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Should Picky Eaters Fake Allergies?
I'm allergic to raw tomatoes, potatoes, and peanuts. (evidently it has something to do with being allergic to grass.) Since almost all peanut and potato foods are cooked (or roasted) before eating, I generally have no problems with them (it just means I need to stay aware from all-natural peanut butter). But you'd think I was the biggest liar in the world when I tell wait-staff that I'm allergic to raw tomatoes only.
I regularly request a salad with no tomatoes then order an entree with red sauce. And almost invariably, the salad will come with tomatoes. If they're cherry or grape, I can just pick them off, no contamination, no problem. But sliced tomatoes mean that even if I pick out all the bits, the juices are still there, which means blisters in my mouth and itchy throat. The worst is when the salads are pre-made and the server just plucks the sliced tomato out before bringing it to the table. Then, I have no clue what's coming!
I know it sucks to try to explain that you just don't like something. I don't like Mayo - and I've learned to check my sandwich in the drive-through before leaving. But please don't lie about it being an allergy rather than a preference! On the other side, restaurant staff shouldn't assume that because you can eat a cooked version of something, you can also eat the raw version.
Serious Eats City Guide: Philadelphia (Way Beyond the Cheesesteak)
Mmmmm.... Capogiro. I used to work about 3 blocks from the west location, and I still miss it. I'd take the long way home just to stop!
To me, the best water ice is Italiano's, way down in South Philly on Shunk between 11th and 12th. The peach is to die for! Real bits of peach, with the nice sweetness of the fruit, not overwhelmingly cloying. I'd gladly recommend ANY of the fruit flavors, and of course they're better when in season.
And I'll always break with the crowd and say the best cheesesteak I've ever eaten comes from a street vendor's truck in front of the State Office Building at Broad and Spring Garden. Not the busy truck either, the smaller truck further from Broad. There's nothing special to it... I think they even use American Cheese (which should be bizarre, but it's not). But it's always amazingly tender and making my mouth water just thinking about it. I must have gained 10 pounds in the year I worked there just because of those cheesesteaks.
Another Gem is Mixto on Pine. They specialize in South American cuisine with some AMAZING pork dishes. Their paella is definitely the best in Philly, and their house sangria is perfect.
Fun, Funky Ice Cream Sandwich Molds
These work great as rice molds too... they're perfect for bento lunches.
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Dear WF:
I love shopping with you. I like being able to find things like Israeli Couscous for that rocking soup I love. Thank you for having fresh fish which has never made me sick the next day (unlike Pathmark and Acme). Sometimes I don't like certain things about you, like getting rid of your bulk bins. But, I've heard about the mice problems that go along with bulk, so I guess I understand.
Thank you for carrying Lichees because the only other places I've found them in Philadelphia are 1) at the 69th street H-Mart where they were half-spoiled already and only came in a huge gigantic box that was way too much for one person and 2) Reading Terminal Market, where I either have to pay $10 to take the train in and out of the city, or pay even more in gas and parking.
Most of all, thank you for paying my fiancee a living wage, with benefits and profit-sharing included. Yes, she grumbles when she has to go to a 10pm store meeting to listen to people from a union she doesn't want (but at least you paid her for that lost hour of her life), but we appreciate her not having to pay a percentage of her wages to the union who really doesn't have anything additional to offer her.
I'm going to go eat some lichees now.