“Philly” Cheesesteak – an example of Mid-Atlantic U.S. comfort Food

[GregB0Participant]

Many cultures around the world have used beef, cheese and bread to make a meal for many years. Philadelphia Pennsylvania residents have forgotten that many Italians immigrated to the South Philly area between the late 1880’s and the 1930’s. The genesis of the “Steak & Cheese” sandwich was already being made in Italy, the Balkans, and elsewhere in Europe, and sold by street vendors from carts.

According to the Philadelphia Pennsylvania (USA) Department of Tourism, the “Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich” was invented in South Philly in the 1930’s. City legend stated that a hotdog vendor decided to stop eating hotdogs for lunch and instead grilled ribeye steak and onions on his hotdog grill. Just as he was about to eat it, a regular customer offered to buy it from him. The Philly Steak sandwich was created and with the addition of cheese about20 years later the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich would be created.

Regardless of where or when it was first made, the “Philly Cheesesteak sandwich” quickly became a working-class favorite. The ingredients were few in number and locally available, the sandwiches could be made quickly and were served warm, provided a substantial meal and was relatively inexpensive.

Having lived in Germantown region of Philadelphia (Northwest) for a short time, I can give testimony as to how divisive a cheesesteak conversation can become. The sandwiches were good in Germantown, but the food and atmosphere was nothing when compared to the Southwest Philly area.

The classic ingredients are:
Meat: Rib-eye or round steak. Cheese: Provolone, American or Cheez Whiz (a processed cheese sauce used primarily as a spread or topping).
Bread: A long, soft hoagie roll. Purists will say that this has to be made at Amoroso’s Baking Company.
The typical side dish is French fries, nothing more and nothing less.

Additional “non-traditional” ingredients are:
Meat: Any blend of beef except for brisket or shank.
Veggies: Grilled onions
Cheese: Swiss or white cheese.

Ingredients asked for by tourists from a galaxy far, far away:
Veggies: Mushrooms or Peppers (green or sweet peppers).
Condiments: Mayonnaise, steak sauce, hot sauce or barbeque sauce, but it will be served on the side and the wait staff will give you a very strange look.
Sides: Potato chips, pickles, onion rings, etc. etc. etc.

Ordering Lingo:
“Cheese” and “With” or “Wit”
You specify the cheese you want on your cheesesteak and then if you want onions or not.
“Provolone with” is my favorite. (Provolone cheese with onions)

​"​My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.​" - Clarence Buddinton Kelland

[MarketWatcherParticipant]

Mmmm Philly cheese steak. You were killing me last week with the fried chicken post. Stop making me hungry GregBO! Off to Penn Station now!!

[RoyDalParticipant]

This sounds like a winner for the next BBQ!

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[Jan SobieskiParticipant 28791]

Cheese whiz. Hands down.

Love is just alimony waiting to happen. Visit mgtow.com.

[GregB0Participant]

Figured that would be your take Jan. About every 5th sandwich I order has whiz on it.

​"​My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.​" - Clarence Buddinton Kelland

[IRuleMeParticipant]

My favorite sammich!

[RusskyParticipant 13503]

Jersey Mike’s #56 is my fav
It also has jalapenos.
I also liberally douse it with Tabasco

proud carrier of the 'why?' chromosome

[GregB0Participant]

IRuleMe wrote:

My favorite sammich!

This is also a sandwich that I use to decide if I will return to a restaurant. While it’s hard to not get it right, when they screw it up the will probably screw up other menu items as well.

​"​My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.​" - Clarence Buddinton Kelland

[GregB0Participant]

Russky wrote:

Jersey Mike’s #56 is my fav

Firehouse subs has run Jersey Mikes out of my town, but it’s not that big of a difference for steak subs. Sounds like you would be at home with have some extra hot peppers added to the jalapenos … ouch.

​"​My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.​" - Clarence Buddinton Kelland

[SamsquanchParticipant 4226]

Haha I’ve never been but the old man was traveling through Philly once and stopped to get a sandwich. We’re Ohioans, he’s lived in central Ohio his whole life. I knew a little about the culture surrounding the sandwich, and know that there will always be a debate on what a true Philly is. So the old man order’s a sandwich, gets it, and realizes there isn’t lettuce or tomato on it. God bless him, he asks the people for lettuce and tomato and they tell him to get in the back of the line, he should have ordered that the first time around. Around here, damn near every sandwich, hot or cold comes with lettuce and tomato.

Around here there is a chain called Charley’s. I like them because it takes under 2 minutes for a philly and fries and it’s always hot.

I do onions, provo and cheese wiz. It really gums up the intestinal tract but it’s worth it.

I have a quick philly recipe for home. I use ground beef, cook it in the same pan with the onions and put it all on two hot dog buns, open face, smother in ketchup and eat with a knife and fork. My version of a classed up philly haha. F~~~in starvin now tho

[OldBillParticipant]

Samsquanch wrote:

God bless him, he asks the people for lettuce and tomato and they tell him to get in the back of the line, he should have ordered that the first time around.

That part of the “schtick” at both Geno’s and Pat’s so a lot of other places copy it. Both have huge signs telling “noobs” to the “correct” way to order and reminding them to already know what they want when they get to the order window. If you break the rules, you get sent to the back of the line for the entertainment of everyone else.

(I have to agree with the last part. How many times have you been behind some giggling gaggle of morons who haven’t even looked at the menu yet when it’s their turn to order despite having been in line for 10 or 15 minutes?)

This schtick was around long before Seinfeld made it famous in their Soup Nazi episode. There were chop houses in NYC who vied to have the “most surly” waiters and a restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown advertised their “insulting waiter” for decades. The latter guy was a local celebrity who appear for all sort of charity events and other benefits.

Greg’s already teased us all with the classic cheesesteak recipe. Here in coastal New Hampshire, our variant is called a “steak bomb” and differs only from the original by the amount of grilled vegetables included in the sandwich. Nearly all the steak bombs served here follow Geno’s practice of using shaved steak instead of Pat’s use of one or more small steaks.

Do not date. Do not impregnate. Do not co-habitate. Above all, do not marry. Reclaim and never again surrender your personal sovereignty.

[GregB0Participant]

OldBill wrote:

Geno’s practice of using shaved steak

Old Bill, now I am really missing Philly … ok, I am missing real cheesesteaks. Temple sucked, but Philly was not bad over all.

Thanks for contributing

​"​My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.​" - Clarence Buddinton Kelland

[GregB0Participant]

Samsquanch wrote:

It really gums up the intestinal tract but it’s worth it.

But it does taste oh so good. The bright side is that any autopsies will know immediately your cause of death! I don’t want my coroner to have to work too hard. Thanks for sharing.

​"​My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.​" - Clarence Buddinton Kelland

[OldBillParticipant]

GregB0 wrote:

Thanks for contributing

Glad you started the topic, Greg. I’m a wannabe glutton. I love all kinds of food, love trying new foods, and must constantly watch myself lest I mindlessly eat myself into the prison of morbid obesity.

Early in my business travel career I spent a month in Lancaster, PA – the heart of “Penn Dutch” country. I enjoyed myself so much that I had to buy new pants.

Here’s a dish from upstate Wisconsin and Minnesota that should leave you drooling while your arteries clog. It’s called a “berkie”.

You start with either one pound or a half a pound of potato hash browns. The hash browns are the shredded type and not the cubed.

Next, you tell them which kind of meat or meats you want. The choices are most of the usual breakfast types; bacon, sausage, spam, steak, ground beef, hash, etc.

Next, are the vegetables. Do you want onions, peppers, and the like?

Finally comes the eggs. Two of them and how do you want them prepared? Scrambled, fried, sunny side up, etc.

They griddle fry the hash browns, meat, and vegetable all together. Load that onto a plate and place the eggs on top.

Now for the best part. They ladle melted cheese over the whole thing.

As much of a gourmand – not a gourmet – as I am, I could never finish even the half pound version. The guys shoveling down the pound version without coming up for air are those “American viking” types you see out ice fishing, hunting, trapping, snowshoeing, and skidooing in sub-zero weather.

Do not date. Do not impregnate. Do not co-habitate. Above all, do not marry. Reclaim and never again surrender your personal sovereignty.

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