"Charleys Philly Steaks with Derek Waters" is Episode 319 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Charleys Philly Steaks" was released on September 23, 2021.
"Tomorrow… with Derek Waters" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Derek Waters (Drunk History, Mythic Quest) joins the 'boys to discuss donut salad and Maryland eats before a review of Charleys Philly Steaks. Plus, a Drank History edition of Slop Quiz.
Nick's intro[]
Geno's Steaks and Pat's King of Steaks
Unlike other famous foodstuffs of disputed origin (like, say, the French Dip), the conception of the Philly cheesesteak is pretty cut and dry. Brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri invented the handheld in 1933, after sizzling steak on their hot-dog cart. Pat's King of Steaks still stands today, drawing tourists in with the gravitational pull of a blackhole, along with its across-the-street rival, Geno's Steaks (who concedes the sandwich's origin, but claims to have perfected it).
But perhaps the individual who has made the most money off of Philadelphia's most famous export next to Ben Franklin has no tangible connection to the City of Brotherly Love.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, and later emigrating to Columbus, Ohio at the age of 13, where his mom operated a restaurant to support the family, Charley Shin grew up around the food-service industry, and himself worked in restaurants while a student at the Ohio State University. After a chance detour resulted in a trip to Philadelphia, he fell in love with its ooey-gooey sliced-steak sammie and went to work home-brewing his own varietal.
Opportunistically spotting a cheesesteak-sized void in his college town's off-campus eateries, in 1986, still a junior, Shinn convinced his mother to fund his sandwich shop, giving a generational boost to the American dream. According to a Forbes profile by Grace Chung, Shinn said of his mom's loan, "She didn't know anything about the sandwich, but she trusted her only son."
And that trust proved to be well-placed, as Shinn's concept was an immediate hit with the Buckeye student body and soon grew into a chain clustered mostly at food courts.
Today with over 600 locations, this franchise doesn't claim to have invented the Philly steak (like Pat's) or to have perfected it (like Geno's), but this Ohioan-by-way-of-Seoul has certainly evangelized it, spreading his version across the globe like a Johnny Phillysteakseed, and proudly trumpets itself as "the number one cheesesteak in the world."
This week on Doughboys, Charleys Philly Steaks.
Fork rating[]
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
3 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
3.25 forks |
| Derek Waters |
|
2 forks |
Spoonman's Bite of the Night went to the Ultimate Fries.
Slop Quiz: Drank History[]
In Slop Quiz, Nick presents a food-related exam (pop quiz) and Mitch and the guest compete for superiority.
For this episode, the theme is Drunk History, where Nick has list of quotes about alcohol from various historical figures. Mitch and Derek try to guess who said it.
The loser has to go back to Charleys.
| clue | Mitch's guess | Derek's guess | correct | score (MM - DW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Which founding father whose portrait is on money said "In wine, there is wisdom; in beer, there is freedom; and in water, there is bacteria." | - | Ben Franklin | Ben Franklin | 0-1 |
| Which legendary fashion designer with a chocolatey name said "I only drink champagne on two occasions: when I am in love..." | Coco Chanel | - | Coco Chanel | 1-1 |
| Which 20th-century American novelist and husband of the namesake of a Nintendo franchise said, "First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you." | Diddy Kong | Chumbawumba | F. Scott Fitzgerald | 1-1 |
| Which burly white-bearded American 20th-century American novelist said, "An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with fools." | Ernest Hemingway | - | Ernest Hemingway | 2-1 |
| Which literary figure and female member of the Alqonquin Round Table said this, "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy." | Dixie Kong | - | Dorothy Parker | 2-1 |
| Which legendary cigar-chewing comedian said this, "It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is I can't remember if it's the 13th or the 14th." | - | George Burns | George Burns | 2-2 |
| Which Alfred actor said this, "The best research for playing a drunk is being a British actor for twenty years." | - | Jeremy Irons | Michael Caine | 2-2 |
| Which Rat Pack member with a notoriously gigantic hog said this, "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the Bible says 'love your enemy.'" | Dean Martin | Sammy Davis Jr. | Frank Sinatra | 2-2 |
Mitch and Derek tie!
Roast Spoonman[]
Ebenezer Scrooge
| “ | Ebesneezer Splooge | ” |
–The Sour Bros | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | On a recent night, the night of September 10, I had a dream. I believe I had the closest I've yet experienced to a divine revelation. I had a vision of a foodstuff that does not exist, but I think it should. I am serving as the conduit to pass this gift along to the world from almighty God.
In this dream, I was given a bowl of something and I looked into it... this foodstuff that does not exist until now is called DONUT SALAD. |
” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | There's something about that high school. | ” |
–Derek Waters re: Cameron Diaz going to Nick's high school | ||
#hashtags[]
- #DonutSalad
The Feedbag[]
| “ | Your hot dog story from last week's Feedbag reminded me of a time I was at a late-night greasy spoon with a friend, having a cheeseburger. A total stranger walked in, sat down next to me, reached over, grabbed my cheeseburger, ate the whole thing without saying a word, patted me on the back as if to say 'thanks, buddy', and walked out.
That might sound annoying, but to me and my friend, it was the most hilarious that has every happened. What are your all-time funniest food moments? |
” |
–Brian from CT | ||
| guest / host | funniest food moments |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Nick's grandma was telling a story and poured salad dressing on her spaghetti by mistake |
| Mike Mitchell | Mitch called blue cheese 'spicy' and everyone made fun of him, but then turns out he actually had a spicy dressing |
| Derek Waters |
|
Related Episodes[]
| Charleys Philly Steaks episodes |
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Photos (via @doughboyspod)[]
