I drank some Boilo at the St. Clair Halloween Parade

  For those of you familiar with this East Central Pennsylvanian hot alcohol steeped in spices, you may be also be aware that there are some dangerous versions of this beverage out there, too. I have had many versions of this. I even got a recipe for it as a wedding gift. However, I have officially had a very good batch of this very potent drink. The bad stuff should really only be served in self-defense or for topping off a gas tank when fuel prices get too high.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, that’s fine. This beverage was not in my vocabulary until I became a Pennsylvanian. While born & raised in Ohio, things are very simple there when it comes to food. You can order your food one of two ways: with or without salt. Here in PA, this area is piled high with traditions, including culinary ones. One trip to a BLOCK PARTY and you can find yourself waist-high in halupkies, halushkie, bleenies, kiebasi, bean soup, and many other things that you can eat but should probably chase with some Zantac.

 I also had some Tommy’s M & S Chili, too. That stuff is good, although I can only eat about 5 bites at a time. I have to take a break to give my tongue a rest from the peppery burn.

 God, I love Pennsylvania. You gotta love boilo recipes. Where else can you follow food directions that include phrases like “Be careful at this point or the boilo will explode.”