Philly should start with an F

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Thanks to Ayeen and her best buddy, super Jimmy; we traveled safe and sound all the way from Washington DC to Philadelphia to Atlantic City and back. Whew!

Aside from being a smooth driver, super Jimmy sure has a knack of finding the best food in town! When we first met him, he took us to Philadelphia's Chinatown for dinner. We haven't had a decent meal that whole day but he made us feel better with his selection of a very filling and comforting set of savory dishes. He even told us how to make Walnut Shrimp, which we raved about after the meal. Unfortunately, I forgot everything he said. But I can still remember how good the sauce was. Mmmmm.

Last night, however, it was Ayeen who took us to a Jamaican restaurant in the south of Center City, Philadelphia. Another first for me. Jerk Chicken Platter. Sounds like a lot? Yes, it really is a lot of chicken for my small tummy. (Yeah, right!) Well, it really is a lot too spicy for my taste. But hey, I was there to experience what Jamaican Jerk is all about. My bottle of Jamaican Cream Soda truly served its purpose of putting out the fire on my tongue. I like the Cream Soda. Cream soda is another name for root beer. But this one is a colorless root beer. Sweet!

F for Fashion

This morning, we will do some shopping at the Franklin Mills, the first outlet mall in the area. Again, "Franklin". I am in Philladelphia, so I shouldn't be surprised, right? (See my previous post. "Why Benjamin Franklin?" in Good Morning, Philly!)

Ayeen handed me a map of the big mall. The zigzag shape of the building did not pique my interest -- not until I read here that "It's shaped like Ben Franklin's lightning bolt - an homage to the one that zapped Ben's kite"

This is just the perfect city for Fashionistas. No sales tax on clothes! Show me one fashionista who would complain about that. Ayeen does not. Hehe! I got myself a pair of fleece pajamas and sweaters. I can't help but stare at my receipt and NOT see tax! Such a big difference! I should move here! Chicago is just too sales-tax-y on everything.

F for Food

We gave ourselves just a few hours to shop. We yet have to go to one of Jimmy's best picks. What else, but his homeland's very own cuisine! Indonesian cuisine! YEY!

There's so much to say about the Indonesian Restaurant at South Street. I will write a lengthy one in my foodie blog. (It deserves a lot more space, you know.) Their cuisine is similar to Filipino, yet it has its own string of unique flavors and intricate preparation. We also realized that some Tagalog (Filipino) words are also Indonesian! They say "kambing" for goat. They say "krupuk" for the Filipino kropek (a crunchy fish-flavored baked or fried starch). I have to admit that dining here got me lost in succulent detail.

See, this is, again, why I think Philly should start with an F. F, for Food! There is so much diversity in cuisine to explore here! Thanks to the immigrants who chose to settle here.

There's one important thing we missed, though. We were not able to get ourselves the famous Philly Cheese Steaks.

Jimmy took us to the street where Geno's and Pat's meet. It was obviously like a battle of Who-Gets-the-Longest-Line-for-My-Cheese-Steaks. Ayeen and Jimmy even prepped us on what to say while making our order. I never realized ordering a bun filled with meat will take such complexity! They say there's even a "English Only" sign at the ordering booth. I tried to memorize my lines but, too bad. We need to get to the airport soon so passed up on having that authentic Cheese Steak. My R had one at the Shedd Aquarium, but it's totally NOT the real deal. Oh well, there's always a next time!

They say "It's always sunny in Philadelphia". True. Literally and figuratively.

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