⚫ A comic from NJ appeared on a podcast hosted by southern U.S. residents

⚫ One host said he's surprised other states allow drivers to pump their own gas

⚫ Out-of-staters like the option of not getting out of your vehicle


A comedian who got his start in the Garden State found himself having to explain a seemingly simple process to someone who doesn't live here: how to let someone else pump your own gas.

For anyone who's grown up in New Jersey, the two-minute conversation is priceless. The concept of full-service gas is dumbfounding to outsiders, apparently.

The topic popped up during an episode of The Nateland Podcast, which is hosted by Tennessee native and stand-up comic Nate Bargatze.

Fellow comic Julian McCullough, who grew up in Moorestown and attended Rutgers University, was a guest host on an episode.

Because of McCullough's Garden State roots, co-host Brian Bates, from Nashville, decided to mention the random fact that New Jersey is the only state where drivers can't dispense their own fuel (Oregon got rid of their self-serve ban in 2023).

"This happens to every New Jersey person," McCullough said. "You grow up, you learn how to drive in New Jersey, and then the first time you go to another state, you just sit in your car at the gas pump for like 10 minutes. And you're like, 'These people are so slow.' And then you've got to realize, 'Oh, I'm supposed to do this? I don't know how to do this. I never got trained to work at the gas station.'"

Expecting criticism from the rest of the panel, McCullough was met with the opposite, and some hilarious questions.

"Do you just hand them your credit card?" Bates asked. "Do they put it in the pump themselves?"

SEE ALSO: The NJ counties with the most obese people

McCullough, who hosts Bargatze's current comedy tour and once worked at Stress Factory in New Brunswick, took the questions in stride, as if he's asked them regularly.

Bates admitted, "I think it seems crazy that they just trust us with the flammable liquid, just to do it ourselves."

Co-host Dusty Slay, who's from Alabama, said he'd "appreciate" having someone pump the gas for him.

"It is nice," Bargatze said. "You just get to sit there and they do it."

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