Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Why John Kerry will never win in Philadelphia

This delightful article in the Washington Post explains why John Kerry hasn't a clue when it comes to ordering and eating a Philly cheese steak.

The article says in part:

"If Sen. John F. Kerry's presidential aspirations melt like a dollop of Cheez Whiz in the sun, the trouble may well be traced to an incident in South Philadelphia on Monday.

There, the Massachusetts Democrat went to Pat's Steaks and ordered a cheesesteak -- with Swiss cheese. If that weren't bad enough, the candidate asked photographers not to take his picture while he ate the sandwich; shutters clicked anyway, and Kerry was caught nibbling daintily at his sandwich -- another serious faux pas.

'It will doom his candidacy in Philadelphia,' predicted Craig LaBan, food critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, which broke the Sandwich Scandal. After all, Philly cheesesteaks come with Cheez Whiz, or occasionally American or provolone. But Swiss cheese? 'In Philadelphia, that's an alternative lifestyle,' LaBan explained.

And don't even mention Kerry's dainty bites. 'Obviously, Kerry's a high-class candidate, and he misread the etiquette,' LaBan said. 'Throwing fistfuls of steak into the gaping maw, fingers dripping -- that's the proper way.'"

The last summer I lived in PA I ate steak sandwiches every night, but they are harder to find in Southwest Virginia - the best places are out toward S. Holston Lake on U.S 421, far from the office but worth the trip.

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