by Dennis Krivda

Created on: May 17, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

I always chuckle a bit whenever I encounter debates such as this one. I chuckle because I instantly recognize the frivolity of such discussions; and then I chuckle a bit more because I can usually predict what I'll hear from the debate participants.

Within this discussion of the Philly cheesesteak sandwich, for example, I figured that the vast majority of Philadelphians would defend the reputation of their beloved sandwich to the last fried onion. And why shouldn't they? After all, the Philly cheesesteak does represent a tasty bit of uniquely American cuisine concocted right in the very cradle of human liberty!

I also predicted to myself that detractors of the Philly cheesesteak would cite its minimal nutritional value and its low standing on the culinary scale. But I really didn't go very far out on a limb with that prediction. I mean, aren't those easy arguments to make?

Outside of those points for and against, though, I figured that most people beyond a fifty mile radius of the Delaware Valley wouldn't even care about the cheesesteak sandwich's worth. It's sort of like asking someone from New Mexico to comment on the New Jersey pine barrens. I mean really, what does a New Mexican care about the scrub lands near Fort Dix? Very little, I'd safely guess. New Mexicans have their own landmarks to think about. Likewise, they have their own culinary delights to savor and boast about.

Yet, while this debate over the Philly cheesesteak might appear frivolous, predictable, and somewhat irrelevant on the surface, the pride behind such icons of Americana remains far from frivolous and irrelevant. In fact, that pride can magnify the debate's importance beyond the predictable silliness of it all.

Think about that for a second. And think about similar debates.

For example, should New Yorkers be less proud of the Statue of Liberty simply because France actually created our national symbol of freedom? Absolutely not! Should someone from Arizona be less proud of the Grand Canyon simply because they had absolutely no hand in its formation? Absolutely not! And should Californians eschew Big Sur because, after all, it is just a coastal region? I don't think so. Likewise, should Philadelphians curb their enthusiasm simply because their cheesesteak sandwich lacks in nutrition? Ha! Don't make me laugh!

In the end, we must ask ourselves if our collective American pride in such wonders represents mere frivolity. And I say that the answer is, "Hardly!"

And so it is with the

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