The $100 Cheesesteak jordanmarsh6, October 8, 2021April 5, 2023 How much would you pay for a sandwich? When I think about sandwiches, I first think of Subway or Jimmy John’s. It’s not hard to get a sandwich at either of those places for $5-8. You start getting a little fancier when you get to Panera Bread. Sandwiches there fetch somewhere from $10-12. I think sandwiches are almost universally understood to be a staple that shouldn’t cost all that much. Some sandwiches have almost come to define entire cities. Let’s talk about Philly Cheesesteaks. Philadelphia was the birthplace of democracy, the setting of the legendary Rocky movies, and some would probably say, most importantly, cheesesteaks. According to visitphilly.com, a guy named Pat Olivieri invented the cheesesteak back in the 1930’s. He was a hot dog vendor, and was apparently getting tired of hot dogs. He decided one day to throw beef on a grill and make a sandwich. A passing cab driver saw what he had done and asked for one too. That small interaction gave birth to a sandwich that would define the whole city. There must be hundreds of different places in Philadelphia where you can get a cheesesteak. Imagine trying to start a restaurant and promote yourself as the best cheesesteak in Philly. You’re in for a bumpy ride. That’s what a guy named Howard Wein tried to do. Knowing competition would be steep, he needed something to stand out. What if he charged $100? A $100 CHEESESTEAK. I’m not really much of a foodie, so I am not going to go into all the nitty gritty details about why its flavor is superior to everything else. But seriously, who in their right mind would ever pay $100 for a sandwich? I don’t care how perfect it is. It’s actually fascinating to see how many people really will. Barclay Prime, the restaurant started by Howard Wein that sells this cheesesteak, is world famous. David Letterman and David Beckham are two notable people who have had it. Major news outlets like USA today, the Wall Street Journal, and others ran stories on the $100 cheesesteak. It seems like we’re all wondering what we’re going to do with our lives. What is it that I saw in this story to help us figure that out? I think about all the ideas or dreams we have for our future as the entire Philly cheesesteak marketplace; overcrowded and cheap. I’ve thought of doing a lot of dumb things with my life. There has got to be a few of those things that stand out. Maybe just one of those things stand out. Perhaps it’s so intriguing to you that you’d be willing to metaphorically spend $100 on it. That’s the thing you really want. It’s that one, or two, or few things you know that you want to have accomplished by the time you kick the can. I’ve called it boomerang inspiration before. The more I think about that title it sounds kind of cheesy (get it like a cheesesteak heh heh). Maybe I should call it resonant inspiration. Or just resonance. Find what resonates with you, go eat a $100 cheesesteak, and then go do it. Self Improvement