I moved to Philadelphia to pursue an internship at the end of May and, since then, I've realized just how different this city is from what I knew as normal. So, I thought I would make a list of some of the things I've picked up in the past month and a half. Hopefully some Philadelphians will read this and answer some of my questions.
1. Philadelphians are OBSESSED with Wawa.
For those of you that have no idea what a Wawa is, as I definitely didn't before I moved here, a Wawa is a gas station/convenience store. No offense to anyone, but honestly, I don't really understand what's so special about Wawa. It's just your average convenience store where you can find snacks and some fresher food, like smoothies and sandwiches, when you stop for gas. Nonetheless, people here love their Wawa, and I've learned to embrace it.
2. They only say "hoagie."
Where I come from, hoagies are a real thing, but they have a certain type of bun, and are separate from subs. Here in Philadelphia, hoagies count as subs...and only hoagies. Most people I have talked to here are adamant that subs must be called hoagies, so be warned if you ever visit to avoid saying the wrong thing.
3. Italian ice is called "water ice."
I honestly don't understand this one. Italian ice, the fruit-flavored frozen treat, is dubbed "water ice" by Philadelphians. To me, it makes absolutely zero sense, as ice is simply frozen water. I even asked an employee at one the famous Rita's Italian Ice shops in Philly, and he said that he had no idea where the name came from, just that water ice is the correct name and that's what it should be called. Maybe we'll never know.
4. They call things "jawn."
I heard this within the first day of moving to this city and, as you can imagine, I had no idea what the person was referring to. Of course, I looked the word up and it's basically a word that replaces a noun. It's used often when someone can't remember what something is called, like saying the "thingamajig" or "thingie."
5. Cheese whiz is the go-to cheese here.
Of course, cheesesteaks are a really common food here in Philadelphia, but the classic cheese used in them is cheese whiz. American and Provolone are other popular choices, but the classic cheesesteaks usually have whiz and it's a normal thing to expect on your sandwich.
6. They have a proper way to order cheesesteaks.
Basically, locals order in three words. The first word indicates how many cheesesteaks you are ordering, the second refers to what type of cheese you want, and the third means whether or not you want fried onions. For example, if I was ordering one cheesesteak with cheese whiz and fried onions, I would say "one whiz with." If I wanted the same order without fried onions, I would say "one whiz without." It sounds complicated, but to truly fit in here, you have to know the lingo. I've heard that some places will even send you to the back of the line if you don't order correctly the first time.
7. I was told to get a Philly Pretzel within 24 hours of starting my job.
The Philly Pretzel Factory is famous here for their soft pretzels. They are just as you would imagine, only shaped into a figure eight pattern. I've yet to try one, but they're another Philadelphia favorite.
8. Their accents.
I guess I had never really thought about it before, but Philadelphians have a very distinct accent when they say some words. There's actually whole Philly slang dictionaries explaining the words and how the people here say them for outsiders like me. For instance, water is pronounced like "wooder."
9. A lot of the fire hydrants are silver.
This one is probably really weird and I don't know if silver fire hydrants are a thing in other places, but I have never seen one before I moved here. There is apparently no national fire hydrant color, but the only colors I thought existed were red and yellow, so silver was a complete surprise to me.
10. Sports, sports, and more sports.
Philadelphians are really dedicated to their sports teams. I've seen more people wearing team merchandise than I ever have, and from every team imaginable, such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, and Flyers. Everyone here seems to support their own team.. I've yet to be to any games, but I've heard some stories, and these fans are said to be legendary in their own Philadelphian way.
11. Let's go down to "the shore."
Being so close to New Jersey, it makes sense that a lot of people make beach trips, and before I moved here, I never knew that the Jersey Shore was referred to as "the shore" by normal people. However, it's not just the cast of Jersey Shore that party down by the beach, it's the people of Philadelphia. Everyone often goes to "the shore" for the weekend, and it's a pretty cool thing to have the ocean and beaches right near a city.
