Welcome to Philadelphia, city of ‘implausible sounding things’ – Billy Penn

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Mention Irish potato candy to people not from Philadelphia, and they likely wont know what youre talking about. Then theyll be intrigued to discover theres absolutely no potato in the recipe. For people who grew up in Philly, of course, the St. Patricks Day sweets are a time-honored tradition. Theyre also a perfect example of the idiosyncrasies that define the city.

Learning about the candys non-potato-ness inspired a recent post from Twitter user @ActNormalOrElse, who basically credited the city with giving the entire Atlantic seaboard its personality.

Moving to the East Coast, they wrote, has just been a series of finding out increasingly implausible sounding things about the City of Philadelphia.

The tweet sparked a flood of conversation, much of it positive. Which makes sense, because discussing the shock, surprise, admiration, envy, or horror that meets outsiders when they discover the citys unique features is one of Philadelphias favorite things.

Several other distinguishing traditions, icons, and situations were brought up in the many comments on the thread.

A tired trope like throwing snowballs at Santa was dismissed early on, though it was followed up with a valid example: HitchBots demise, wherein Philly was the endpoint for a Canadian experiment about the kindness of strangers.

There was that time a viral anonymous letter about building a steel furnace to melt bodies of people and animals turned into a real life party on a large vacant lot.

Shoutouts were made to drumline Elmo or Philly Elmo, aka Tony Tone Royster and Positive Movement Entertainment. The troupe first gained fame via a video of them marching outside a scrapyard fire in 2018, and have since become a beloved, sought-after entertainment.

As shown with the Irish potatoes, food plays a big role in the citys identity.

While soft pretzels are found all over the country and the globe, no other region has adopted the shape and style that makes Phillys versions so pleasingly dense and chewy.

Tastykake is so much a staple in local convenience stores that its easy for Philadelphians to forget that the name of the brands most popular treat isnt really a common word outside the Delaware Valley.

A shot-and-beer combo has its own unique name, and theres debate over whether a citywide special counts as one drink or two.

Philadelphias competitive spirit rings loud no matter whats at stake. One newcomer mentioned the backlash spurred by a vegan entry being allowed into a South Philly meatball contest.

Its the birthplace of two of the worlds most famous sports mascots, who both do a good job personifying the distinctive character of their hometown.

Another weird but true concept: You can enjoy the nightlife and culture (and even job opportunities) of NYC and not have to pay exorbitant rents.

Transit issues were also discussed, like the Philadelphia underutilized Regional Rail system (which leaders just this week announced a plan to overhaul).

Is there another large metropolis that allows parking on the median of a main thoroughfare even though its officially illegal?

Then theres the zeitgeist that leads to neighbors offering you a deceased relatives stock of booze if they find out its a brand you like.

Yep. Philly gonna Philly. And the people here wouldnt have it any other way.

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Welcome to Philadelphia, city of 'implausible sounding things' - Billy Penn