When I lived in Squirrelington, VT there was a place that sold Gyros, run by a bona fide Gleek Plick who would delight in chastising and humiliating the poor, well heeled dipshit who was vacationing at "Camp Catamount" (Groovy UV, UVM) who ordered a JY ROW.

"JY ROW? JY ROW? What is that? We don't have that. We only have YEE ROW or SOUVLAKI. What do you want?"

Everyone else would snicker while waiting their turn for their audition.

Oh yeah, in NYC; sub, grinder, hero, hoagie, wedge. Just make the fucking sandwich, ok sport?

Wait a minute. Sub? Hero? Don't bother ordering until you speak English and say 'hoagie'.

Ha ha. I remember when people used to speak English. Thems was the day.

The roll makes the difference. In and near Philly, you get a hoagie. That's meat and/or cheese on a HOAGIE roll, with various condiments included - all or any of lettuce, tomato, hot or mild peppers, pickles, mayo, oil, onions, etc. A hoagie roll is slightly crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside, and shaped like a large hotdog roll. I've been many places around the country, and rolls just don't cut it. It's like the difference between a pita and a tortilla.

I am sooo hungry. Subway or Penn Station? Or, Quizno's...nah, I hate Quizno's.

Do you all have Penn Stations? Those are some good sandwiches.

Quizno's Sucks!

I've always thought it was "jy row".....now I know better.

My fav is Montreal Smoked Meat on rye, or Pastrami on rye. Mustard.

Warm and juicy. mmmmmmm.....

Are we talking about the Mario's on Wilson Blvd. in Arlington? I used to go there a lot when I first moved to DC (I stayed with a friend in Arlington for a month before Rhoda and I got an apartment in PG County, MD). I remember the first sandwich I got from there: a foot-long ham, egg and cheese hoagie (I think that's what it was called). It was like $9 and sooooo worth it. Their pizza kicked ass too.

Here in St. Louis, sandwiches are sometimes called Poor Boys, though they are nothing like the New Orleans variety. Other than that, we just call 'em sandwiches.

Sorry...I love some of the chains: Quizno's, Subway, Blimpie. Don't like Penn Station though. And I get irritated when I see a place with a "Philly" sandwich, because I know better.

And it's (yee-roh). I have two relatively new Mediterranean restaurants near my house...both have excellent gyros. *drools*

A sandwich to me is something served betwixt two slices of bread! And then it is described by its contents. Wafer thin rare beef, horseradish sauce, shredded lettuce on hand sliced granary bread. Perfect.

Anything else is described by the type of roll used - baguette, cob, bap, ciabatta, panini, cheese topped roll etc etc.

Where I have seen anything described as a sub here it tends to be long and white like a hot dog roll - though with a softer top and the same width all the way down - usually dusted with maize.

We have a place called Po'Boys, but it sells the same mix as everyone else. Although I go there sometimes and have my own creation of Stilton, hot bacon and jalapeno peppers in a French stick, because it's the only place with all the ingredients.

Our sandwiches aren't as exciting as yours :( My current favourite at my local deli is even called a New Yorker. Sigh. But at least it's on a proper Jewish style bagel. We now get so-called "New York style" bagels in the supermarkets. Not sure if they are anything like the bagels in New York (didn't have one while I was there) but they certainly aren't anything like the bagels I've eaten from Jewish bakeries or down Brick Lane in London.

Ick. I'll go open faced on that one. ;)

Only in Philadelphia is a grinder a hot hoagie. In New England, it's a cold one.

This however, leads to the inevitable hoagie vs. sub argument, and how one is not like the other. The hoagie is unique in the long sandwich world.

And of course there's the Zep, only available in and around Norristown.

My favorite sandwich is currently chicken salad club, followed closely by peanut butter and bacon.

No, my cardiologist doesn't have anything to say about that. I don't have a cardiologist. That way he can't yell at me.

I agree about the so-called Philly Steak Sammiches found anywhere else in the country. Minit steaks on a torpedo roll with american cheese, fried onions and peppers. Blech. I come home specifically for a fix of the real thing.

One time I even brought one all the way to Florida so as to educate the local Philly Cheesesteak Factory on how to make the real deal. To their credit, their sandwiches got better but nothing touches the real thing. It's the Amoroso's roll I think. Or is it the one from the Conshi Bakery? I always forget. Wiz rocks on a steak sandwich!

Brian

You know what I miss? Braunschweiger and cheese on white bread with a big hunk of Velveeta, slathered with Miracle Whip.

I could have saved a lot of time if I'd just run those things through a blender and injected them directly into my heart.

No one in Kansas City knows how to make a proper Philly Cheesesteak.

Pete's people are from Buffalo so I need to mention Beef on Wick. I couldn't find a link to Wertzberger Hoff where we go when we're in the area.