This past Saturday we took a little family jaunt down to Philadelphia for the Wizard World Comic Convention (Comic Con). One of my acquaintances congratulated me on being a “great mom” for taking my kids to Comic Con.
Wonder Woman wannabe and the boys with their new Tribbles. Remember those?!
As much as I would love to take responsibility and adopt that particular moniker, I have to admit this trip was instigated by my husband G – a major “fan boy”. (Sorry, G, that’s the official term for you guys) G has been collecting action figures and reading comics practically his entire life. He knows more about it than anyone I know and has a passion for the artwork and the stories. He’s even been known to write some of his own. We have attended several Comic Conventions in New York City over the years but this is the first time we attended the one in Philly.
There was not much about Comic Con that is relevant to the Paleo lifestyle – Well, except the fact there were so many attendees who would probably look and feel a whole lot better if they went Primal. But I simply cannot resist sharing some of the photos of the costumed people. Some of them went all out and we were truly impressed with the creativity and passion. Sure, there were some goofballs but even the outlandish people were entertaining. It was a lot of fun. I bought a Wonder Woman t-shirt and I might admit, if pressed, to buying some Wonder Woman knee-socks (with capes).
Truth be told, Comic Con is far more for adults than for kids. Just check out some of the costumed attendees!
Captain America and Loki
A beautiful Wonder Woman
Superman (Christopher Reeve lookalike)
Mystique
Yellow Lantern
Black Widow (Avengers)
Deathstroke and Mothman
Ms. Marvel
Nathaniel got into the act with Batman but I realized that my youngest, seemingly sweet child, may actually be an evil villain in disguise. He pulled a laser gun on Batman for crying out loud! Watch out for that boy.
Nathaniel pulls a laser on Batman
There was a lot to see and buy at the Comic Con. I’ll spare you my grainy photos of some of the celebrities: Norman Reedus (Daryl from The Walking Dead), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Dean Cain, William Shatner and Patrick Stewart to name a few.
We did not buy these. Did not even consider it….I swear.
But I briefly considered this one.
Reading Terminal Market
For lunch we went across the street from the Philadelphia Convention Center to the Reading Terminal Market. This market started out in 1892 below the tracks of the Reading Railroad train shed. It was considered the “greatest food market in the world” at that time. The Market was renovated and it now holds 80 independently-owned small businesses representing a great diversity of nationalities. They offer a variety of local and imported fresh foods, groceries and prepared meals.
We decided to get lunch from a place known as Dinic’s.
Dinic’s is known for its beef
And its pork
They know how to carve it up
You get a choice between grilled peppers and greens (spinach or broccoli rabe). We ordered ours without the bun (of course) and a side of broccoli rabe. (You may recall how much we love that stuff)
We also spied several other vendors of interest including one that had a huge selection of jerky.
Back in the 1980s a large number of Amish merchants were recruited for the Market and several of them remain today. Here’s one that sells a lot of canned goods, especially pickled veggies.
You can also find some pretty impressive offerings of fresh fish, cheeses and farm fresh fruits and vegetables.
We also came upon a very impressive Italian food vendor. I just love the term “Salumeria”.
We could not resist trying some of the world famous ice cream at Bassetts.
The boys really had to twist my arm to sample (yeah, that’s two scoops) of the rich and creamy Dark Chocolate and Rum Raisin.
After lunch we headed back to Comic Con to shop for more action figures, comics and to take a few more pictures. My stalking of the handsome Supermen finally paid off and G was able to capture a shot of me with the men of steel. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and enduring our comic fan geekiness. And if you are ever in Philadelphia give the Reading Terminal Market a try for some decent paleo options.
Hi Lea! I was reading some of your older posts and you mentioned having fibromyalgia – are you symptom free now that you have gone Paleo? I have dropped 25 pounds in two months since we started Paleo but we kept plain Greek yogurt in because I really like it and can mix in fruit for breakfast instead of eating so many eggs. I am still having a lot of pain even without the wheat and sugar, so I am wondering if the yogurt is still the culprit? I have dumped my rheumatologist for a couple of reasons and am trying to find someone else to help me deal with the fibro. Since you are the only person I know so far who is Paleo and who dealt with fibromyalgia, I wanted to “pick your brain” so to speak – I realize you are not a doctor 🙂 and so will not consider your opinions as medical advice, but since I no longer have confidence in the doctor who was dealing with my fibro, I just want to listen to testimony from someone who has actually dealt with it and as a a fellow Paleo person. Thanks for your help and also for acknowledging God’s hand in all of this!!!!!! By the way I just ordered some of the gooey yummy looking bean fudge or whatever that stuff was called – looks DIVINE! Lol
Oh man, that Lovebean fudge is good stuff….
My fibro pain is much better overall. HOWEVER, I do still struggle with it and have been trying to find the source of the problem. I do eat dairy occasionally (as you can see from the photo of the ice cream!) But I have scaled it way back and go for periods of time when I eat no dairy at all. My pain seems to subside when I avoid dairy and I’ve been in denial about it. The thought of giving it up completely – as in no parmesan cheese or ice cream now and then – makes me sad. I also started to notice that my pain flares up when I eat cured meats that contain nitrites/nitrates. So I avoid that now too. If you and I really want to figure it out once and for all we should probably try eliminating all dairy and possibly nightshades and even eggs to see how that goes. Have you considered keeping a food journal? That is something I believe I need to start doing to figure out when I have pain flares.
Thx for your quick response! I am staying away already from meats with nitrites/nitrates. I dont know what nightshades are. I dont eat a lot of eggs but usually have some greek yogurt each day. My hip hurts all the time and my former rheumatologist said it was likely my fibro – not believing it. When I get up from sitting for any length I am so sore and stiff right off the bat, same when I get up in morning. That i have always equated with the fibro because it gradually improves after i start moving around. You are in great shape – I am not. Need to lose probably 120 pounds – have already lost 25 in roughly two months after stopping all wheat, processed food, added sugar, junk food, junk food and junk food lol. Years ago I went on a plan called Lean for life and lost 120 lbs – no wheat, flour, pasta much like Paleo but I did eat lots of protein bars by Nutrilife thru Amway which contained soy. Anyway before I lost any real weight I started feeling way better with regard to my fibro and kind of thought then that flour and beaucoup carbs affected the fibro. My husband was in Honduras for all of 2005 doing mission work so I took that time to concentrate on me and lost the weight. When he came home we gradually resumed our hectic lives and I gradually gained the weight back – duh!! I am 5’8″ and currently weigh 272 after losing 25 so far. In 2005 I got down to 172 and looked and felt better than I had in years – I am 57. I could keep a food diary but I am being so careful that it sounds like maybe the dairy is the problem, but as you know, fibro is such a tough nut to crack! I recently got off Cymbalta which I had been taking as one of two meds for the fibro because it upset my stomach. Since getting off it, I think my pain has increased! I also was recently diagnosed with reflux – dr told me he thought I was allergic to food preservatives and told me to stop eating all processed foods and eat more organic, fresh – that is how the Paleo thing started for us cuz my hubby happened to read a post on FB from an old friend who is Paleo now – it seemed to jive with my instructions from doctor (and then some!) the only testing he did other than endoscope, colonoscopy and biopsy to look for celiac (negative) was bloodwork – I am also anemic. Anyway we both feel we are doing right by our bodies to go Paleo (hubby is on insulin pump too) and I just wish I felt better with regard to my chronic pain. I see my GI guy tomorrow and might ask about food allergy testing which he didn’t think necessary when he told me he “thought” I was allergic to food preservatives!!??!! After I talk to him maybe i will try ceasing the dairy for a while to see – what, for a month would you think or less time??
I think a lot of my pain was related to the gluten. But gluten is in SO many things. We did not go out to eat for a long time and I was doing better. Then we started eating out more and pain came back even though I am very careful. I believe I am really sensitive to that and getting gluten contamination in small amounts gives me a reaction. Nightshades are certain types of plants known to give some people with auto-immune diseases reactions. You can check out my food matrix for more info on which plants are considered nightshades. Here’s the link: http://paleospirit.com/paleo-nutrition/paleo-food-matrix/
Regarding allergy testing: I have a lot of “oral allergies” to foods. It took me a long time to figure out what was going on. For instance, I get a swollen esophagus when I eat certain foods – especially at certain times of the year when pollen is high. However, my reactions do not show up when given a skin-prick test by the allergist. I cannot eat lobster or shrimp without having a terrible reaction but according to skin-testing I am not technically allergic. Just keep that in mind when/if you get tested. I have found eliminating the foods far more instructive.
I eliminated dairy for a month and felt better. Cutting out nightshades is tough – no tomatoes! But if you are in real pain, and it sounds like you are, then maybe it is worth a try. Please let me know how you are doing!
ComicCon… all the people dressed up…. Made me lol.
You look SuperPretty in your giddup. Iunno da SuperMans are pretty hot too
Blessin’s