Tuesday, May 23, 2006
During a recent visit to a local sandwich...
establishment. I thought wistfully of the corner of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue in S. Philly(aka Cheesesteak Mecca). As I ate the pale imitation of a Philly cheesesteak that I was handed, I thought about how much better it the food is at Geno's/Pat's , and how much easier it is to order. So in an effort to make life easier for non native's who trek to S. Philly for the world's greatest sandwich; I give you how to order a Philly Cheesesteak like a local.
When ordering a cheesesteak, the idea is to make the purveyor of steak aware 1.) that you would like a cheesesteak, 2.) what type of cheese you want on it, and 3.) whether or not you want fried onions. And you had best be as concise as possible while doing so, lest you incur the rath of the others waiting in line.
Locals have become so adept at this practice that they basically have it down to three words: saying “one wiz with” to the person behind the counter means that you would like a single cheesesteak [denoted by the “one”] with Cheeze Wiz as your choice of cheese [“wiz”] and with fried onions [“with”]. On the other hand, saying “one provolone without” would secure you a single cheesesteak [one] made with provolone cheese [provolone] and without fried onions [without]. Are we clear? Good then you won't be the next person to experience another cherished Philly tradition, getting booed.
When ordering a cheesesteak, the idea is to make the purveyor of steak aware 1.) that you would like a cheesesteak, 2.) what type of cheese you want on it, and 3.) whether or not you want fried onions. And you had best be as concise as possible while doing so, lest you incur the rath of the others waiting in line.
Locals have become so adept at this practice that they basically have it down to three words: saying “one wiz with” to the person behind the counter means that you would like a single cheesesteak [denoted by the “one”] with Cheeze Wiz as your choice of cheese [“wiz”] and with fried onions [“with”]. On the other hand, saying “one provolone without” would secure you a single cheesesteak [one] made with provolone cheese [provolone] and without fried onions [without]. Are we clear? Good then you won't be the next person to experience another cherished Philly tradition, getting booed.
