At the moment, Philly is just as obsessed with the Vietnamese banh mi trend as the rest of the country. But we'll always be a blue-collar hoagie city first. There are many theories about how our version of the sub got its name, including a popular belief that it descends from the Italian immigrants who worked at the Hog Island shipyard in the Navy Yard at the beginning of the 20th century, whose sandwiches eventually became known as "hoggies." An even older tale suggests that its origin dates to the Italian "hokey pokey" vendors who sold antipasto salads with "pinafore" rolls in the late 19th century. Local convenience chains like Wawa sell thousands each day, but with hoagies, quality and craftsmanship make a huge difference. Wawa's rolls are flimsy and the meats are bland. Look for delis where meats are sliced to order (often directly onto the sandwich) and the fresh-baked rolls have a seeded crust. My current champ is Pastificio Deli (1528 Packer Ave., a mile north of the Wells Fargo Center), where imported meats are carefully layered with sharp provolone and just the right amount of shredded veggies for a zesty signature sandwich with balance and bite. I'm also a fan of the standard Italians at Dan's Fresh Meats (2000 Frankford Ave.) in Fishtown, Shank's Original Pier 40 (901 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.) in South Philly, which has the added bonus of picnic-table seating beside the Delaware River, and Cosmi's Deli (1501 S. Eighth St.), which, along with Shank's, also makes a solid steak. Nonmeat lovers, meanwhile, will find roasted-eggplant goodness in the veggie hoagie at Antonio's Deli (1014 Federal St.), the successor to Chickie's.