Sandwiches

Crushing sandos and putting them in blogs

I am going to just jump in as if I’ve been doing this for a while, but don’t worry this is not going to be a food blog. I am trying to write more and think and talk about things that I love and that bring me joy. I don’t know if this a specifically weird time in the world, or if sometimes you just start to think a bit more about what is really important when you’re in your last months of being in your 20s, but I have been craving a creative outlet that helps me think of all the great things in the world that I can share and appreciate. Maybe this is half sandwiches and half gratitude journal, but I want to process life in a more active way lately. 

I love sandwiches. It can be hard to define just what a sandwich is, but like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said of pornography in 1964, “I know it when I see it.” Is a hotdog a sandwich? I don’t think so, but I am not going to get deep in the weeds on post one. It seems almost every community around the world has their own beautiful take on a sandwich. Bahn mi, doner kebab, croque monsieur, grilled cheese, katsu sando, italian sub, thanksgiving leftovers? Multicultural and delightful.  

What I love most about a sandwich is the diversity. Sandwiches are a blank canvas that you can put anything on. Kinda like pizza, it’s more of a scaffolding than a recipe. Two bread parts surrounding sauces and innards, but even that can be played with. Truly odd creations are possible, and can still be great. Like classical painting, only once you know the rules and have mastered the classics, can you then truly shine outside the bounds of what people once thought was possible. The KFC Double Down ditched the bread and slammed their sandwich between fried chicken. Good idea? Debatable, but I respect the audacity they had to try. 

One of my favorite sandwiches to make is about as simple as it gets. Sure the PB&J is a classic and you can have great two-ingredient sandos, but the peak of flavor vs. effort for me goes to the butter, turkey and cheese sandwich. Whatever cheese you have, I prefer thick cut sharp cheddar, and whatever bread you have too, plus deli turkey and some sort of butter, salt it if it's unsalted. I like to eat a pickle spear right next to this sandwich. The texture and flavors combine so right, and it is about the most comforting thing to snack on midday. 

A standout recent sandwich discovery happened just last year on a trip to Tel Aviv. Craving street food and desiring a bit of culture, I inquired about what the late night dishes of choice were. Along with of course kebab, I was introduced to Sabich. Sabich starts out with a pita or laffa-bread pocket as well, but in goes roasted eggplant, hardboiled eggs, chopped salad, tahini and more, with each purveyor playing on additional ingredients. These ingredients combined in a way to create a sandwich that made my feel lovely inside. This is still the best eggplant I have ever had in my life and I long to try and find a good version of sabich here at home. 

I didn’t think I would still be making sandwich related discoveries this late in life, but I now have hope that I will get to try more sandwiches from around the world in my future travels. I could probably make a whole blog about trying and eating different sandwiches, but not only am I sure that several people have already done that, I am also interested in talking about many more things that make life great. Comment a sandwich down below and we’ll all get to think more about sandwiches and how great they are. Thanks for reading! 

PC: Me. I ate all of the beautiful pictured sandwiches. Even some of the reuben Ellie is eating at the top there.