Philadelphia: Reading Terminal Market

When Jim and I went to Philadelphia in November, we stayed with his grandparents outside of the city. Before we headed back to their place for the night, Jim wanted to pick up a pie to take for dinner, so we stopped in Reading Terminal Market. I get really overwhelmed by indoor markets and Reading Terminal was crazy crowded, but full of amazing signage, delicious smells and beautiful food.

The first thing I noticed was all of the gorgeous neon signs hanging everywhere you looked. There were lobsters and pretzels and Liberty Bells, cheesesteaks, donuts, ice cream and tons of other things I would have gladly devoured if we had the time. Jim eventually interrupted my wide-eyed gawking to ask if I had seen the Chocolate by Mueller booth and when I saw their chocolate lungs, I immediately knew it would be my favorite shop in the market.

They make standard chocolates and candies, but they are known for their "weird" chocolate shapes—lungs, hands, faces, teeth, eyes, noses, ears, kidneys, brains and hearts—all completely edible and guaranteed to be the hit of any party (from their website: "'Oops, I thought you said a dozen noses' explains the chocolate bunch of nostrils"). They also sell a chocolate-covered onion, which is exactly what it sounds like and a popular seller, despite probably being totally disgusting.

I actually never ended up purchasing anything because I was overwhelmed with so many wonderful choices that I couldn't make a decision. Luckily they sell most of the shapes in their online store if I decide I just can't go on any longer without owning (and eating) a pair of chocolate kidneys.