Postcards for All!

Something I’ve done for years is send postcards to a long list of people. In the days of email and blogs, it seems the postcard may be on its way out. Nonetheless, I maintain the tradition. In the first place, it’s good to support the postman. He has to deliver all that junk mail and I’d prefer to give him a more noble document to carry to its intended destination. Hence the search for the right card, the postage, the mail box or post office. This is also part of the fun. Then there is the issue of what to write.

That’s me in the photo above. Not in England, however, but in Gibraltar. I double check the message on my cards in case there are any last minute second thoughts or additions I’d like to put there. In my notebook, I keep a running list of addresses. This is also part of the fun because every time I scan the list I’m reminded of the people who are important in my life.

Another part of the thrill is hearing from those to whom the postcards were sent. They issue an email, a call, a “you lucky bastard” comment. My favorite responses are the ones that go something like, “I’m going with you next time.” To these I reply, “The more the merrier.” For me travel is about exploration and experience, a pursuit best enjoyed with others.

Published in: on July 5, 2008 at 2:15 pm  Comments (1)  
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The Best Philadelphia Cheesesteak

This post actually continues where the one about the best roast pork sandwich left off. As mentioned previously, John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia is the oracle of the griddle, the mecca of artery mashing food. And so, we come to THE BEST PHILADELPHIA CHEESESTEAK, and again, bar none, John’s produces it. Don’t even entertain the idea of going to those other joints you’ve seen on the Travel Channel or some other half-baked joint written up in a lame journal of culinary culpitude.

Here it is, in all it’s glory:

This is a better photo than the one I had from the pork sandwich. (Rest assured, that pork sandwich is drop dead good and just as loaded as the one above. Trust me and my heart surgeon. I am not kidding.) Notice the fullness, the lean beef, the melted-in provolone. Is this thing just the greatest or what? Yeah, I put some sauce on it, too. There’s hot peppers and fried onions integrated into the mix while on the grill. The flavor permeates the first layer of that handsome roll. The crust stands firm, yielding the subtlety of sesame seeds on the outside and meaty freshness on the inside.

Here’s a closer shot:

I mowed this down one bite at a time. My wife, to my astonishment, managed to finish one of her own. Impressive. However, no one beats my cousin. He was working with me on the pier one day and we came here for lunch. He ate two (yeah, that’s double, dos, a two-fer) on that day. This was something to behold and he nearly blacked out. The guy knows what he likes and likes what he knows.

Anyway, always enjoy your cheesesteak with ICE COLD Coca-Cola. Everything is better that way.

Published in: on June 25, 2008 at 12:49 pm  Comments (4)  
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