librarygrrrl.net

First off, a big hello to those of you who have found this site through LIS Blogsource. If you’ve read any of this blog at all, you’ll realize that the librarian part of it is pretty skimpy. And that’s as it should be, I think. There are a ton of other blogging librarians who do a great job at covering what’s going on in the library world, and you can go read them instead. As for me, I strongly identify as a librarian and it shapes my worldview extensively, but it is not the be-all and end-all of my life. Maybe I’m fortunate in that I’ve got a great job that I love that I can leave at the end of the day. I don’t know. But I do know that I welcome you all to my little corner of the ‘net, and hope you’ll stick around. If you’re going to be at ALA, you can find me in most of the Women’s Studies Section meetings.

On to different matters. It’s high time for me to start some doing restaurant reviews. I’ve lived in the Philadelphia area for nearly 4 years now. (Holy crap! Has it been that long since I got here?) There are a ton of places I’ve eaten in that time, and I want to chronicle those gastronomic experiences.

Koch’s Deli

4309 Locust Streets, West Philadelphia

The Google Search

Photos from HollyEats.com

Oh god. Where do I begin with Koch’s? The fact that it’s located three short, dreamy blocks from my house? The fact that the sandwiches are The. Best. Sandwiches. Ever.? The fact that today when I was in there getting a corned beef special on marble rye with 2 pickles, jalapeno chips, and a Big Ass Brownie, the fellow making the sandwich laughed at me because he said “it looks like you’re having some sort of special experience over there watching me make this!” Yes, the look on my face was rather rapt, I admit. But you only need to take one bite of a sandwich from Koch’s and you’ll understand why I looked the way I did.

My two favorite sandwiches at Koch’s are the corned beef special (corned beef, cole slaw, and Russian dressing on your choice of rye) and the Drexel hoagie. The Drexel is large enough for 2 or 3 meals, depending on how hungry you are. It’s got corned beef, sliced turkey, cole slaw, Russian dressing, a whole bunch of cheeses, and probably some other stuff I’m forgetting.

The lines can be really long at lunch - I’ve waited for 45 minutes in there for a sandwich before. But it’s worth it. The owner will slice meat or cheese and pass it around the shop for everyone to sample. The last time I went, I tied the dog up outside. She kept yelping, and I kept popping in and out to appease her. The second time I came back in, a guy at the counter handed me a huge bag (maybe close to 2 pounds) of meat shavings - the little pieces of meat that pile up under the meat slicer - and told me it was for the little barking girl outside. She was one happy beast that week! And I got my Drexel hoagie, and all was right with the world.

Highly Recommended

Not Vegetarian-Friendly

The past several days in my life, narrated visually.

From last Friday night, after dinner with Michael at El Fuego. The spicy beef tacos were excellent! The park where this statue lives is called, “The Three Bears Park.” Go figure!

From last Saturday, after a walk in the park. Maggie basks in the sun. She moved around a lot in the backyard that day, following the sun. I suspect some distant relative of hers was feline.

On Sunday, Maggie went to town on the frisbee Michael got for her (along with the trick book - Maggie says “woof” and I say “thanks!”). I wish she’d merely fetch frisbees like normal dogs do, but since they are shiny and plastic, they are obviously the enemy and Must Be Destroyed.

The Damn Scarf made of a ribbony yarn. I finished it today (Wednesday) at lunch. This may want to be a gift for someone, or it may want to stay with me. In any event, I have another skein of this yarn in turquoise, and dread using it. The only upside of finishing this is that I will now be able to finish my sweater, which requires these needles for doing the crewneck.

Kelly divvies up fresh strawberries from our organic farm vegetable and fruit subscription. There is something wonderfully visceral about juicy strawberries, fresh from the garden. After I finish this blog entry, I am going to wash and eat my share of these berry piles.

Does anyone ever wonder about the foods that become associated with certain cities or states or regions of the nation? Today I was passing by the vending machine in the basement of the library (evil thing, that vending machine.) At any rate, I was suddenly compelled to buy a Tastykake chocolate cupcake. Normally, I like these kinds of highly processed flour- and sugar-based delivery vehicles just fine. But damn if this one wasn’t about the nastiest thing in the world! I am not surprised that now I am having a wee bit of GI upset.

But back to my original question - how did the Tastykake become synonymous with Philadelphia? How did the the Moon Pie and RC Cola become trademarks of the American South? And explain to me the Nut Goodie’s association with the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota!

Okay, okay, I know the reason for those examples. All the companies that make the products make them in the areas I described. And I suppose that’s how most of these food regionalisms come into play. What I’m wondering even more about than that is how other types of foods (which are essentially The Same across the country) become associated with a place.

Case in point? The sandwich on a long roll. Hoagie? Po’ boy? Sub? Grinder? Hero? Torpedo? What do you call it? What do you like on it? Me? Catfish po’ boy, dressed (in my Louisiana days) or turkey sub with all the fixins (from Sub City in Cedar Falls, IA.) But why do they all have different names? And why is there so much anxiety the first time you go to a new place to order one? Is it because inevitably you will do it wrong and the person behind the counter will become annoyed with you, tapping the sign that tells you how to order, dammit? Or because you don’t know that “dressed” means with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo? And you feel sheepish for thinking the 13 people in front of you in line were stupid for asking to have clothing put on their lunch? Or that you didn’t realize that the fixins include oil, vinegar, and oregano? Am I the only one who has food anxiety that way?

To get back to the regionalisms, though, what’s your favorite regional food from your hometown or region? Or adopted town/region? I’m enamoured of the aforementioned Nut Goodies from Minnesota. In Philadelphia, I haven’t yet found a “famous” food that I like well enough to rave about. The “fries with” at Pat’s King of Steaks come close. And no, I do not like cheesesteaks, nor the fries from Geno’s. Cheesesteaks are like heart attacks on a bun and they make me want to gag.

Okay, that’s all for my food quiz today. Thanks for playing - feel free to answer in the comment section, or just email me at librarygrrrl at librarygrrrl dot net. And those are 3 rrrs in the word librarygrrrl.