Cool Philadelphia Small Businesses

If weirdos make up the populace of a cool city, then perhaps small businesses are where weirdos go while they are being weird. Big box stores might have their purposes, but struggling independent enterprises are much more dear to my heart. Frankly, malls make me nervous and Wall-Mart depresses the hell out of me (it’s more the post-retired age employees than anything else).

Today the NYT Moment blog interviewed Dmitri Siegel, Managing Director of the Urban Outfitters (a Philly-based company) website and contributing writer for awesome blog Design Observer. He took readers on an “Insider” tour of Old City. I liked his description of it not as his neighborhood but where to go “to do things that people do when they leave the house, like walk around and spend money.”

But Siegel is only half right when he says, “Philly’s not that big; there’s basically only one good thing in each category.” It’s true that the Ritz is the only place to see independent movies, but there are three of them and they show different movies. Philadelphia may be smaller than New York, but with over 1.5 million people, it is the 6th largest city in the US and it is growing.

Coincidentally I have been developing my own Google Map of Cool Philadelphia Small Businesses. Feel free to add to it, it’s open for collaboration! I excluded museums and restaurants to make things simple. Besides being a fan of SBs in general, I also wanted a resource to prove to friends that this is a great city. If you’re the nervous type, SpotCrime’s Philadelphia crime map may be more of your thing.

Larry Engel’s Eggs

First of all, I apologize in advance if this ever gets to be the near the top of the list when you google documentary filmmaker Larry Engel, because this is not really about his career. Prof. Engel as I’ve known him, works at the School of Communication at American University, where I have three block classes a week this semester. He also has chickens. He has a sign on the door to his office advertising a dozen eggs from his farm (where I’m not certain in New Paltz, NY) for three dollars. When I first saw this, I thought, “OK, that’s kooky.”

The next time I was shopping for eggs at Whole Foods, I noticed that even the cheapest fair-seeming (as the NYT notes, there is no cut and dry label) dozen was $3.19. So yesterday I flagged Prof. Engel down for some eggs. Today he handed them to me and said “I’ll need that box back, eventually.” Later, I had a chance to look at them in preparation of my first Engel-omelet. As you can tell from the picture below, no two eggs are the same. Some are long and more oval-shaped, and some have much darker shells. They are delicious.

I love this whole situation so much. This food could not be more local: These eggs are taking a trip that Prof. Engel has to take every day anyway so transportation costs are zilch. The label reads, “No Antibiotics/No Hormones/Free-range.” And while I doubt very much that Prof. Engel needs the business from selling these eggs, it supports his hobby and enriches his community (i.e. me and other customers).

It also reminds me of my own family. My mom grew up on a farm in Fountainville, PA, and my grandfather tended his own egg-laying hens before taking the train to town to teach electrical engineering at Drexel every day. Growing plants and animals to eat and sell—farming, in other words—does not belong solely to the laymen. Now more than ever, it is neccesary to care and know about the food that you feed yourself. The best oppurtunities are often unexpected, and in this case, delicious.

Interested egg eaters in DC can inquire at larry.engel@mac.com.

Two Quick, Easy (and Healthy?) Meals

I’ve never really been crazy enough to cook meals because they are HEALTHY, but recently I’ve been noticing myself cooking and eating meals that are indeed what some would call “healthy.” These meals are usually healthy by virtue of being fresh, unprocessed, vegetarian and sometimes mostly-raw. But let’s be serious: meat is expensive, and raw meals can be delicious and usually don’t require that much work. And while I’m not trying to lose weight, it seems that I’m not the only one find him or herself eating this way. Did you see that article in last week’s food section about less people dieting and more people just enjoying good food? I think that’s really super, but the article stops short of talking about people who aren’t dieting, i.e.: the not-so-middle class. I’d like to think that this national trend extends to people who aren’t able to spend more money at farmer’s markets and Whole Foods, but really, it doesn’t. Obviously there are big changes needed here (many in legislation like the Farm Bill), but in the mean time I’ll still be enjoying pita pizzas, zucchini and carrot pasta, and shrimp in cous cous.

McDonald’s at the Spanish Steps

In Italy, there isn’t a lot of fast food, but McDonald’s is fairly common in Rome. However, one McDonald’s in particular is tied to something much larger. Just about every article about Slow Food mentions that the organization got its start after unsuccessfully campaigning to prevent McDonald’s from moving into Piazza di Spagna, where the Spanish Steps are. Supposedly, founder Carlo Petrini goes into the campaign in great detail in a book of his. Anyways, I couldn’t help but wonder why Petrini and his friends were so embroiled against this single McDonald’s franchise that it inspired them to found what would turn into an international movement with over 80,000 in 122 countries.

So yeah, I did it. I went to McDonald’s. I got a McCrispy or something, and it was gross. I don’t eat McDonald’s at home, mainly because of the way I have come to think about food (which is in term informed by Slow Foods), but I imagine the food was actually similar. The reason I disliked the experience so much was that it was so un-Italian: bad-tasting food, made with bad ingredients, sold in a hostile environment as quickly as possible. And the customers were mostly Italians! One of the defining characteristics of Italian dining is that it is leisurely. I’ve never had an Italian waiter bring me the check without me asking. Here, that would be rudeness on par with throwing a customer out. In that McDonald’s, I felt like I was still out on street, being mobbed by crowds of tourists. And there, that atmosphere is becoming part of Italian culture. I didn’t like, and I can see why Petrini didn’t either.

photo courtesy of flickr user phototram

Freedom Foie for Five in Philly

Sometimes there are things in the news that just remind you of where you come from. Here, for instance, is an article about local restaurants in Philly that have been under protest from animal rights groups like PETA and the local group Hugs for Puppies for serving foie gras. Did they say, you were right, we’re sorry for serving this even though you find it inhumane? No, they said FUCK YOU, we’re going to serve whatever the fuck we want and we’re even gonna make it cheaper so more people can try it! Almost twenty establishments are involved and so is DiBruno’s, my old cheese stomping grounds. There are tons of great moments in this article, like this one: “Two restaurateurs who support foie gras, McNally at London Grill and Georges Perrier of Le Bec-Fin and Brasserie Perrier, have obtained temporary injunctions against Hugs for Puppies to keep protesters from harassing customers. Those restaurants will participate in the promotion.” And then there was this:

Robert Reilly of Salt & Pepper in Queen Village, explaining why he is participating, said: ‘I think that with all the casualties in the war in Iraq, worrying about foie gras is kind of ridiculous. We eat pork, we eat chicken. To sympathize with these ducks, I think, is ridiculous.’

Iraq? Really? I’m not sure where I actually fall on this one. On one hand, there is a point to be made about all animals being raised as meat, but it does seem really cruel. Is it good? I’ve never had it because it’s so expensive.

photo courtesy of ulterior epicure

In-N-Out Jealousy

So, when I was in CA, it was necessary to go to In-N-Out. I’ve finally recharged my batteries, so I got some more picks off of my camera. Basically, we don’t have anything like this chain on the East Coast, and I’m really jealous. This is technically fast food, but “Fast Food Nation” had nothing bad to say about it. They pay better than minimum wage, and their food all comes from good places.

They cross the palm trees in front of their stores, which is tight.

They have excellent packaging as well. Simple, direct, modern.

Here’s the crux of the matter: the burger. Delish. It has a secret sauce that makes it unnecessary to use ketchup. However, I didn’t like the fries. I respect that they use a healthier recipe but it’s just a taste I don’t like. Favorite fries: Olly’s Trolly downtown.