Reading Terminal Market - Philadelphia

I hadn't been back to the northeast since they first handed me my MD, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel homesick for my 6 northeastern years. Even a two-day trip to Philly (where I've never lived) felt familiar, and a stroll through Reading Terminal Market (where I've never been) was a stroll down memory avenue.

Profi's Creperie 

 The Strawberry Banana Caramel Crepe was sweet and refreshing...

but it was the Apples and Caramel Crepe that brought me back. One bite and I was picking prized apples from the lofty branches of a fruitful tree. The crepe didn't taste so different from all those apple cookies we baked. 

Sometimes we pour too much caramel over our memories, and it tends to over-sweeten them. I'm often nostalgic for the north, but the moment I stepped out of the airport, the cold hit me like the shock of a thousand needles, biting and stinging every inch of exposed flesh. That 50-degree weather was a painful reminder of how much cold weather turns me into a ho-hum homebody.

I though it would be easier to brave the cold when everything is close together, but it turns out I'm much more willing to take the elevator to my car. There may be ten different restaurants right outside my building, but there was no way I was facing the instant frostbite. Plus it's just not acceptable to be unable to dine outdoors in October. 

Kamal's Middle Eastern 

The Lamb Shwarma Plate is the embodiment of a city street - so many things squeezed into a tiny space. Mouth-watering strips of lamb sit atop a bed of rice, and pitas get dipped into a hummus with a bitter aftertaste. The forgettable salad and standard tabbouleh cool the combo down. So many things on the same plate, like so many restaurants on a not-so-stellar street. Mary may have wanted a little lamb, but this is too little lamb for ten dollars.

Golden Bowl

Times moves slower on the west coast. The Veggie Fried Rice may have been cooked up in a New York minute, but just like you can get run over by busy bankers if you walk too slowly through Midtown, you can get pretty buried by Golden Bowl grease if you choose your Chinese too quickly.

The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company 

There are two sides of every country, and there are two sides of every city. I'm slowly starting to think that west coast is the best coast, but I still can't quite commit. The west side is a softer embrace. But I get the best of both sides with a tasty Black & White Cookie. The white half is sweet and creamy, but the black half has more of a chocolatey bite. But maybe it isn't so much about picking a side. Maybe it's more about just enjoying every bite.