New Jersey
Chinese government tried to stop New Jersey township from raising Tibetan flag, mayor says
BELLEVILLE, N.J. — The mayor of Belleville, New Jersey says a representative of the Chinese government tried to stop him from showing solidarity to the Tibetan people and honoring a member of his community.
Tibet has been an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China since 1950, but many Tibetan exiles in the U.S. and around the world say their religion and culture has been stifled under communist control.
Yangchen Nodong, 74, said her escape from Tibet to Nepal, then to India in 1960 brings back painful memories. She was a 10-year-old orphan when she escaped with her aunt and brother.
“One time we had to cross the glacier. We couldn’t cross all the way so we had to sleep on the glacier. It was cold. I never forget that part,” said Nodong.
This year, the Tibetan New Year falls on the same day as the Chinese Lunar New Year. Nodong was elated when Mayor Michael Melham agreed to raise the Tibetan flag after her son made the request.
“It means so much to us that the mayor was kind enough to raise the flag even though we are a small town. I never heard of any mayor doing this. It’s so great. Thanks mayor from the bottom of my heart,” said Nodong.
“We are grateful to the mayor of Belleville for affirming our Tibetan identity here and standing up to the Chinese communist government,” said Pema Nodong, her daughter.
But the mayor, who put information on his social media, said China’s vice consul in New York reached out right before the ceremony to try and stop him from raising the flag.
“They were urging us to cancel and reconsider and my township attorney, my township manager, police chief all said to me what are you going to do? And I said the flag is going to fly at noon,” said Melham.
The Tibetan flag is banned in Tibet by the Chinese government because it’s become a symbol of freedom for exiles like Nodong who continue to demonstrate to keep their culture alive.
“As we continue to try to exert our independence and our identity, our Tibetan Buddhist identity, they would oppress the people,” said Nodong’s daughter.
“We want to stand in solidarity with the people of Tibet and let them know that we stand up for everything they stand up for,” said Melham.
The mayor said his decision was not political and that he sent a respectful letter back to China’s vice consul saying the flag went up because his diverse community respects all voices.
North Jersey food truck makes Thanksgiving egg rolls
Looking for something unique to serve this Thanksgiving? Try a Pumpkin Pie (or Gobbler, or Sweet Potato) egg roll platter from Uncle Sal’s Egg Rolls.
Unpopular opinion: I don’t hate paper straws.
I mean, I don’t like paper straws — and I used to think I hated them — but, recently, the cardboard-y drinking tubes have been receiving so much backlash in public discourse that I realized my feelings towards them were minuscule compared to most others’.
On TikTok and Instagram, it’s not uncommon that a video complaining about the straws pull over 100 thousand views. On Reddit, threads titled “I [truck]ing hate paper straws” have 460+ comments. At Election Day a few weeks ago, I saw someone wearing a shirt proclaiming “I don’t care who wins, just get rid of paper straws.”
Well, North Jersey, good news — if you’re in the subsection of society that thinks paper straws should throw themselves in a fireplace and burn, you’re going to love this week’s top local dishes; because, while the former are considered dry (and off-putting on a sensory level), these culinary champions are as wet as food comes.
None running the risk of turning your tongue into a desert, these are the three best things I ate this week.
Rasta Pasta, Tops Diner
Though it’s probably more of a modern American restaurant than a diner at this point, there’s no question; Tops Diner is one of New Jersey’s favorite spots to eat. Recently, the chic spot was ranked the best restaurant in the state by the Yelp “elites” (app users/contributors selected by community managers as “experts” on their local food scene), and, while writing an article on the aforementioned, it was subconsciously (re)tucked into the back of my mind.
When I landed in Newark after a long weekend in Chicago, then, it only felt natural to pay the Essex County icon a visit on the way home.
Sitting among the restaurant’s beige booths, gold decor and live DJs, I ordered dishes from the famed Mac & Cheese to a cheesy house-made veggie burger. I was most impressed, though, by the Cajun-inspired Rasta Pasta, which — topped with blackened jerk chicken, spicy parmesan cream sauce, garlic, peppers and more — will always be my go-to Tops meal.
Go: 500 Passaic Ave., East Newark; 973-481-0490, thetopsdiner.com.
Breaded Steak Sandwich, Ricobene’s (Chicago)
As alluded to above, I spent the past weekend in Chicago, and, while I typically wouldn’t include an Illinois bite in a Jersey eats newsletter, something peculiar happened when I was abroad:
I noticed an old news article from our databases claiming, at one point, that the Breaded Steak Sandwich from Ricobene’s (of the Bridgeport neighborhood) was “the best sandwich in the world.”
Naturally, then, I had to try it — and see if it still held up.
Composition-wise, the sandwich consisted of a breaded steak cutlet (closer to a country fried steak than a veal Milanese chop), marinara sauce and, upon request, mozzarella and hot giardiniera (I HIGHLY SUGGEST making that request) on soft-baked Italian bread. It costs $11.99 for a “regular,” and is admirably messy beneath its tight tinfoil wrap.
As soon as I began to devour mine, I made a quick realization: It wasn’t the best sandwich in the world. Mushroom and onion cheesesteaks, Jersey-style sloppy joes and old-fashioned tuna melts are all better sandwiches.
With fried steak that stayed crispy under sauce, giardiniera that added crunch and heat, and a blanket of cheese that dripped from both ends of the fluffy roll, however, it was an elite-level sandwich.
Just not an unbeatable sandwich, from the perspective of someone who hails from the deli capital of the world.
Go: 252 W. 26th St., Chicago; 312-225-5555, ricobenespizza.com (Breaded Steak “Sandwich Kits” are available for shipping nationwide through Goldbelly, if you’d like to try the dish without leaving New Jersey).
Jamaican Rum Hot Cocoa, Miracle on Centre
More of a beverage, but I still technically ate it, and — once I put a sandwich from Chicago in my North Jersey culinary highlights — I’m pretty sure I abandoned all conventionality, anyway.
So, exceptions being the name of the game this week, I present the boozy hot cocoa from Miracle on Centre (a festive Christmas bar that pops up inside of Cowan’s Public each year).
Listed on the menu as the Coconut Hot Chocolate, the thick drink is loaded with Jamaican rum, amaretto, chocolate hazelnut and coconut before being absolutely smothered in coconut-infused whipped cream and finished with cacao dust.
AKA; it tastes like eating Santa’s cookies and milk at the same time, and it’s the perfect way to get hammered while listening to Andy Williams.
Go: 229 Centre St., Nutley (INSIDE of Cowan’s Public through January 4); 973-542-8151, cowanspublic.com.
Hungry for more?
Want more on this week’s latest food news? Check out some of my (and others’) best articles at NorthJersey.com/food.
Until next weekend, North Jersey.
Remember to book your Thanksgiving reservations, order your feast to be catered or secure your after-dinner pie.
And then, on Turkey Day itself, tune into @northjerseyeats — because I have a video of a very special visitor coming to New Jersey for December (and he’s bringing laughter, fear and drunken chicken parm with him).
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can’t find her in Jersey’s best restaurants, she’s probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.
World Insurance Associates announced that it acquired the business of Van Syckel Insurance of Bound Brook, New Jersey on August 1, 2025.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Van Syckel Insurance, which was started in 1865, is managed by Ryan Van Syckel, the great, great grandson of the founder.
The agency provides home and auto insurance, flood insurance, workers’ compensation and business insurance.
World Insurance, based in Iselin, New Jersey, serves clients from more than 300 offices across the U.S. and U.K.
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NEW JERSEY (WABC) — It was a frustrating morning for some commuters on NJ Transit after Midtown Direct rail service was diverted into Hoboken Terminal.
Delays of more than 30 minutes were reported by passengers and the transit system.
NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being cross honored by NJ Transit and private carrier bus and PATH at Newark Penn Station, Hoboken, and 33rd Street-New York.
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