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Cheese steaks or Poboys? Saints and Eagles rivalry deeper than football

Fans take pride in sandwiches, maybe more than football

NEW ORLEANS -- We're just three days away from the Saints vs. Eagles game in the dome and the competition with Philly is heating up not only on the field but in the kitchen.

In New Orleans, we all know it's the Poboy.  How it originated is still debatable, but here's one theory:

"It's iconic because of how it started feeding the striking streetcar drivers and the poor people in New Orleans,” Murray Tate said.

And just ahead of the playoff game, NOLA Poboys in the French Quarter expects to sell a lot of their Who Dat Poboy.  It's fried shrimp with a heavy cream based bisque with crawfish pour over on top of fresh French bread.

Shop operators Murray Tate and Mark Valerie bleed black and gold, they think it's interesting that New Orleans and Philadelphia both share a love for sandwiches.

But when it comes down to it, they think the poboy has an edge, a lot like the Saints.  

Yet, in a sea of poboys and New Orleans originals, there are also a handful of Philly inspired restaurants.

"We had people waiting six hours to get in," Michael Casey said.

Casey runs Liberty Cheesesteaks on Freret a popular hang out for Eagles fans.  He's also an unapologetic die hard.

"I feel unnervingly confident."

Casey told us, his cheesesteaks aren't meant to compete against the poboy, but they are a tasty option on Italian bread.

"It's not a poboy, cause people came in and they want to put shrimp on it they want to put mayonnaise all over the stuff, it breaks my heart," he said.

Now, Philly cheesesteaks are usually made with thinly sliced beef and either American or Provolone cheese, though some customers prefer melted cheese, so you see the two sandwiches have little in common, other than the best ones are usually from small, locally owned shops.

Of course, you can't really go wrong with either option, unless if you're an Eagles fan...

"You came here you want a poboy, you want a cheesesteak you can get that at home," Valerie said.

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