When I heard that my son's birthday party was held at a German beer garden in Queens, N.Y. it reminded me of the different international flavors of Philadelphia growing up in pre-WWII. The Italians had settled in South Philly where the Philly Cheese Steak was born. The Irish were in Kensington (also known as Fishtown) and populated the parishes of the southwest corner. There were Polish folks in Port Richmond and German-Americans were sprinkled throughout. The Polish picnics were a daylong affair with the polka music wafting through the park. But it was the German oompah bands that we kids gravitated to on a summer Sunday afternoon. Some devilish kids would stand in front of the tuba player while sucking on pickles and watching the poor guy salivate. All this came to an end when WWII broke out. Some German clubs changed their names and others folded their tents. It was a tense time to be of German ancestry but several of my German neighbors sent their sons into the U.S. Army to fight on our side. This is a great country!
tjs
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