so. philly. cheesesteak.

 

whatever.

 

it was good. it was actually even better than i expected. but how this is a cultural icon of this city, i don't get.

 

we went to geno's, not pat's, for a lot of reasons.

 

a) it was raining, and we were on the side of the street where geno's was.

 

 

c) but i think the line is because every tv show i have ever seen always acknowledges geno's, then goes to pat's.

 

d) i don't trust tv shows.

 

e) every chef i have ever heard express an opinion always says geno's.

 

f) geno's has an orange color scheme. i like orange.

 

g) pat's is fairly famous for being all surly if you don't order right, and sending people to the back of the line if they don't get the nonsensical vernacular just right. people seem to think that gives them character. i think it's stupid.

 

 

the other was miami subs, where the cheesesteaks we're grossly greasy. i always thought it sounded like a good idea, then i would get one and hate it. and months later i would convince myself it was probably just bad that one day, and get it again. and this would repeat until miami subs went out of business.

 

i didn't really intend to get a cheesesteak while we were in philly. we went down to the italian market area of philly to check out the market, and i intended to have lunch at dibruno bros., but while i found the cheese shop, i did not find their cafe. so we hit the street, and ended up back at the intersection where pat and geno duke it out for saturated fat supremacy.

 

we weren't too hungry, and were going to vetri for dinner later, so pam and i split a sandwich and fries. we got "wit," (God help me with the stupid vernacular), which, in philadelphia, apparently means "onion." whatever. we also ordered provolone, because i'm willing to eat a lot of things, but i haven't eaten cheez-wiz yet, and i have no plans on breaking that perfect record. i mean, if you have a choice between real cheese and "cheez" food-like product, is there really a choice? apparently, some people think "cheez" is a good idea. i'm convinced that its something they offer and tout, just to see if they can get the tourists to eat it. and judging from what i was overhearing in line, they do. eagerly.

 

idiots.

 

anyway, the sandwich does not come cut, so to share, i had to rip it in half. i wasn't sure how this would go, thinking the beef might not tear, and i'd have a bunch of stuff falling out. but it did, which was testament to its tenderness. the onions were very tasty, and the cheese was good, since i'm not a moron and got provolone. the beef was very tender and tasty, tho it was hardly seasoned. the fries were very good, and the birch beer was my favorite.

 

mainly what i got out of this experience was that on my last trip to publix, i looked in the freezer section to see if they still make steak-umms. they do! they're pretty expensive, tho. but its nice to know they're there.