Miles logged: 1,251
Soggy sandwich Saturday
Traffic and rain, welcome to the Mid Atlantic. Arriving in the city of brotherly love after 21 straight hours of driving was anything but lovely. Patience and consciousness wearing thin, I needed a sandwich.
Our first stop was the foodie central at the corner of 12th and Arch in downtown Philadelphia, Reading Terminal Market. Since 1893 the market has offered Philadelphians the finest from farm fresh produce to meats and poultry. Today the market houses over 80 vendors and covers 1.7 acres. With that selection there is surely something for everyone. For me, it was a sandwich and no, it wasn’t a cheese steak.
After being swindled for m
y parking fare, we walked through the doors. No amount of preparation can suffice for the sensory overload of the vast market. Tourists milling, vendors shouting, lights and signs all aglow. You can actually taste the air. With out a map and my salivary gland in over drive, I was questing a sandwich. The roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe from DiNic’s Roast Pork and Beef, a sandwich I was told combats the beloved cheese steak for Philadelphia supremacy. After enough looking and some luck, we approached the counter, however was it too late?
“Sorry we are out of the roast pork…We’re out of broccoli rabe too,” she said. Swallow sadness. My heart sank. The drive, the weather, the petty fight with Rebecca about parking, suddenly the news was like iodine in an open wound. Stunned, I order the next best thing, pulled pork with spinach and provolone cheese (pictured), cherry Coke to drink. Rebecca mentioned the lady taking orders must have been new or the owner because she was a horrible cashier. Upon receiving our order, to our surprise 
and delight, we found two sandwiches. Thanks counter lady. You partially mended my broken heart.
We bellied up to the cozy stools lining Dinic’s counter, conveniently not mentioned the second sandwich. I considered it just compensation. One bite of the pulled pork sandwich was what it took. Juices running down my chin, I reached for a napkin with delight. The combination of slow roasted pork with hand-chopped provolone and stewed spinach on a fresh roll made me wonder how better the roast pork could be. A few more bites and I had to stop, no matter how good the sandwich. I had two more cheese steaks to eat!
