"center city" news and stories

Here in Philadelphia, we don't have to stray far from Center City in order to get a hit of Amish country. There are number of Pennsylvania Dutch vendors at Reading Terminal Market who sell jams, jellies, local honeys, fresh produce, meats, cheeses and some of the most amazing baked goods. However, normally the PA Dutch merchants don't call much attention to themselves and stay tucked back in one corner of the Market.

However, this weekend, the PA Dutch merchants take over the whole Market for the 19th Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival. The fest was canceled last summer, due to some unrest at the Market, so it's doubly exciting to see it return this year. Starting today, they'll set up the festival in Center Court and it will feature handmade crafts including quilts, woodcrafts, paintings, hand-braided rugs, wooden toys, and cedar chests. Available foods will including chicken pot-pie, donuts, ice cream, pies and canned fruits and vegetables. On Saturday, they'll have a mock barn raising on Arch Street, building a garden shed on the city street as well as a country auction.

If you're in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, I highly recommend coming into Philly to check out the festival. Be prepared for crowds and come with an empty stomach!

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A city councilman in Philidelphia, Jack Kelly, has developed a plan that would block the sale of foie gras. Modeled after the Chicago ban, which prevents foie gras from being sold by retailers and at restaurants, Kelly suggests implementing similar measures. Predictably, there is resistance from some in the restaurant community. Retailers like Assouline & Ting, which supplies foie gras to eateries, also oppose the ban, saying that they would have to lay of some employees if that sector of their business was curtailed.

There is obviously at least some support for the proposal, as there is a petition online with over 1,300 signatures in favor of a city-wide ban.

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The first North American exhibition of the work of eccentric Brazilian artist Artur Barrio is on display at the Levy Gallery at the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The exhibit, entitled Actions after Actions, features lots and lots of coffee. Over 1400 pounds of roasted and ground espresso fill the almost cave-like gallery space, with grounds covering the floor and what was once liquid splashed upon the walls. The smell of coffee not only permeates the 1,800 square foot gallery, but has spread through much of the school's campus. Some students enjoy the smell, not minding when the craving for a fresh espresso suddenly hits them after inhaling a large breath of air. Others experience headaches and irritation brought on by an inability to rid themselves of the aroma of the grounds after a gallery visit.

The exhibit also includes 250 bottles of wine and 200 loaves of bread, as well as 100 pounds of shellac, an insect secretion that was imported from France. The wine is available for guests to drink, but no drinkable coffee is available at the exhibit. Admission is free and the gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 5pm and weekends from 12 noon to 4pm, if you are in the neighborhood. For directions, see the map or simply follow your nose. The exhibit runs though March 19, 2006.

[Photo by Levy Gallery]

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