2008 Woodie Awards
Scrapple: Made from the worst stuff on earth
David King '08
Issue date: 2/21/07 Section: Features
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In the Philadelphia food family, scrapple is that strange uncle-you know, the one who you invite to reunions but hope won't show up. No one likes to talk about him, but as much as you hate to admit it, he has so much character that you just can't help but enjoy the guilty pleasure of his company. He's an embarrassment, but dammit, you still love him.
Extended metaphors aside, scrapple's reputation makes it at best an oddity, at worst a joke to those outside of the area. Invented by the Pennsylvania Dutch, this breakfast meat is composed of cornmeal and all of the parts of the pig not fit for individual consumption, including the head and some choice organs.
To those who can stomach this protein-rich, baseball card-sized brick of breakfast-and manage not to ponder the ingredients-scrapple can be a rare delicacy.
But if you wind up with a bad slice, the offensive caloric intake is surpassed only by the violation of what scrapple stands for: that no meat should go to waste.
With that in mind, here are some scrapple eateries nearby campus rated on their heart-stopping goodness to help you get the most squeal for your meal.
The Country Squire: 2560 W. Chester Pike, Broomall
A 15-minute drive from campus, The Country Squire Diner is a casual setting with ample booth and counter seating. The diner is open 23 hours a day-it closes from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m.-and serves breakfast all day.
If management were smart, they would use that extra hour to refine their scrapple preparation. For a moderate $2.95, you will get a standard 3-by-5-by-1 inch piece of scrapple. The quality, however, is sub par.
The exterior is too hard-a butter knife won't cut it-and breaks off into crusty chunks. The interior is more soggy than desirable, but it is well flavored. Still, the price and quality don't align, and your best bet would be to save your gas and food money. The verdict: Mild arrhythmia, at best.
The Llanerch Diner: 95 E. Township Line Rd., Upper Darby
Extended metaphors aside, scrapple's reputation makes it at best an oddity, at worst a joke to those outside of the area. Invented by the Pennsylvania Dutch, this breakfast meat is composed of cornmeal and all of the parts of the pig not fit for individual consumption, including the head and some choice organs.
To those who can stomach this protein-rich, baseball card-sized brick of breakfast-and manage not to ponder the ingredients-scrapple can be a rare delicacy.
But if you wind up with a bad slice, the offensive caloric intake is surpassed only by the violation of what scrapple stands for: that no meat should go to waste.
With that in mind, here are some scrapple eateries nearby campus rated on their heart-stopping goodness to help you get the most squeal for your meal.
The Country Squire: 2560 W. Chester Pike, Broomall
A 15-minute drive from campus, The Country Squire Diner is a casual setting with ample booth and counter seating. The diner is open 23 hours a day-it closes from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m.-and serves breakfast all day.
If management were smart, they would use that extra hour to refine their scrapple preparation. For a moderate $2.95, you will get a standard 3-by-5-by-1 inch piece of scrapple. The quality, however, is sub par.
The exterior is too hard-a butter knife won't cut it-and breaks off into crusty chunks. The interior is more soggy than desirable, but it is well flavored. Still, the price and quality don't align, and your best bet would be to save your gas and food money. The verdict: Mild arrhythmia, at best.
The Llanerch Diner: 95 E. Township Line Rd., Upper Darby
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Pete U
posted 2/21/07 @ 3:28 PM EST
Regarding the section on Reading Terminal Market:
Merchants here pedal everything ... don't you mean peddle? The Mother Tongue is being lost .. (Continued…)
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