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Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007
Indeed, I found that surprising too. But I just double-checked the figures, and they are correct.
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There were two big Italian migrations to the U.S.- prewar and postwar. The prewar is the stereotypical red-sauce cuisine, Mama Mia stuff and was largely nationwide (at least in urban areas) while the postwar was more localized, both in terms of Italian origins and U.S. destinations, and much more under-the-radar.
Maybe Philly got more of the postwar migration, while SF got more of the earlier, bigger wave? Just guessing here. I know that in NYC, pretty much any Italian feel you get in 2016 is not from the big migrant wave. They're long gone, in NJ, PA, NC, FL and the like. It's the postwar Sicilians and Calabrians, rather than the assimilated Italian-Americans, that have an imprint on modern-day NYC.
That's, in part, why Italian neighborhoods in the Outer Boroughs are known for regional Italian cooking, not red sauce cuisine. I go to a Sicilian place in Gravesend that has panelle (chickpea fritters), vastedda (spleen sandwiches, trust me very good) and other localized stuff. If you want veal parm, go somewhere in Manhattan or Jersey.