Yesterday we visited the Earl’s family for the first time in a long while. It has been much too long since we were here last and we enjoyed the visit very much. I have always liked this area.
Our visit coincided with lunch time and hoagies were suggested. Hoagies are called subs where I come from, but they taste the same. We decided to get our hoagies from a place “that has been there forever.” I think it was called Marzati’s or something like that. We took a ride in my in-laws VW Jetta TDI*.
The hoagie place turned out to be a mom and pop corner market. Tiny in size, I think there were three or four generations of a family running the place. The eldest woman asked me to turn on the television that was situated high above the drink coolers. She wanted the weather channel. Perhaps she liked the clouds passing by or something.
One of the best things about this mom and pop shop was it’s uniqueness. Canned good were stacked on the shelves with handwritten bits of paper denoting the price. The place looked to be very disorganized overall, but all of the items were separated neatly into respective “departments”. Rick told the deli man in the back what we wanted, we were told to pick out our fresh rolls from the front display and bring them back to him because he couldn’t get started without them.
The sandwiches were delicious and the folks running the place gave off a genuine caring vibe. This is the type of place that used to be what America was about, but now it feels very old fashioned and out of step with progress. It’s quite sad, really, because beside the generous amount of Philly accent i was hearing, I felt quite at home in the place.
Our society seems geared towards the bland and fastest these days. Perhaps I am falling further out of step with those around me, but i would rather wait 20 minutes for a sandwich and give to the local guy instead of eating the same boring empty calories from some giant corporation. I needed yesterday’s lunch experience to remind me of that.
*I’m loving the VW diesels. They would be much better for my daily commute.
