There are great food debates in the United States.
Chicago deep dish…..
........or New York style pizza?
Wet ribs....
.......vs. dry.
What makes a great hot dog?
Well I’ve never been to Philly.
But I kinda like the Beatles.
The raging controversy in the city of Brotherly Love isn’t Phillies vs. Eagles.
In the land that gave us the cheesesteak, the ongoing argument that will never be resolved, as sure as the Liberty Bell has a crack in it is, once the meat is in the bun, what goes on the meat?
From About.com:
"Cheesesteaks were invented in South Philadelphia in the 1930's at Pat's Steaks, located in the heart of South Philadelphia, hence the addition of "Philly" to the name. They were originally topped with a pizza sauce, (now called a pizza steak).
Where to find the best cheesesteak is a question that will forever be debated throughout the area. Only in Philadelphia could two places stay open all night selling cheesesteaks -- right across the street from each other -- and both do a thriving business.
The debate over whether Pat's or Geno's steaks are the best goes on every night. Both are located on Passyunk Avenue near Ninth Street in the heart of South Philly."
What about the search for the perfect Philly cheesesteak?
Again, let's go to About.com:
"First, there's the cheesesteak itself. As already noted, a proper Philly cheesesteak is made with real beef -- fresh, not frozen. It is cooked on a grill using grease. As it is cooked, it should be chopped to bits. You then choose which cheese you prefer and whether you want onions, peppers or other toppings. When the sandwich is served the juices should drip from your cheesesteak. In order to avoid ruining their clothes, Philadelphians have learned, what is referred to as, the "Philadelphia Lean", bending forward to eat the cheesesteak, instead of bringing it to your mouth."
Now, for the crucial information.
Read carefully.
About.com, your turn again.....
"Real cheesesteaks are cooked fresh, covered with American cheese, provolone or Cheese-Whiz and rest in a roll dripping with grease."
Did you catch that?
A REAL cheesesteak offers not one, not two, but THREE choices of cheese.
And one of them is....
MICHAEL S. WIRTZ / Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Photographer
One cheesesteak palace where Whiz is the indisputable ruler is Pat's King of Steaks. General manager Tom Francano slathers a generous coating of it on a sandwich under construction.
The slathering of Whiz onto greasy cheesesteaks has been going on in Philly for many, many years. The most famous cheesesteak joints all serve Whiz.
But now, the afficianados of hoagies, beef and cheese are starting to question if there's a major culinary no-no going on.
In Milwaukee, the closest shot at getting your choppers on the real thing is at Philly Way on South 2nd Street.
Philadelphia Magazine reported Philly Way has some of the best cheesesteaks outside of Pennsylvania.
Guess how they serve them up at Philly Way?
You got it.
The customer has a choice of cheese toppings,
including Cheese Whiz.Same deal at
Chubby's Cheesesteaks on Oakland Avenue.
I get the feeling some of you are yelling at your computer screens and if I'm right, you know exactly where this is going.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
CHEESE WHIZ????
GEE WHIZ!!!!!
Here's the deal.
Tourists love the Whiz.
But a poll by philly.com had Whiz coming in third behind provolone and American.
This should be a no-brainer fellow cheese lovers.
Do we really need a Pennsylvanian to tell us?
Vonda Bucci, all 75 glorious years of her, owns John's Roast Pork.
What does the darling Vonda say?
"I'm a cheese eater, sweetheart, and I love cheese, but Whiz is not cheese. It's a lot of grease and coloring."
SHE'S 100% right!
You have
three choices of what you're going to top off that marvelous, scrumptious, artery-hardening sandwich.
You pass up provolone.
You turn your nose to American.
And you tell the overweight guy with the tattos and grease all over his shirt that you'll take the Whiz????
You might as well pour yourself a glass of melted Velveeta.
It ain't cheese!!!!!
True Badgers would never stand for it.
And it looks like Philly folks are starting to wake up,
skeptical about that legendary goop they've been dumping on their favorite sandwich.
Fake cheese on grilled beef?? NEVER!
To read previous Culinary no-no’s, please click
CULINARY NO-NO under my
TAGS section.
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IN THE 2008 BEST IN FRANKLIN-AREA DINING SURVEY
