I grew up in Connecticut, in New Haven county, and I think some people call hot subs 'grinders' too. At least, I always did. Now I go to college in Pennsylvania where they call all subs 'hoagies', so I like to order meatball grinders wherever I go, just to see if I can confuse the cashier or get them mad... lol. Well that and cause I'm hungry at the time and I happen to like meatball grinders. :-)

Back in Western Mass everyone calls them grinders. Subs are much less heard, and hoagie is pretty much unheard of.

Back in Western Mass everyone calls them grinders. Subs are much less heard, and hoagie is pretty much unheard of.

The Grinder was InventedIn New London CT.it can be Hot or coldbasicaly its the role that makes the grinder a nice hard one is best

I was brought up that it was a sub if you got it from D'Angelo's or Subway, but if you got it fresh made from a convenience store then it was a grinder. I've never called it a hoagie.

I've lived in Boston and Quincy all my life and I'd never heard it called anything besides a "sub" until I went to school out in Western Mass. I had no idea what a grinder was until I came out here. If you go into any place in Boston and ask for a "grinder", they'll look at you like you're crazy. They're SUBS!!

Yeah, I never heard the word grinda till I went to school in Worcester. I grew up on the North Shore and it was always subs.

I grew up south of Boston and we always called "subs" "subs" - when I was oldah I heard of grindahs - but it was explained to me that the grindah was a toasted sub.

In Manchester, NH, they're all grinders. And why would anyone eat at Subways?

i grew up in lowell and have lived all around boston and the area. i still have never heared anyone ever cal a sub a grinder, ever.

I'm from Littleton and I've never heard of anyone calling them a grinder. I've heard of the word hoagie but i've never actually heard anybody say it. They've always been called subs, hot or cold

I grew up in JP and Rozzie where they were always called "Subs". During my years at UMass/Boston the best subs were found at John's Original Subs and Pizza on Old Colony ave in Southie. D'Angelo's Steak Bomb subs are also pretty good. Great, now I'm hungry and I live in friggin' Florida!

In Boston in the 80's we always meant grinders were toasted subs, especially from the greek places.Otherwise just a sub from any shop.

I grew up on the north shore. A grinder was toasted and had shredded lettuce, and you got it at a Greek pizza place. Subs came from Italian Delis. They are different.

Its a grinder!! Get the best grinders in CT I grew up in New London and never heard it called anything but a grinder. I moved to the south and they are subs. Let me tell you there is a big difference. Man I miss home

As I remember it growing up in the Berkshires, a cold sub was called a submarine sandwich while a hot one was called a grinder. This was the early sixties, which I think predated the shortening of the word submarine to sub.I wonder if name grinder had its origins from the texture of the meat. Grinders had ground meat such as sausage or meatballs, while the submarine had sliced meat like salami or ham & cheese.

The term "sub" came from the Canto family in Wakefield MA. (owners of Toodys) The term "grinder" was adapted from transplants out of RI.Grinder= sub/hogieCabinet = shake, or "frappe" (ma)Weiner= small. thin hot dog w/ NY system weiner sauce.soda= tonic/coke/popgravy= spagetti sauce-(red)I live in Ohio and I still haven't found a decent slice of pizza or a real italian grinder. Ohio sucks for chinese too ! I gotta get back to N.E.:)

i just have one question............why are subs called grinders up north???? what is the origin?????? ok, 2 questions:):):)

http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/e33.htmlThis explains the origin of the term "grinda".I've lived all over the country and I can honestly say that New England has some of the best and most unique selections of ethnic foods anywhere.From Portuagese to chinese, to pizza, clam cakes and weinies.... NE's got it all !! :)The fact that you can travel from one state to another and have completely different accents, food and atmosphere just within an hour's drive is absolutely incredible.You guys have no idea how lucky you are to live there.

http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/e33.htmlThis explains the origin of the term "grinda".I've lived all over the country and I can honestly say that New England has some of the best and most unique selections of ethnic foods anywhere.From Portuagese to chinese, to pizza, clam cakes and weinies.... NE's got it all !! :)The fact that you can travel from one state to another and have completely different accents, food and atmosphere just within an hour's drive is absolutely incredible.You guys have no idea how lucky you are to live there.

Grinders came from Rhode Island.Subs are from MA.Hogies are a midwest thingPoor boys- south

Grinder is not a Boston thing, Steak and Cheese sub, that's Boston. Seems weird to hear about a grinder or a Philly cheese steak. Cheese steak is backwids.

And in NYC they're "Heros" or (in Greek) "Gyros" -- pronounced "Heros" or more authentically "Yeeros", by the way, not as in "gyroscope". That's a mark of ignorance :-)

In Malden you got a sub, unless you were at a Greek Pizza joint which heated it and called it a grinder.