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I Guess We Have to Talk About the Tomato Pie Video
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Why is everybody on Twitter talking about tomato pie?
The topic is trending because “Food Insider” went to South Philly to try it out. Apparently people not from this region don’t even know what tomato pie is, so they are reacting to this introductory video:
Philadelphians love tomato pie 🍅 pic.twitter.com/hXYIjM8c1U
— Insider Food (@insiderfood) May 24, 2021
Here’s the thing about tomato pie –
When’s the last time you said, “man I really want a tomato pie“? That never happens. Nobody craves tomato pie or seeks it outright. Normally somebody just brings it to a tailgate or a football watch party and you eat it because it’s there. You’re going over to the table with the snacks and the food and you see tomato pie and you’re like, “okay I guess I’ll throw a piece on my paper plate.” But you’re not really excited about it. It’s just something somebody brought because they felt bad showing up without food.
Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that tomato pie is bad. It just means that it’s not a tier 1 food. It’s maybe tier 3 or tier 4. If you get the good stuff from a South Philly joint, or from Corropolese, then you’re in business. Maybe 5% of tomato pie is awesome and the other 95% blows. It ends up being just sauce on rubbery bread, with not enough cheese to even be noticeable.
It’s whatever. Tomato pie is whatever. It’s not good and it’s not bad. It just is.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com