Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The cheesesteak crusader returns...
 

Perhaps. You don't know for sure. Just because he wrote what he did on that day, doesn't mean he'll be following that path FOREVER. I mean, sheesh already!!! Plus, it's not YOUR job to "worry" him about the dangers of smoking...that's MINE, thanks. *smurks*



OhmyGoddess! LMAOROTF!!! So, now if one doesn't talk about a topic, they are in denial...baaahahah, that's a good one. Rock on dude!



*sputters* I'll leave that one alone...for now. :p



Not anymore. I quit a year ago, and on MY terms, and when *I* wanted to (which is how I wanted to quit).

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The cheesesteak crusader returns...
 

[ladysycamore]
> Perhaps. You don't know for sure. Just because he wrote
> what he did on that day, doesn't mean he'll be following that
> path FOREVER. I mean, sheesh already!!!

That she doesn't know for sure doesn't mean that she can't answer to something he said. The only thing she can go by are his statements; thus, it'd be nonsensical to assume he'd change his declared 'path'.

[MaggieL]
>> In the meantime, you won't engage on the topic of smoking,
>> because you'd rather play "red herring" about denial.

[ladysycamore]
> OhmyGoddess! LMAOROTF!!! So, now if one doesn't talk
> about a topic, they are in denial...baaahahah, that's a
> good one. Rock on dude!

Between your humorous exclamations, you might want to consider that MaggieL had presented a fairly good argument, which Sycamore mostly ignored. She then replied, warning that the smoking is the biggest threat to his health, a threat which he didn't seem to take too seriously in his previous postings; he didn't really reply her messages either, which made it look like he's either ignoring her. Why could he be ignoring Maggie's personally intense messages, which presented a compelling picture of what smoking can do to you? Either he doesn't really want to face up to the implications of his addiction (i.e. DENIAL), or he doesn't want to talk to MaggieL for some other mysterious reason.

(Sorry for talking for you here, Maggie)... but which one seems more likely, from her point of view? She's obviously very worried about his health, from personal experience, and he seems to be blowing it off. Maybe you want to be less aggressive next time when someone shows genuine concern for your significant other. How often do you have people genuinely *care* ?

[MaggieL]
>> Ah, addictive behavior, gotta love it...:-) A bit like the
>> five stages of grief, but postdated.

[ladysycamore]
> *sputters* I'll leave that one alone...for now.

This is somewhat infantile: 'Although your claim is obviously ridiculous, I will refuse to respond for it... right now. I will come back later and trouce your argument utterly.'

If you deride people's arguments, at least have the decency to back up your claims. How would you feel if I simply wrote: 'bah, you're wrong. I won't even tell you why, but you are. so there' ?

[ladysycamore]
> Not anymore. I quit a year ago, and on MY terms, and
> when *I* wanted to (which is how I wanted to quit)

That's great. When you get off your self-esteem pedestal, you may want to consider that cancer (and all other smoking-related diseases) doesn't care if you quit on *your* terms, or *how* you wanted to quit smoking.

If you smoke, stop doing it. As soon as you can possibly muster the willpower (or not, as MaggieL was implying was the case with Sycamore). Your ego doesn't play a role in how cancer affects you - the faster you stop, the less likely you are to die or to suffer from horrifying, expensive, and painful diseases - or both. The fact that you're letting Sycamore smoke while you stopped doesn't really say a lot about you, either (if it's around you). Passive smoking (and I'm certain you will claim that he never smokes around you) is quite likely to kill you, too. Pity you won't get to satisfy any addiction whilst killing yourself, though.

X.


Links:
http://www.wce.ac.nz/cancer/lifestyl...e/passive.html
http://www.forces.org/evidence/
http://www.helioshealth.com/cgi-bin/news/news.cgi?131
http://www.phonki.clara.net/cleanair/factin.htm
http://www.ash.org.uk/html/publicpla...lasummary.html

Originally, I had written a rather lengthy post as to why I never made a response to Maggie's posts. I happened to think about it later though, and decided that a lengthy post was unnecessary. I read the posts originally, thought about them, and made the decision not to reply to them. Period.

The words an individual speaks (or does not speak) may be the entire basis for one's opinion of said individual on the Cellar. Although the words (or lack thereof) CAN speak volumes, and CAN reveal some of the individual's personality, it is still an incomplete representation.

Gracias. :)

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The cheesesteak crusader returns...
 

[quote]Originally posted by Xugumad
[ladysycamore]
> Perhaps. You don't know for sure. Just because he wrote
> what he did on that day, doesn't mean he'll be following that
> path FOREVER. I mean, sheesh already!!!

That she doesn't know for sure doesn't mean that she can't answer to something he said.

I never said that she could NOT answer. Where in the heck did you see THAT in my statement??

The only thing she can go by are his statements; thus, it'd be nonsensical to assume he'd change his declared 'path'.

So, because of that, there is no "realm of possibility" that he COULD change his
path? That would mean...he'd NEVER quit, so why hound him into quitting in the first
place?

[MaggieL]
>> In the meantime, you won't engage on the topic of smoking,
>> because you'd rather play "red herring" about denial.

[ladysycamore]
> OhmyGoddess! LMAOROTF!!! So, now if one doesn't talk
> about a topic, they are in denial...baaahahah, that's a
> good one. Rock on dude!

Between your humorous exclamations, you might want to consider that MaggieL had presented a fairly good argument, which Sycamore mostly ignored.

And? Ignoring it automatically means denial?

She then replied, warning that the smoking is the biggest threat to his health, a threat which he didn't seem to take too seriously in his previous postings; he didn't really reply her messages either, which made it look like he's either ignoring her.

More ridiculous assmptions. Do YOU talk about, or go into lengthy detail about every, single, solitary issue that coms your way? And, if in the event that he WAS ignoring her...so what? She's not "allowed" to be ignored? (memories of Glenn Close in Fatal Attractionsaying, "I will NOT be ignored!") *laughs* I think not. She.just.doesn't.have.that.kind.of.power.

Why could he be ignoring Maggie's personally intense messages, which presented a compelling picture of what smoking can do to you?

Mmm...maybe because he can? Who the heck knows, and why should anyone CARE??

Either he doesn't really want to face up to the implications of his addiction (i.e. DENIAL), or he doesn't want to talk to MaggieL for some other mysterious reason.

And..how is either reason SO important in the grand scheme of things...really? I'm
curious to find out WHY Sycamore's refusal to address Maggie about smoking is such
an issue (aka, "a big deal").

(Sorry for talking for you here, Maggie)... but which one seems more likely, from her point of view? She's obviously very worried about his health, from personal experience, and he seems to be blowing it off. Maybe you want to be less aggressive next time when someone shows genuine concern for your significant other. How often do you have people genuinely *care* ?

Well, it's obvious that her take on "caring" and my take on it are coming from two different schools of thought. I mean, I didn't know that making bold, arrogant assumptions about one's thought processes and actions was "caring".

[MaggieL]
>> Ah, addictive behavior, gotta love it...:-) A bit like the
>> five stages of grief, but postdated.

[ladysycamore]
> *sputters* I'll leave that one alone...for now.

This is somewhat infantile: 'Although your claim is obviously ridiculous, I will refuse to respond for it... right now. I will come back later and trouce your argument utterly.'

*LOL!* Expressing my First Amendment right is infantile? For crying out loud...I was merely being facetious..or..um..is that not allowed here?

If you deride people's arguments, at least have the decency to back up your claims. How would you feel if I simply wrote: 'bah, you're wrong. I won't even tell you why, but you are. so there' ?

I wouldn't make a federal case about it, I know THAT much. Again: so WHAT? It's
not ruining MY day if that is the statement that you want to make...gads! I have much more important things to be concerned about!

[ladysycamore]
> Not anymore. I quit a year ago, and on MY terms, and
> when *I* wanted to (which is how I wanted to quit)

That's great. When you get off your self-esteem pedestal,

Why on EARTH would I do that? Self-esteem is important. More people should claim it, and use it for their own benefit. Low self esteem is why too many women are in abusive relationships...low self esteem is why people allow others to use them as personal welcome mats and get taken advantage of (in other words, not having the will to stand up for oneself), and so on. So...positive self-esteem is "wrong" to possess? Hey, it's helped me to do many positive things in life, and as a black female in America, I feel that it is important to
have high self-esteem, so I think I will stay on my so-called "self-esteem pedestal" if it will continue to help me through the remainder of my life, thankyouverymuch.

you may want to consider that cancer (and all other smoking-related diseases) doesn't care if you quit on *your* terms, or *how* you wanted to quit smoking.

Okayyyy.....

If you smoke, stop doing it.

Smoke free for over a year now.

As soon as you can possibly muster the willpower (or not, as MaggieL was implying was the case with Sycamore). Your ego doesn't play a role in how cancer affects you - the faster you stop, the less likely you are to die or to suffer from horrifying, expensive, and painful diseases - or both.

That still does not give anyone the license to bug the heck out of someone to get them to quit. I'm SURE that you realize that that tactic doesn't work with everyone.

The fact that you're letting Sycamore smoke while you stopped doesn't really say a lot about you, either (if it's around you).

And what does making assumptions about people's lives say about YOU, dearheart?

Passive smoking (and I'm certain you will claim that he never smokes around you) is quite likely to kill you, too.

LOL, and there's another one. Ok: I'll bite. Are you willing to bet on it? How certain are you? 50%? 70%? 100%? Ah, I love it when people THINK they know you...

Pity you won't get to satisfy any addiction whilst killing yourself, though.

Save your pity for someone who needs it, because I certainly do not...ooo, there's that nasty self-esteem again (slaps wrists). Shame, shame, shame on me!!!



:p

Bringing it back to topic...
 

I decided to make my own cheesesteak tonight, so I cobbled the ingredients together:

--One package of Amoroso's rolls
--4 oz. of Provolone cheese
--One package of Landis chicken steak
--Some leftover Quaker King steaks in the freezer
--Ketchup and mayo (already in the fridge)

I lightly toasted the rolls, threw some mayo on them, and then the cheese. Fried up the chicken and beef steaks, ripped them up, and put them on the rolls. Ketchup added last. Absolutely delicious. I must say, I outdid myself. Granted, adding the Quaker King steaks was sacriligious...and they don't exactly taste the best. But it was a pleasant combination overall.

Healthwise: About 750-800 calories for one of these cheesesteaks. Sodium and fat content are low to medium (most of the fat coming from the mayo and beef steak). Cut the beef steak, lighten up on the mayo and ketchup, and you're down to about 500-550...a Big Mac at McDonald's is 590. I would reckon that my version was probably healthier than one I would get at a restaurant...most of them pile on the ketchup and mayo unless you tell them otherwise. If you've had a light lunch or no lunch at all, you're in good shape. :)

Philly Cheesesteaks, Sycamore - MORE THAN A COINCIDENCE?
 

Not so.

A 20-second walk from where I live, a deli called 'Sycamore' sells the best sandwich I've ever eaten. It's of course a Philly Cheesesteak.

Coincidence?

I may just bloat to ludicrous dimensions eating only those sandwiches from now on. They're that damn good.

X.


PS: I stepped away from the ladysycamore talk above since it became obvious that emotion and not logic dictated the responses. Better to avoid flames than fan them, methinks. :-)

Re: Philly Cheesesteaks, Sycamore - MORE THAN A COINCIDENCE?
 

Really? Now that's funny...where is this at?

Although...if it's not in Philadelphia, it's not a real cheesesteak. ;)

You replied 10 minutes after I posted?
 

.. ahem. That was rapid. AAAAAAAnyway:


Southwestern Virginia, I'm currently visiting someone here. VT is very close.

The sandwich is incredible, the best I've ever had. I'll provide driving directions and all if people don't believe me ;)

A 12" sandwich is around $6 or so, I think. They make their own bread for it and all.

I just had a 3" sandwich section reheated after it sat in the fridge for 2 days. It was still *very* tasty.

There is a God.

Re: Philly Cheesesteaks, Sycamore - MORE THAN A COINCIDENCE?
 

My statements and questions are just as logical as anyone else's, regardless if they are filled with any emotions. I mean, I AM a human being, not a robot! :mad:

*Pfft* It doesn't matter anyway. The topic was straying anyway. *shrugs*

Cheesesteaks, anyone? :D

Re: You replied 10 minutes after I posted?
 

Got a digital camera? We Phluffians can evaluate the karma of the sandwich. We need to know, for example, if it's South Philly or Roxborough style. This is vital!

Re: Re: You replied 10 minutes after I posted?
 

Undertoad: Yes, I do have a digital camera. I will list the deli's description/ingredient list as well, and take a couple of digital photographs ASAP.

ASAP may be in a few days, though. I am currently on a week-long vegetarian trip. I was quite curious to see what it's like to be vegetarian for a couple of days.

More cheesesteaks updates later.

X.

PS: Ladysycamore - oh dear, that was a bad case of 'I MUST HAVE THE LAST WORD AT ALL COST' ;-) A 'ugogirl!' keychain is being mailed to you as we speak. ]:-)

Re: Re: You replied 10 minutes after I posted?
 

Good looking out Tony. I didn't even think about that. Truth be told, I don't think about the regional differences much.

*hangs head in shame*

Re: Re: You replied 10 minutes after I posted?
 

Good looking out Tony. I didn't even think about that. Truth be told, I don't think about the regional differences much.

*hangs head in shame*

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The cheesesteak crusader returns...
 

I'm not going to go revisit the health-impacts-of-addictions subthread...that was ages ago. I made my concerns clear, Syc made his responses. It's old news.

But I did want to pick up on something I've heard a couple times out here lately...citing "First Amendment rights". For pity's sake, there's *no* environment on this planet that's more supportive of free speech than the The Cellar.

But the Cellar tradition has been that (almost) all propositions are subject to debate. If you make a statement, and someone else calls on you to back it up with reasoning or an explanation, waving a free speech flag hasn't cut much ice around here in the past. It isn't that we don't value freedom of speech. Quite the contrary--freedom of speech is a value totally ingrained in the community culture, taken for granted, and usually doesn't even need to be mentioned.

Every one has freedom to make almost any kind of statement here, and they also have freedom of to defend them. Criticisim isn't an attempt to silence here, it usually takes the form of an invitation to amplify. But if the perception is that the speaker is blowing smoke, he or she can expect to hear about *that*, too.

*Commentary* and *criticisim* are protected speech as well...and the suggestion that that commentary or crticisim is intended to silence someone and is thus somehow in violation of their rights would itself seem intended to have a chilling effect on free speech...the notion of "political correctness" is apropos.

Fortunately the Cellar has been immune to that sort of thing so far. Long may it wave.

Re: Re: Re: You replied 10 minutes after I posted?
 

:rolleyes: Sure dude: I'll send ya my mailing address.

Re: Re: You replied 10 minutes after I posted?
 

I am only too happy to oblige. The light conditions were quite poor, which makes it look somewhat unappetizing. Don't let this fool you - that sandwich is one of the best I've ever had.

(2 postings, to attach two files)

X.

Re: Re: Re: You replied 10 minutes after I posted?
 

Ingredients:
grilled with onions, peppers, melted provolone cheese, on a grilled sub roll, topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, oil/vinegar, spices, mayonnaise.

Opened up:

*Sycamore puts the photos into Paperport, lightens them up, and magnifies them*

Hmmm...it looks like a layer or layers of meat. South Philadelphia style. With the lettuce and tomato, we would call that a "cheesesteak hoagie."

Yeah, right off, if they're not calling this a cheesesteak hoagie, if they're just calling it a "cheesesteak" or "philly cheesesteak", that's points deducted. There is no lettuce, tomato, ungrilled onion on a cheesesteak. Sorry, Syc, there isn't any mayo either. Ketchup may be put on by the eater if they lack basic class. (Which they probably do; that's part of the whole thing.)

They do get points for having found a roll that looks worthy. Grilling the roll is sorta questionable imo, and the way they did it, it looks like it found a grill with some open flames or something. See, what's supposed to happen is that the roll should be opened and laid on top of the grilling meat and cheese, at the last minute, to soak up some of the heat and the flavory goodness.

The meat looks like it hasn't been chopped at all which is the S.Philly style. That's not my preference but it may improve this particular combination.

Good work by you, X, for going the extra mile. Whatever they call it, it does look good.

There's mayo on there. You can see it next to the tomato.

Generally, I would never think of using ketchup with chicken, but on a chicken cheesesteak...*drools*

I prefer the chopped up style as well. The best chopping I've ever seen is at Jimmy's on Ridge Ave. in Roxborough.

What I meant to say is, there isn't any mayo on a real cheesesteak. Not that I wouldn't rule it out for my own personal sandwich. (This month I would though, I'm losing weight)

Really? I'm showing my rookieness on the subject then...but I *do* love mayo. ;)

When I become rich and famous in a few years (ha!), one of the things I am going to invest in is a cheesesteak franchising operation. Rolls will be flown in from Philadelphia weekly, if not daily. I'll even hire real Philadelphians to work in them ("Hey! Youse guys see that Iggles game Sunday?").

I think I would open my first shop in Chicago...maybe on W. 63rd near Midway. I don't know if north Chicagoans would truly appreciate such a sandwich.

Then I would open up one in St. Louis...probably on South Grand. It would add to the mix of unique cuisines there. On second thought, maybe on the Italian Hill...it would fit in better there...and I could give Southwest Market a run for their money.

I'd probably move on to Baltimore next...Highlandtown area (HB, you interested?). Then Queens, Cleveland, etc. The restaurants would have to be in "high-character" areas. :)

Ketchup can be used as a *emergency* substitute for proper tomato sauce, as might be used on a pizza. Some might argue that the result would constitute a pizzasteak; I won't quibble.

But ketchup really has too much sugar in it; cheesesteak. sauce should be spicy, not sweet. And mayo is right out. If you're lusting for mayo while eating a cheesesteak, it's not greasy enough. Oops...I mean, it lacks "flavory goodness". :-)

Heh. It's funny that you read it wrong, but I still read it right. I guess it goes back to whether or not you've been made stupid by your addiction to cigarettes. (it was a JOKE! think tw's post! yeesh!) :)

As far as shops - you farthead. Open one in Fairfax! Everyone around here appreciates good food - witness Busara, etc. Plus, there's be a lot of people around here. If not Fairfax, at least like DC. Baltimore should come after some place that's closer to me. I still haven't had a philly cheesesteak!

However, it's worth nothing that the guy that used to be downstairs (he got fired) did 'em like that - cheese, onions, peppers, steak, bun stuck on at the last minute... I liked it. Definitely very tasty.

Okay... we've settled the mayonnaise question. But, while we're on the subject of cheesesteak ingredients, let's settle this one once and for all:

Cheez Wiz: Culinary Abomination? Or Nectar of the Gods?

Let's get quibbling!

Baltimore--you have to go to Highlandtown...along Eastern Ave. on the east side of the city. It just screams character.

Fairfax--absolutely not. Not enough character. Except for you.

Washington--hmmm...maybe...over in Brookland, near Catholic University.

I say nay...good for cheese sandwiches, not good for cheesesteaks. Pat's uses it by default. I think Geno's does too. I prefer Provolone or White American.

Agreed. This is another problem with the original downtown steaks. Whiz is an abomination and perhaps the only way to really make a cheesesteak more unhealthy. I'm sure they do it to save money.

Jim's offers Wiz as an option... and boy, you'd better know what you want when you get to the head of the line, or you'll face the wrath of the guy behind the grill.

I'm a provolone kind of guy, myself. But sometimes... sometimes... Cheez Wiz scratches the itch in a way that nothing else can!

Ah, all about character.

Well damn. What kind of character? What about boring, rich people character? That's some kind of character, isn't it? :)

Actually, I was thinking it would be cool to buy an area of land and put a couple awesome restaurants on it - some Thai/Japanese, some Mexican, some good Italian and something else. Really nice places - all trendy looking and shit. One could probably make a decent buck if they had the area right, 'cause it would be in an environment that people wanted to be in - it'd have "character", if you will. However, I think the problem would be...

traffic. People always want to go to places that have character. Except that the traffic is bad. So they settle for McDonalds. So maybe people wouldn't go to my place that has character. :(

That sounds like the guy down at Philip's. He looks like he's going to hop out the window sometimes.

To me, it's just too messy. The grease is bad enough, then you add wiz on top of it...that's TOO much. :)

To the Philadelphians that have been here longer than me...what the hell is a gizmo? I keep seeing it on menus at restaurants here in the NE, but always forget to ask what they are.

Hubris, I give up. Babelfish was no help. What does your title say?

I actually prefer cheddar on a cheesesteak. I find its flavor to be exactly what I'm looking for. Provolone isn't too bad either, and American is good. But for me, it's cheddar that hits the spot.

However, what I'd really like to have is <b>Havarti</b> on a cheesesteak. I bet that'd be awesome. Havarti is, in the opinion of this cheese lover, <b>the</b> best cheese. It's got a great taste, and I think it would go really well on a cheesesteak.

Anyone ever had havarti on a cheesesteak? Any insight on how it was?

I think with Havarti, I'd just want a kinda bare-minimum cheesesteak - steak, havarti, onions and peppers - no ketchup or tomato sauce or mayo (though I love mayo on a cheesesteak). Gotta agree with Maggie that ketchup is just too sweet for a cheesesteak, though.

Anyway... thoughts on havarti?

Maybe in your book. :) Most suburbs are too antiseptic for my liking.

Now Falls Church...THAT would get some consideration. It's quaint...has some character.

...AND it's only 2 Metro stops down from me. Score! :)

Wing Bowl
 

Isn't the Wing Bowl happening in Philly today?

Are you possibly referring to <i>gyros</i>? They are a very close cousin to souvlaki

Re: Wing Bowl
 

Yes, Wing Bowl happened this morning.

For the outtatowners, Wing Bowl is an annual wing-eating contest held by the local sports radio station. This was the tenth year of it. Started quite small, now it fills an entire arena with fans, for an event where the doors open at 5:30 a.m.

I believe it was won by the favorite, "El Wingadore". I didn't follow it that closely, but the radio is on when I make my morning coffee...

Say what you want, but there is some kind of really weird charm about this. I know a lot of people would find it to be uncomfortably like that asdfasdf image, another contrived opportunity for a bunch of thick-headed guys to act like morons.

It's a non-event event, like pro wrestling. Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

But there's a different feel about this one, somehow... as if it transcended into performance art for the common man. And it's definitely Philly. If it happened anywhere else, it just wouldn't play.

Gyros are awesome. It's just disappointing that the person that made that page referred to it as "sadziki" sauce. Tzatziki (pronounced "tuhzeeky") is the proper spelling.

<i>The Alex Charalabidis Guide to Souvlaki</i> (further down the page in the blue box) spells it the way you like. Also note that while a Greek speaker will pronounce the word YEE-roh, many, if not most, restaurant employees in the Fluffia area will not know what you mean unless you say JYE-roh, as in the short name for the instrument stabilized by the angular momentum of a massy spinning wheel.

Cheesesteak munch time
 

I call an official Cellar cheesesteak munch for the second or third week of February.

I will be visiting town then and would like to meet more than ONE Cellar-dweller this time!

The place, date and time is up to general consensus.

There. I said it!

Brian

Indeed, which makes me look like a fucking idiot when I actually say YEE-roh, and they go "HUH?" and I have to say "JYE-roh. Give me a fucking JYE-roh, you uncultured savage." Then I have to leave, because they'll probably spit in my food.

Re: Cheesesteak munch time
 

I'm for it.

Nobody wuvs me!
 

I'm coming into town the third week of Feb (looks like a weeks' delay here for moving and such).

Maggie, I'll meet you wherever you want as long as they have good cheesesteaks.

Everyone else can go piddle up a rope. I'm going to enjoy my visit anyway!

Brian

Looks like you and me, Mags
 

I guess no one else reads this forum or wants to go munch with me.

What and where will it be, girl?

Or we can do Timothy's ribs. They're to die for. Or so I remember.

I'm open, and easy ;)

Re: Looks like you and me, Mags
 

You can plan that far ahead? OK...worst case is I'll still be unemployed when you're up here, so we can go almost anywhere anytime. I'd initially say Amadeo's Too for steaks, or Micheal's Deli for hoagies....both being convenient to me.

And also to Tony, as I recall, but *he* has a job, of course. :-)

C'mon peeps...voice preferences, or it will be a Schulkyll Valley munch by default.

I'm merely anti-social.

^
 

He is, that.

And yes, I can. With reasonable certainty.

I leave Florida this Friday, stay for a few days in VA with friends, then make my way north
to the frozen tundra that I have come to think of as PA.

Yes, that was a weather dig. Obligatory for me nowadays. I've been leaving my windows open
and wearing shorts and tee shirts for two weeks. Winter is over and spring has sprung.
I'll miss the weather here, except for a distinct lact of VFR. I'll never again fly to Atlanta over a
long weekend and take for granted that I can fly back again.

Anyway. Since I'm not familiar with those places, I'll need more locator data than just a name.

Brian

timeout
 

I will be offline for a few days during my relocation process.

I may be able to log on just to check email, but maybe not.

Voice contact will work better.

Numbers to find me by request.

Mitch Parker has my numbers and will give them to whomever asks nicely.

Otherwise, see you all real soon!

Brian

I had one the other night...

Santucci's--Knights Road Shopping Center at Knights and Woodhaven Rds.: I ordered a chicken cheesesteak and got a regular one. $5. It was alright...greasy enough, with just enough ketchup and mayo. It made me stomach sick later in the evening. Not sure if it was stress or a bad sandwich...I've had one from there before and it was pretty decent. (Incidentally, they have damned good pizza too.)

Well, of course it was the *mayo*. :-)

'local' band
 

I used to live near Philly, in Wilmington, DE. I went to Abilene's downtown every week or so to see a band called Love Syndicate. Has anyone seen them (recently, or, at all)? If so, drop me a line, I'd like to know how they're doing. I know they're from the Wayne, PA area, and they used to host open mic night at the Gryphon in said town. Any help would be appreciated.

p.s., I know this is kind of random, but, the first night I saw them, I had my first cheesesteak ever, and it was GREAT! (I'm from MN and have returned there now, and can't get a good one to save my life)

Re: 'local' band
 

Evidently they still exist, are still performing, and are cutting a studio album: http://www.lovesyndicate.com

Disappointment
 

My God, I had my worst cheesesteak ever yesterday.

The location for this travesty was the cafeteria inside my office building in Fort Washington, PA. The food is so-so and overpriced. But, when you really need a bite to eat and forgot your lunch at home, it's there for you.

I immediately had low expectations for this cheesesteak, given that it was in our cafeteria. But even those meager hopes were dashed by this...thing.

I've seen some finely chopped steak in my short cheesesteak connoisseurship. But I suspect that this chicken was thrown in a blender on the "puree" setting. It wouldn't surprise me if it was that potted chicken that you buy in the store. (No...not THAT kind of pot. ;) )

So, you just get the bun, chicken, and cheese. The bun was actually decent. Nice and warm, with no sogginess. I add my own ketchup and mayo, which may have made this particular steak edible.

$3.35 for said steak...and it was small. Maybe that was a good thing for this poor excuse called food.

The New Kid on the Block
 

Villagio Pizza & Restaurant--9233 Frankford Ave. in NE Philadelphia: Villagio took the spot previously occupied by Pizzadelphia, which closed shop last summer.

A menu made its way to my door this past week, so I decided to sample their fare last night. First off, their service wasn't very good...the order taker seemed less than interested in taking my order. Then, they couldn't find my apartment. I won't hold that against them though...our complex is a bit confusing. I'm sure they'll figure it out if they stay in business long enough.

Now, to the cheesesteak--a buffalo chicken steak, with buffalo sauce and bleu cheese dressing. $4.95. The chicken was quite good--it tasted as if it had been marinated. It was chunked, much like Ishkabibble's on South St. It probably could have used a bit more cheese, dressing, and sauce though. On the whole, it was alright. I'd probably order one from them again.

chicken
mayo
buffalo sauce
bleu cheese dressing

"Oh, tempora! O mores!" :-)

No mayo. Adding that to the dressing would have been overkill, IMO.

I was just enumerating and (tongue-in-cheek) bemoaning the unorthodox ingredients in a sandwich you persist in calling a "cheesesteak". :-)

I'm enough of a purist to consider mayo to be heresy. I guess once we start calling a sandwich with *chicken* in it a "chicken cheesesteak" all is lost anyway. How about a "salmon cheese steak"? After all, there *are* salmon steaks. I don't think I've ever seen chicken steaks.

This may go far in suggesting that the defining characteristics of a cheesesteak may be:

1) melted cheese (hopefully not bleu cheese), and
2) the *bread*, which must be a small Italian loaf supplied by a Mafia-owned business and
3) No vegetables besides onions (and in reform congregations, peppers)

This points up the futility of getting a cheesesteak outside of Philly, or for that matter, getting a real hoagie, since they are properly built on the same rolls, apparently only available in Philly and environs. Given the proposed definition above, a hoagie misses being a cheesteak only by virtue of having unmelted cheese, and various vegetable violations. Thus, a grinder is an even nearer miss, because it's cheese *is* melted...and a cheesesteak hoagie is still in vegetable trouble, which is why the adjective is "cheesesteak" and the noun "hoagie"; it cannont be a "hoagie cheesesteak", but rather a hoagie *containing * a cheesesteak.

But it's not a real cheesesteak. Cheesesteaks *are* a real religion, though. :-)

The Cart Nazi???
 

So, I was at the cart at the SE corner of 5th and Market in Old City Philadelphia yesterday, getting one of their fabulous cheesesteaks that make me drool. (And a cheesesteak and 24oz. soda for $5 is a hell of a deal.)

There was a family there that ordered after me...they appeared to be tourists (which wouldn't be much of a stretch, given that Independence Hall is across the street). The mother ordered a chicken salad hoagie, and the grandmother a cheesesteak. Two guys work in this little cart, and they appear to be immigrants (since they converse in another language and have accents, but who really knows?). Anyway...the one guy looks at the grandmother and asks, "What do you want on your cheesesteak?"

Grandmother: "I'd like onions on it."

As the guy prepares to put the mustard on the bun, he looks at the mother and says, "Okay, so you wanted mustard and onions on it?"

Mother: "Oh no! I want lettuce on it."

Cart Nazi: *appears irritated* "Why did you just say that you wanted mustard on it?"

Mother: "I thought you were asking about the cheesesteak."

Cart Nazi: "No! I was asking about the chicken salad hoagie...so you want lettuce?"

Mother: "Yes."

Cart Nazi: *reiterates previous statement* "I was originally asking about the chicken salad hoagie."

Mother: *now appears irritated* "Well, we'll deal with it!"

Yes, the cart guy clearly fucked up here. And he looks eerily similar to the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. I thought he was going to throw the hoagie away and yell, "No hoagie for you!"

From here on out, I dub the gentleman with the mustache in the cart on the SE corner of 5th and Market in Old City Philadelphia Cart Nazi. :)

'Round up in these parts, nothing beats
<a href="http://www.texadelphia.com">http://www.texadelphia.com/images/To...av_03-over.gif</a>

Can't go wrong if you order double meat, either. :D