox fans. And I'm not sure I could say the same thing about New Englanders and Yankee fans.