There is no excuse for going hungry in Philadelphia – it is a town with a reputation for excess in the eating department. What other town could come up with a signature dish as the Philly Cheesesteak – a delicious yet fattening combination of fried beef smothered in melted cheese shoved together in a 12 inch bun?
Not that the Philly Cheesesteak is by any means an expensive dish – it is available in various outlets for a relative pittance, but it occurred to the Gnome there is an even easier and cheaper way of eating well in the city of Brotherly Love.
Venison was a dish prized by the populace in the Middle Ages. Indeed, the poaching of deer in England was considered such a personal affront to the King it was punishable by a goodly period in the stocks, allowing the locals to participate in one of the first recorded government policies on the environment – namely the recycling of old fruit.
If you know where to look though, venison can be found for free in Philly. Admittedly it is in what can only be called an ‘organic’ state, as it is scattered along the train track from the airport to the city centre. The Gnome saw four deer carcasses, perfectly preserved in the cold winter weather, all of whom had suffered an ill-fated encounter with an oncoming train.
A gentle stroll along the tracks each morning would provide enough venison to feed a family every night, and what is more the walk would help burn off the Cheesesteak you had for breakfast…
At least that one had some words attached to explain its true meaning (no pooping in the street apparently...), whereas this one, spotted at a petrol station just outside Brighton, was apparently thought not to require any explanation.
In fact, Gnome Cat 1 and the Gnome sometimes stare in tandem; Gnome Cat at the fish, and the Gnome at his computer screen, willing it to spew forth an offer of work to reinvigorate his finances.
You wouldn’t think there would be much to do for a train toilet interior designer. It is not generally an area noted for its flamboyant use of colour and design. Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen is not noted for his conversion of the humble lavatory into a feast of Louis XIII decadence, complete with heavy velvet drapes and ormolu clocks.
Was it Mark Twain who suggested America and England were ‘two great nations separated by a common language’? This little piece of bus shelter advertising certainly seems to bear the theory out.
