On being a Philly expat in L.A.
- abegreenwald
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
Let me start with a confession, I've never actually lived in Philadelphia. Unless you count the first few months after I was born (a home birth on Green Street, because Wendy Forman is a superhero). My parents moved to Bucks County, PA when I was a toddler and I grew up in the small village of Carversville, which looks like this:
I did spend a day each week at my grandparents apartment in The Parkway House in Philadelphia though, which was enough to give me a pretty strong Philly accent as a tyke. I can still channel it, usually in character as an irate Eagles fan calling into WIP sports radio. Someone on the internet dubbed the accent "hoagiemouth", a term my friend Jon first told me about. I love the idea that on HBO's "Task" and "Mare of Easttown" there are dialect coaches putting intensive training in with accomplished British actors on how to master this ridikilis frickin accent. A reverse "My Fair Lady", A "Mayfair Lady" if you will?
Even though I've never actually lived in Philadelphia, it's been a big part of my identity since I was a kid. Mostly through my lifelong love of the Sixers, I still remember going to see one of Dr. J's last games at the Spectrum, and often falling asleep listening to the radio broadcasts on my boom box.
One of the first things I learned in my job at Buzzfeed was that posts about regional identity were "highly shareable", so I put together this slideshow video that is essentially a free ad for Wawa:
Speaking of Buzzfeed Video, that was where where I met the most iconic Philly expat in L.A.- Quinta Brunson, years before Abbot Elementary made her the (rightful) queen of television. She cast me as the boss in one of her videos because I was a good decade older than everyone else who worked there. When Creed came out I made her go watch it with me at the Arclight. A very ~Philly expat in L.A.~ moment:
Like Quinta, most of the Philly expats I know out here were lured westward by the entertainment business. And I suspect that for some of us, there's a little bit of guilt attached to that move. Like who am I to be living in a place that's warm in February, even if it is frequently on fire. I think the pop culture text that speaks to this most clearly is The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and how out of place Will feels, not only in terms of class but also geographically.
Speaking purely in stereotypes, L.A. is soft, fake, and woo woo- the kind of place where robot cars drive us to movie premieres and landlords want to know your astrological sign before renting you an apartment. Philly is tough, real, and infamous for once kicking the shit out of a robot visitor.
I've lived in L.A. for twenty years and wholeheartedly embrace my veggie burgers, iced matchas, smoothies, pilates, hikes with my dog who is wearing people clothes, etc. etc. But I also love the cultural options brought here by other Philly expats. There's Delco Rose hoagies in Highland Park (with great vegetarian options), and Shappy Pretzels which launched during the pandemic and has taken L.A. by storm. The gathering of Philly expats lined up to get Shappy's pretzels from his pop-up in the Valley in 2020 was something to behold.
Of course, nothing can match the real deal. Hoagies, soft pretzels, and water ice are best when surrounded by the cultural context in which they were conceived. My Ratatouille Food Critic soft pretzel comes with an aftertaste of car exhaust from the I-95 exit ramp, the spot of the pretzel vendor we'd stop at when I was little.
BTW, Joel Embiid, an immigrant from Cameroon, is pure Philly. He's been counted out, fought through pain, roots like crazy for the other sports teams in the city, and once shoved a sports columnist who used the tragedy of his brother's death to question his professionalism. Philadelphians across the spectrum agreed, the columnist should have known better. Possibly my most philly take (even though I'm generally a pacificist) is that Chris Rock also should have known better. If you think you can stand right in front of someone and make fun of their wife's autoimmune disease and not get slapped in the face, well then you've never been to Philly. I'm not saying it's right, just that I understand the impulse.
Okay, enough justifying physical assault. This past week was my favorite annual PhiLA tradition (does this PhiLA portmanteau work? I'm trying to come up with an alt for "Philly expats in LA"). This week the Sixers came to town to play the Clippers and the Lakers, and I went to both games with my friend Joe. We first bonded over our Sixers obsession while working on Big Mouth, but I was already a fan of Joe's from his work on my favorite portrayal of Philadelphians/Hoagie Mouth in pop culture, the Pawnsylvania sketch on Kroll Show:
Most normal Sixers fans would probably attend one of the games out here, but I love that Joe always suggests we go to both.
I can't speak for Joe, but I think a big part of the experience is feeling connected to our families back in Philly. A reminder that despite living and working in the land of make believe, we haven't completely lost touch with our Philly grit. Shoutout to Gritty btw, the perfect mascot.
And while I use the term expat lightly, I do actually find it difficult sometimes living across the country from my nuclear family. I'm sure it's not as much of a disconnect as living abroad (as attractive as that sounds these days) but there are challenges nonetheless. During deep covid, one day after telling Lynn I'd probably never shake hands again for the rest of my life, I shook hands with (possibly hugged?) a total stranger on Larchmont because he was in Eagles gear and I was wearing my Sixers jacket.
Being able to share Sixers games with Joe, Shappy Pretzels with friends, and Delco Rose hoagies do actually make me feel more connected to my family, friends, and my younger self.
Another Philly expat working in the world of television comedy is the legend, Christine Nangle who is pushing her pro-Birds agenda to the entire world next week on Fox and Disney Plus. That's right, The Simpsons will be celebrating their 800th episode in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection!
And finally, as much as I claim my Philly identity...my nibling's portrait of me from years ago reveals the ugly truth. No matter how much I chafe against it, I'm a Californian now. It says it right there on my shirt, right below my gorgeous, feminine lips.
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