In what seems to be next up in the long-running culture war between America and Britain, it’s time to discuss a culinary classic.
We’re talking about crisp butties, of course.
It seems to be every couple of months or so that Americans hop on social media to either slag off our cuisine, or to try and claim something Brits that would consider to be quintessentially British as theirs own.
Case and point – you might remember the internet erupting last year when Americans had a few choice words to say about our classic fry-up breakfasts, and even tried to recreate their own. Or when over on Reddit, Americans just couldn’t seem to believe their eyes when they discovered what British “face meats” were – also known as Billy Bear Ham to us.
And now, it seems like the New York Times is trying to make it out like it’s just discovered the art of putting crisps – or chips, as Americans call them – on a sandwich.
Emblazoned over a picture of a rather posh looking crisp butty, the post then expands on the initial statement, and goes on to explain why “putting chips” in a sandwich is a good idea, adding that: “Beyond crunch, chips also add stability, holding the fillings in place as you eat.”
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Posted over a week ago now, the post on the NYT Cooking Instagram has amassed well over 80,000 likes and thousands of comments.
Comments under the post – which is all to promote a Tuna Crunch Sandwich recipe by New York Times bestselling food author, J. Kenji López-Alt – range from people seeming impressed at the concept of “chips” on a sandwich, to others sarcastically calling the publication out for their “groundbreaking” idea, and, of course, from Brits confused as to why Americans think crisp butties are their creation.
America seems to ‘think they invented’ crisp butties and Brits can’t believe it / Credit: MuhamadIksan (via Pixabay)
“Chips? In sandwiches? Groundbreaking,” one comment reads on Instagram.
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Another person sarcastically commented: “What’s next? Dip a cookie in milk?” while a third added: “Omg such a revelation. So brave to post such a thing. Next up, bacon on just about anything,” and a fourth person said: “Really? We’ve been doing this since the 80s.
“Up next, we have discovered the secret to the ultimate peanut butter sandwich – it’s jelly,” another comical comment read.
One person went on to ask the question everyone was thinking: “Is this meant to be something new? We’ve been doing this since we were 6.”
On top of American confusion, Brits also took the opportunity to poke fun at the situation when a now-viral repost of the picture was shared by popular Twitter comedy account No Context Brits with the caption: “Americans thinking they invented the crisp butty.”
“I don’t know why they’re pretending that’s a new idea,” one person commented.
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Another confused comment reads: “I’ve been doing this since I was able to make my own sandwiches”, while actual Walkers Crisps got in on the action too.
The Sopranos stars finally visit much-loved Manchester sandwich inspired by the show
Danny Jones
In what feels like an inevitable story in the making for a long time now, members of The Sopranos cast have finally visited the popular Manchester sandwich spot inspired by the show, Bada Bing.
We know were biased, but we believe there’s an argument to be made that the beloved Manc butty shop has perhaps an even more fervent cult following than die-hard viewers of the hit American TV drama.
In case you somehow still don’t know the connection, Bada Bing is named after the strip club where several of the main characters work and spend a lot of their time.
Having returned to Manchester city centre back in 2024 after a successful first stint, they’ve been busier than ever, and that famous local name seems to have spread further than ever, including all the way over to the States, where actors from the original show caught wind and have now made the pilgrimage.
You might wonder why they didn’t name it after the butchers and deli, Satriale’s, or maybe even Artie Bucco’s oft-featured restaurant, Vesuvio. Both seem pretty ideal, right?
But let’s be honest, Bada Bing just has a better ring to it; there’s no denying that.
Either way, when series stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa came over to Manchester last week for a live edition of their podcast (which has just wrapped a limited UK tour) at the O2 Apollo.
But whilst they were here, they also made sure to visit a lunchtime joint that we’re sure Tony, Paulie, Christoper, Silvio and all of The Sopranos regulars would approve of.
While they didn’t quite perch out on the stoop with an espresso and a cigar, they did pose with co-owner Sam Gormally for a quick photo op outside the door.
Oh, and we don’t even need to confirm whether or not they liked the heroes – we just know they did.
‘Chris’ Moltisanti himself, Imperioli, also hopped on social media to share another key moment from his visit to the region:
Writing on their TikTok post, the Babd Bing boys dubbed it a “full circle moment” and reiterated that they still “can’t believe this just happened.
To be honest, we’ve barely got over it ourselves, and we’re just very big fans of the place.
We simply cannot imagine how surreal that day must have been for the whole team and everyone involved, and we hope we get a fun new special toasting the pair’s appearance sometime soon.
Featured Images — Bada Bing/Michael Imperioli (via Instagram)
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Grammy-winning hardcore band Turnstile perform ‘exceptional’ cover of a Stone Roses classic
Danny Jones
In a cover version we never knew we needed, multiple Grammy award-winning hardcore band Turnstile have taken social media timelines by storm with a cover of a true British rock classic by The Stone Roses.
Described as everything from “pretty damn brilliant” and “exceptional” by CLASH Magazine to “one of the best triplej covers ever”, it’s fair to say they smashed it with this one.
This one was always likely to go down well with us Mancs, but you never know how possessive people are going to be with iconic tunes treasured not just by regions but entire eras like this.
Without further ado, please enjoy Turnstile’s cover of ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ by The Stone Roses:
Lost track of how many times we’ve watched this now.
Truly excellent.
Not only did they manage to capture the ambient atmosphere of that legendary intro, but they managed to tow the thin paint-splattered line between simply trying to imitate the original and making it their own.
There’s something about frontman Brendan Yates’ vocals that suits this particular cover so very well right from the off.
We’re, of course, not saying that he sounds like Ian Brown in any way, but his range and top notes, in particular, seemed to fit almost perfectly.
Pair that with a contemporary rock band helping rejuvenate their particular guitar-driven genre, and those raw, driving D-beat-centric drums, and you’ve got a winning combo.
As you can see, the majority of the internet seems to agree with us…
.@TURNSTILEHC step into the @triplej studio to recover their take on The Stone Roses' debut album opener 'I Wanna Be Adored'.
The bulk of social media didn’t just hail the reimagining as one that did Brown, John Squire, Reni and the late, great Mani justice, but perhaps one of the greatest that the popular Australian radio station, YouTube channel and Spotify playlisters have seen in a long time.
In fact, in Audio North‘s humble opinion, we’d go so far as to say this is the best we’ve heard in the platform since their native Royel Otis’ delightful duo of The Cranberries and Sophie Ellis-Bextor covers.
Safe to say it’s been an incredible year for Turnstile, who mopped up all manner of accolades in 2025 and were even nominated for International Group at the BRITs here in Manchester this past weekend. They might not have won that one, but they get all the plaudits from us for their song selection alone.
What did you make of it? Better still, do you have a favourite triplej ‘Like a Version’? Actually, no – scrap that: is there a better cover of a Manc artist‘s track that you can think of?
Emily Sergeant -
4th May 2023 
