Ah, Philadelphia—the city of Rocky Balboa, , and, of course, cheesesteaks. First assembled in the 1930s, the cheesesteak was invented by Pat Olivieri, who ran a hot stand in South Philadelphia. One day, for lunch, he decided that throwing some beef on his grill for a sandwich would be a good idea.
And good idea it was. A cab driver passing by caught a whiff of the sandwich, asked for a bite, and soon the word spread like wildfire. Olivieri ended up buying the building across the street from his hot dog stand, which would become the famous Pat's King of Steaks, and in the 1940s, took the sandwich to the next level by .
Today, the cheesesteak is a culinary symbol of Philadelphia, a point of pride that goes way beyond it being just a sandwich. But to really embrace Philly culture, you have to know how to order your cheesesteak like a local. There's really no need to get fancy—the key is keeping it simple and honoring the cheesesteak tradition to avoid any faux pas.
Wit or witout — and choosing your cheese The first part of your order is deciding if you want your cheesesteak "wit" or "witout," which refers to onions. So, for example, if you want onions, you'd order it as a "cheesesteak wit." Ordering "one wiz, wit" means you want Cheese Whiz and onions on your sandwich.
"One wiz, witout" means you don't want onions but you do want Cheese Whiz. The secret is efficiency—there's no need for long explanations or customizations. Next, you'll need to choose your cheese wisely.
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