Story Notes: Filly Cheesesteaks · 11:24pm Jul 24th, 2020
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1614034
It's funny how we take something as simple as eating out at a restaurant for granted. Thanks to the global pandemic, right now it's either cook or get takeout. I usually opt for the latter, mainly because food should actually be edible...
For those unfamiliar with cheesesteaks, it's a steak & cheese sandwich that's one of the cuisines most associated with Philadelphia.
A cheesesteak (also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheese steak, or steak and cheese) is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular regional fast food, it has its roots in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. -Wikipedia
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesesteak
The two most popular places are Pat's and Geno's and oddly enough, I've never eaten at either (my friends from the Philly area consider both of them to be 'tourist traps' and recommend other places instead). The further you get from Philly, the less traditional cheesesteaks get. In Philadelphia, the cheese choices are usually limited to Cheez Whiz, American, and provolone. Cheez Whiz is the most popular by a wide margin, but if you want this food critic's advice, go with provolone (sadly, this is the least popular option). Personally, I find it blends in with the meat perfectly, offering the best overall taste. My second choice isn't even one of the other listed choices, but the tried & true mozzarella.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1522613
Suzanne Vega's a relatively underappreciated recording artist. Her best known songs are Tom's Diner & Luka. Surprisingly, I don't think I've ever heard one of her songs on the radio. Certainly not recently.
I was tempted to give the nod to Hall & Oates' Abandoned Luncheonette, since they're from Philly, but the diner in question burned to the ground decades ago. Also, is an abandoned building really the best place to take a child? Besides, I gave them a shout out recently in 16 (Feathermay's chapter).
I'm sure by now it's completely obvious, but I really enjoy '70s and '80s music. That said, as mentioned in story, a lot of pony music has made its way onto my iPod in the last decade. By that I mostly mean brony music, but official MLP songs have made the cut too.
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I'm a dinosaur geek. Less so than I was as a kid, but I still have an active interest in the overgrown birds from the Mesozoic. As you can imagine, I've been wanting to work Petunia Paleo into a fic for years. Someday, I want to write some sort of dinosaur fic starring Petunia Paleo.
As for Petunia, she's a fan of pretty much anything that has to do with dinosaurs (except Barney, which she's too old for). She even manages a shout-out to The Flintstones. Among her favorite shows/movies:
The Flintstones
Jurassic Park (and sequels)
The Land Before Time (and sequels)
We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story
Dink, the Little Dinosaur
Land of the Lost (primarily the 1990s series and occasionally the 1970s series; she watched the Will Ferrell movie exactly once, and will never speak of it again)
Dino-Riders
Godzilla
Dinosaur Train
Dinosaucers
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She poked me in the gut. “You seem kinda squishy to me.”
Brat. I should've let you get eaten.
she wrapped her little forelegs around my leg. “You’ll come back, right?”
I take it back, I'm glad I saved you. Cuteness overload... Good thing I have an amazing tolerance for adorableness.
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I was sincerely tempted to do a travel tour of Philadelphia, like Snowcatcher did with Mr. Jones in New York City in Business Trip, but then I remembered who my passengers were. Hey kids, do you want to learn some history, or do you want to get sugary treats and toys? I think we all know the answer to that one.
To my disappointment, I was unable to determine if either of the tallest buildings in Philly offer rooftop viewing. Considering Comcast occupies the majority of each of them, my guess is 'no', but I tried to look it up and came up empty. Because that's something I think they'd enjoy. Unfortunately, I can't teleport a mile straight up like some unicorns can...
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/301388
In addition to Coconut Cream, Petunia Paleo, Spur, Rainbow Harmony, and Zippoorwhill, the unnamed cheerleader is Tornado Bolt and the Girl Scout Filly Guide is Tag-A-Long. The protagonist never learns their names, and hence they're not referred to by names, only by their outfits. Tag-A-Long is, like her name suggests, only a tag-along in this story since she's the only character here who doesn't even get a single line of dialogue. So have a picture of her instead!
Confession time: One of my coworkers sells Girl Scout cookies every year on behalf of her granddaughter. I still have some left. We haven't been in the office since March, and she delivered them a few weeks before we started working from home.
But how do you turn down a kid selling cookies?
*Sigh* If I eat another three hundred or so boxes of Thin Mints, I might even be able to get my Mustang back into the garage...*
*Just kidding, I'm down to my last box (I only got five boxes, I've just been pacing myself with them).
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1510703
Rita's really does offer a unicorn flavor: https://www.ritasice.com/treats/#italian-ice-flavours
It's not going to displace Swedish Fish out of my top spot, but it's pretty good. 
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Toola Roola will be painting away. Rainbow Dash always dresses in style. 
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You didn't really think I was going to introduce impressionable young equine minds to an adult human game like Cards Against Humanity, did you? That was totally bait & switch. Even if I was that sadistic, they wouldn't get most of the references anyway (which only means their answers would likely be funnier... to me).
Warning: Cards Against Humanity content spoilered below. Probably PG-13.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/409558
Big thanks to Admiral Biscuit for pre-reading and editing this fic!
Or in the case of Megas XLR, Jersey City. 🤘 Rock on!
In all seriousness, I'm of the mind that cheesesteaks are an acquired taste. I don't know if they're still around or not, but there used to be Philly cheesesteak-flavored Hot Pockets. Tried one once. It... didn't agree with me.
5320973
I really need to get around to watching Megas XLR. It seems like something I'd enjoy. 'Cuda, giant robot, and set in New Jersey? Sign me up!
I never got the Cheez Whiz thing. Always thought it was a disgusting alternative to real cheeses like provolone and mozzarella.
Here's my favorite Suzanne Vega song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YIBmZjONtA
5321158
Makes two of us! Provolone and mozzarella are by far the superior options when it comes to taste. The only thing Cheez Whiz has going for it is speed. I suppose if speed is your primary concern, it'll do? But if speed's more important than flavor, why not go to a fast food place like McDonald's that specializes in getting customers out the door as fast as possible?
I can't view YouTube links, unfortunately. Which song is it?
5321198
Left of Center. It was never on one of her LP albums, but was released as a single off the Pretty in Pink soundtrack.
Best cheesesteak I ever had was from a place in the Atlanta, GA airport. It was a chain restaurant, so maybe not what actual Pennsylvanians would call authentic, but it was great. And now that I look it up, it appears there are a few Charleys locations around the Twin Cities.
Also, Firehouse Subs' cheese steak hoagies are pretty good, too.
Best cheese is smoked Jarlsberg, but I don't think any restaurant offers it.
Thanks for the additional information, and writing. :)
Actually, you may be happy to know that Suzanne Vega is on pretty regular rotation on two of our Melbourne FM stations. Triple M probably plays Tom’s Diner every two to three days and Luka probably once or twice a week. Gold FM plays those two and Left of Centre pretty regularly as well. You are right though, she is an under appreciated singer.
That Tag-A-Long image is odd. I get the idea that the artist was going for, her eyes are closed and she's smiling, but it looks more like she's got no eyes, just empty sockets covered in skin. And her snoot doesn't cast a shadow, so maybe it is all "mouth"? I need to quit looking at this it is giving me ideas.
5321198
Cheez Whiz is shelf stable; lasts a decade or more no matter how badly you treat it. Provolone is either "semi-soft" or "semi-hard" depending on who you ask, but in either case is much less survivier. Mozzarella starts going bad the instant you make eye contact with it.
5321414
I didn't notice that at the time, but now that you've pointed it out I can't unsee it.
5321379
Awesome! I'm glad her music's being appreciated outside my local area.
5321315
Firehouse Subs is amazing in general. I patterned the cheesesteak the protagonist orders in this story after their Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket sandwich, a personal fave! There really isn't one close to me, and the one that had been the closest (~30 minutes away) closed unexpectedly sometime in 2018, The last time I stopped by, not only was all the signing still up, there were drinks still visible in the coolers. No one I've talked to has any idea what happened to it.
5321264
Good choice!
5321372
You're welcome!