Athletes must adjust their nutritional intake when the weather turns cold. Conventional changes might be to consume extra calories to account for thermal acclimation, to keep hydrating even if you don't feel thirsty, etc...but when the energy bar in your pocket is frozen solid, your sports drink has turned to slush in spite of the salt, and the Eagles are about to smash the Jets 45-19, it's time for a different source of sports nutrition: the Philly cheesesteak.
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| Careful, the whiz might drip on your shoe |
This nutritional device has a lot to offer shivering athletes, from a high calorie content (that of 3.75 Clif Bars), lots of electrolytes (sodium equivalent of 5.5 Nuun tablets), and most importantly, textural stability at any temperature (thank you sodium alginate). So before you chip a tooth on your frozen energy bar, just pedal to 9th and Passyunk in South Philly. On Sunday Amy, Ky, and I ended an epic ride in 27-degree weather at Pat's, where our food demonstrated the thermal properties of a properly procured cheesesteak. My "whiz witout” was such a textural marvel in spite of the sub-freezing temperatures, I couldn’t help but remark at how drippy it was. I checked with Amy on her “whiz wit,” and that’s what she said too. In the end, everyone was satisfied, even Ky with her silly provolone.
So with its nutritional abundance, option to add antioxidant superfood just by saying “wit,” and weather-defying texture, it almost seems like this sandwich was developed specifically for athletes. Is it a coincidence that a cheesesteak is the same diameter as that of a bottle cage? I think not.
