Special Sandwich Spot
There are just as many ways to make and eat a sandwich as there are people. Let me tell you a little about what kind of person, and sandwich eater, I am.
I generally make the same types of sandwiches often. I like routine. It may not be the exact same sandwich every time; it’s not always ham, not always grape jelly. But I do like my peanut butter and jelly, and I do like a meat sandwich on wheat bread with mayonnaise, mustard, and a slice of fresh tomato. Of course this is what I make for myself. If I am at a deli or sandwich shop, I will often let the spirit of the sandwich artist flow through me to bring new vitality to my palate. A sandwich vacation, let’s call it.
But in the humdrum of everyday sandwich making in my kitchen, there is one element in every sandwich which is the same. The Special Sandwich Spot. There is always one area of the sandwich, usually about the size of a full bite, which is better than the rest of the sandwich. It may be where that juicy whole raspberry made it through the preserve process and onto my bread and will NOT spread out. It may be that extra little dollop of mayonnaise that is sitting close – but not too close – to the corner of the bread. It may be that bite right in the middle where you have perfectly proportioned the sandwich spreads, turkey, and tomato to create a bite that even Wolfgang Puck would marvel at its simplistic beauty.
The Special Sandwich Spot is never close to the crust. The crust is its own event, balancing the sweetness of those middle bites with its dry, aged wisdom. The Spot is always in the middle somewhere, a bright spot in the reliable but often unremarkable sandwich. It’s the fun bite; the bite you look forward to as you work your way through the dry edges into the part you came for. And if by divine fate the Spot does not present itself (“Hello, Strawberry. Care for a seat in the middle?”), I create one. It’s important. I can’t have a sandwich vacation every day – that would be irresponsible and expensive. But, I always have my Special Sandwich Spot to look forward to. And that seems to be enough to keep me happy.
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