PHILADELPHIA - The sign contains just eight words and is hardly big enough to wrap around a cheesesteak. But here in South Philadelphia, home of the cheesesteak, the sign that Joey Vento posted at Geno's Steaks speaks volumes.
It reads: "This Is America. When Ordering Please Speak English."
For the uninitiated, a cheesesteak is a cholesterol-delivery device consisting of grilled strips of beef, melted cheese, onions and peppers on an Italian roll.
Yum!
It is sometimes difficult for outsiders to order at Geno's or other local cheesesteak emporiums because of an unspoken code that requires ordering "wid" or "widout," meaning with or without onions. (One newcomer once asked "Wid what?" and was told, "Wid cheese, stoopid!") One must also specify the cheese - Cheez Wiz or provolone, as in "Cheez Wiz wid."
Given those customs, ordering a "bistec con queso" is not likely to elicit cooperation.
Given those customs, and the Philly butchering of the language, I probably wouldn't be allowed to order one either in my un-accented West Coast English.
I guess I'd just have to spend my money someplace else.
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