March 20, 2002
Be Cool, Eat A Rita's

ritas1.gifyou know it's the first day of spring when you drive by a rita's water ice and see the line out front stretching out past the parking lot and weaving along the sidewalk. mothers in line with three or four kids, teen-aged couples, young families making a night of it. they are even waiting in cold, drizzling rain. why so many people? well, march 20 is the first day of the rita's season each year, and we've been waiting anxiously for our water ice fix all winter long. but still, an hour? well, here's the secret: rita's water ice is free on march 20. that's right - you don't have to pay for it. ho! ho!

wow! you say. is rita's expensive? how much does it cost on march 21st? oh, around $2 a cup. maybe $3 if you get a large. but these cheap ass bastards will wait in line for two hours just to get a free one. mike and i really wanted a rita's today, on the first day of spring, but all the welfare cases were there waiting for their handout. we did the drive-by, looked for the "willing to pay" window, but couldn't find it. the line wasn't moving. cars were honking. i really wanted a creamsicle gelati. not today, though. no worries, once you have to pay, the line will never be more than two deep. and tomorrow's sposed to be sunny.

rita's is a philly institution. when we first moved here, we were like - "isn't it just a snow cone?" then we had to admit that it was better, but still - just italian ice, right? no way! rita's is water ice! smooth, creamy and the grooviest ice flavors. i love chocolate and orange (creamsicle). some places have great vanilla, although (shh!) i don't really like rita's vanilla. you can layer water ice with custard and have a gelati. hell, yeah! what a great thing!

everywhere we've lived there's been some great food. in oklahoma (where i grew up), of course, the beef and catfish is good. in north carolina we had amazing BBQ. maine maybe changed the way we ate the most with lobster, clam chowder, and maple syrup. but philly is catching up, and rita's is the least of it. cheesesteaks, hoagies, pretzels, incredible italian food on every corner - holy cow! where will i end up next?

food i miss: any good mexican food (or tex-mex, rather), cheese fries at eskimo joes, bob's bbq, sonic conies (although chris claims to know of something better), dips bbq, maine diner chicken a la king, chowder at federal jack's, clam shacks, sandwiches at bennett's, mince pies & wedges in bluff, fish & chips in taupo...

do you miss any food from your past?

posted by ash at March 20, 2002 11:55 PM
Comments
Oh. I could write a dissertation on this. Ritas was without a doubt one of my favourite Philly treats. I'd even rate it above cheesesteak, because of its amazing healing powers when the weather is baking hot. You took me on a culinary trip through the US, and I luckily got to sample a few of the items on your most wanted list. When I tried the food you liked, I knew at least our stomachs would fall in love. Here's mine: Jimmy's Pies, preferrably Mince and Cheese but Mince is still perfection; NZ Fish and Chips out of newspaper eaten on the bonnet of an old car by the sea; my Mum's Sausage Potato Bake; thick creamy clam chowder either from a Maine Clam Shack or the Sheraton Suites; Paua Patties from the Windsor Fish and Chip shop; Green Onion Chips by ETA (though I found a dead ringer in Argentina), and Hangi food too. posted by: Fraser on March 21, 2002 04:01 AM
You don't miss onion soup sachet + reduced cream dip at all, Fraser? It's only the nicest thing on Earth! I miss my mother's mince (she cooked it with all kinds of secret things), and her macaroni cheese. I had the best bangers'n'mash in Queenstown a few years ago. There is little else I miss, as my father went all 'healthy' on my when I was at home and cooked nothing but lentils and so forth. (Pancakes with banana, bacon and maple syrup will always remind me of Alex. Ah now, there's a story.) posted by: simon on March 21, 2002 06:23 AM
Oh, you've gone and done it now Simon. Green Onion chips combined with that dip are the single most addictive substances on earth. Ash introduced me to Ranch Dip, which is close but not quite as good. When I'm over there next I'll send you a pack and you can be the official tester. I'm bloody drooling here. I'm so so hungry. I've got to eat something, but nothing here will do. Nothing. Argh! posted by: Fraser on March 21, 2002 07:29 AM
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