A
sandwich, invented in South
Philadelphia in the 1930's at a
hot dog stand, and popularized by
Pat's King of Steaks restaurant. The cheesesteak is still associated with that city. It consists of the following:
The result is
greasy and
messy. Thus, practiced eaters
lean forward to bring the
mouth to the sandwich (rather than the lifting the sandwich all the way to the mouth) so as to control where the
drips will land.
Preferences as to what makes the "perfect" cheesesteak vary based on which neighborhood in Philadelphia you have visited or grew up in.
A chicken cheesesteak is a sandwich that replaces the beef with chicken, but is prepared the same way.