1. Gravy Isn't Brown Or (God Forbid!) White, It's Red
Yeah, it's that stuff you put on top of your macaroni—which is what you call pasta, by the way. And the real gravy, the not-from-a-jar stuff that takes all day to cook, should be made with pork. Preferably neckbones.
2. What Sfogliatelle Is, And How To Pronounce (If Not Spell) It
These little shell-shaped, ricotta-filled yummies, which are more-or-less pronounced "shfool-ya-dell," are traditional for Christmas, Easter, St. Joseph's day, Sunday dinner at Nonna's, and whenever the whole famiglia gets together. It's possible (if labor-intensive) to bake your own, but why bother when Rispoli's does such a great job?
3. The Boogeyman Has A Name, And That Name Is Cropsey
All Staten Island kids used to have the wits scared out of them with stories of this creepy child killer who hung out at the Willowbrook State School...and, when they grew up, they found out it was no urban legend, OMG, it was all true!
Sure, Andre Rand's locked up for life on Riker's Island now, but what if there's a whole crop of Cropseys?
4. Summer Doesn't Really Start 'Til You've Had Your First Lemon Ice From Ralph's
You can now find Ralph's Famous Italian Ices throughout the five boroughs, on Long Island and even in Jersey, but the original (and best!) Ralph's is on Port Richmond Ave.
5. Seeing Method Man At The Mall Is No Big Deal
Yeah, he's still chillin' in Shaolin, and he's got to score his T-shirts and ball caps somewhere.
6. Only Denino's Will Do
Sure, you're within walking distance of half a dozen pizzerias, but no pie lives up to Denino's, even if you do have to drive to get there. Just remember to bring cash with you, since they don't take plastic.
7. Seaview's Not So Scary
Sure, the old abandoned hospital's creepy outside and even creepier inside (assuming you were enough of an intrepid urban explorer to have actually ventured into the building), and sure, tons of people probably died there back in the days when it was the country's top TB treatment facility.
It was abandoned in the ’70s, and shortly thereafter became fair game for underage drinking parties. It’s probably still a pretty cool place to crack open a six pack and hang with the ghosties.
8. You Don’t Even Notice The Smell Anymore
Yeah, so you lived near the dump. So what? The Fresh Kills Landfill wasn't just any old dump, it was the world's largest dump! And besides, they're not dumping there anymore; it's actually being turned into a park.
9. The “Bump” And The “Blowout” Existed Way Before Snooki Or Pauly D
There wasn't anything wrong with being a Guido/Guidette until MTV pretty much turned the whole culture into a nationwide laughingstock. Now you're kind of ashamed to let anyone know you've got the same hometown as Vinny, Angelina, and The Situation (that boombatz! he really gives me agita).
10. How To Differentiate Between Richmond Avenue, Richmond Court, Richmond Place, Richmond Road, and Richmond Terrace
And, for good measure, why everything's Richmond this, that and the other thing. Staten Island actually went by this name from the time it became NYC's 5th borough back in 1898 all the way up until 1975, when the name changed to its present one. 
