On my first visit to my boyfriend’s hometown of Williamsport, PA, I had a bit of food culture shock. I had been there before but 
was unaware of the culinary delights that were hidden in “The Port.”
Soon after we arrived my boyfriend’s father was telling me about a lunch special he loves to get in town, “I get a Cosmo, chips and a pickle for $3.49.” I did the math in my head and thought it certainly was a steal for a mixed drink and I pictured him holding the classic Sex in the City cocktail and munching on a few chips with a pickle and the image just didn’t seem to work.
So I interjected, “Wait, what’s a Cosmo?”
The response wasn’t spoken. I was simply given a look as if I had a zillion heads that were spinning and shooting lasers. I racked my brain desperately to think of what the hell it could be. I had gathered it was some sort of sandwich, but I was stumped. “It’s a toasted cheese sandwich,” he told me with as much intensity as if I had asked who Britney Spears was.
“Like a grilled cheese?”
“No, it’s on a roll. A Cosmo.”
This wasn’t going well, so I waved the white flag. “Listen, I’ve never heard of that, I’m sorry. Is it special to this area or…?”
“It’s a toasted sandwich, like a open-faced sandwich. Ya’ know?”
“Is it just cheese then?”
“No,” (I can tell he’s irritated and not sure if I’m kidding or just really dumb) “it’s usually just cheese or cheese with Canadian bacon (oh- duh, of COURSE why didn’t I know THAT… cause Canadian bacon is on a ton of sandwiches?) or ham on it and it comes with lettuce, tomato, onions and a hot pepper relish.”
Realizing it’s basically a toasted sub, I tell him I’d love to try one and to prove that I’m not intentionally being dumb I Google “Cosmo.” Here’s what I find:
Wikipedia came up with the definition of “Submarine sandwich”
with a general overview of what a sub is and then the following bullet points (Note: A Cosmo is known ONLY in one town in the entire country… Williamsport, PA.).
Other Names
- Blimpie (shaped like a blimp) — from the Hoboken, New Jersey founded chain, Blimpie
- Bomber (shaped like a bomber plane) — various areas
- Cosmo (cosmopolitan) — North Central Pennsylvania near Williamsport
- Grinder (Italian-American slang for a dock worker) — Midwest, New England. Inland Empire of Southern California.[3]
- Italian Sandwich (named for origin) — Maine and parts of New England
- Poor boy — Saint Louis
- Po-boy — Southern Louisiana
- Rocket (shaped like a rocket) — various areas
- Spuckie (Italian-American slang for a long roll) — Boston, Massachusetts (used particularly in Italian immigrant neighborhoods)
- Torpedo (shaped like a torpedo) — New York, New Jersey, other areas
- Wedge (served between two wedges of bread) — Prevalent in Yonkers, New York and other parts of Westchester County, New York, The Bronx, lower Fairfield County, Connecticut, and portions of Upstate New York[13]
- Zeppelin (shaped like a zeppelin) — New Jersey; Phoenixville, PA and Norristown, PA
The Final Dish
After I showed his family that the interwebs have proven that term Cosmo is ONLY used in Williamsport, I felt a little less crazy and we decided to get a Cosmo for dinner to give it a try. And guess what? I freakin’ love these things. The hot pepper relish (I got it on the side) adds the perfect zip to this toasty sandwich. I have only tried the cheese version but now look forward to trips to Williamsport to get these tasty sandwiches each time I’m in town.
[Editor’s note: According to one of our readers, “The term Cosmo originates from Cellini’s Subs. Now in Montoursville. It was first based in Williamsport. It started back in the 1950’s. There was a kid that worked there named Cosmo. He always liked his subs toasted. So the sub shop started calling toasted subs Cosmos. The name stuck, and it’s still here today.” Thanks, Mike DiRocco!]
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