Food The Urgent Need for the Sandwich Theory

The Urgent need for the Sandwich Theory

The World is in a state of existential crisis, a crisis of meaning. Gone are the old, 19th Century certainties of nation, class, race, gender, beer, God, sport, a good roast on a Sunday afternoon and a bit of lawn bowls. With the rise of China and India a 20th Century cultural landscape dominated by American Cold Wars, Good vs. Evil, Cowboys, Hollywood, Consumerism and the related American Self is rapidly falling apart; dominance, and supremacy, have long been nostalgic memories for the Englishman, but now our capacity to parasitically leach such a sense off our American cousins is also in rapid retreat; Shopping, and other forms of consumption, has never been so boring, so last Century.

Into this shifting vacuum have stepped all manner of past, present and future contenders on the mantelpiece of meaning- on the one hand a myriad of fragments, the ultimate fragment being the solipsist inward looking individual slumped woefully on the therapist's couch or pondering where it all went wrong on the loo; on the other hand a bland, generic, global homogeneity, a sort of globalised bourgeois dream which sees us united under the banner of house prices and holidays; Either state, or both, leaving the individual feeling somewhat empty, or all at sea- stuck between a new found obsessive interest in the local knitting club or herbal remedies, which they relate to four people through, or a fascination with the latest bland Hollywood release which everyone and no-one is watching and everyone can talk about a bit but no one really gives a toss about until the next one comes out.

In a reaction to this void some have turned towards 'Reality', in the shape of reality television, or other forms of apparent realism. Unfortunately this only reflects the existing crisis back into people's faces.

Sandwich Theories proposes a new lens, a new central point, a new God, through which to view and relate to the world: The Sandwich. The Sandwich is as ubiquitous as it is particular as it is universal. It crosses all epochs and classes, it comes with no particular historical baggage- it has never been used to oppress women, children, blacks, whites, men. The Sandwich has never been a symbol of dominance and supremacy, nor of submission and bovine conventionality.

Human beings have never been able to relate directly with one another- they require intermediaries between each other, to keep reality mediated. In the past they needed sport, gender, class, religion, politics, God, science, art, kite surfing, consumerism and supremacy. In the 21st Century we propose a new intermediary- The Sandwich.

SJ (Sandwich John)

Also see what Mr Noisy thinks:

 

Wow, what a bunch of fluff.

I voted other. I think a good ol' meatball sub is the best sandwich out there.

 

Had to vote for the BLT. Bacon rules.

 

I voted for the don't plug your site at TFP sandwich. But that's because I'm hungry.

 

I love Subway's Italian BLT.

 

Pastrami on rye with mustard. I am what I am.

Although, I suppose, come to think of it, pickled tongue on challah with mustard is also pretty amazing.

 

You like your mustard, eh?

I feel guilty now. As a German, I should be hugging you right now. Brotherhood of mustard!

 

tacos trump sandwiches

 

Turkey, bacon, and avocado on whole wheat or rye with lettuce, tomato, and a bit of yellow mustard. Or turkey and cranberry sauce on wheat with lettuce and tomato and a smear of mayo. Hard to choose.

 

I'm another "other" because I almost always have to have multiple ingredients on my sandwiches.

To support this thread with some delicious imagery, hopefully it will inspire others and not just make me drool until lunchtime::

I posted this just last week since I had it for lunch; from Ivyland Deli, triple decker liverwurst club, so of course it has crispy bacon on it, tomato, lettuce, raw onion, Provolone, Gulden's brown and a touch of mayo on lightly toasted rye:



In line with Levite's desires, I also love pastrami but I don't seem to have a good pic of one of my own, so here's one that looks too good:



With corned beef I like to add a layer of chopped chicken liver (made with schmaltz, of course) and even some pastrami:



Being from Philadelphia, we have our own ideas of meat sandwiches, aka cheesesteak:

Geno's:


Pat's:


Steve's Prince of Steaks:

 

BadNick, what does Liverwurst taste like. I assume liver, but is there another flavor to it? (I enjoy liver)

Also, has anybody ever had Limburger cheese?
Ever since watching The Three Stooges, I've wanted to try it. (It's also Mighty Mouse's kryptonite.)

 

Liverwurst has a very distinct taste. Obviously its taste somewhat resembles the taste of normal liver. I couldn't compare it to anything else, though.

I'm a huge liverwurst fan, but I couldn't possibly do BadNick's sandwich. Hell no.

At the most I'd have it together with Gouda/Swiss cheese. The good thing about liverwurst, is that it goes well with pretty much any bread out there. I've never tried it with cornbread, but I'd wager it's still yummy.

Also, this is my favourite Liverwurst:

 

I bet that Pommersche liverwurst is awesome! I'll try to find it around here.

Fremen,

To me liverwurst tastes like liver pâté. So it doesn't really taste like broiled or pan seared beef or chicken liver (which I also like). Now having said that, making liver pâté is usually approached from a more gourmet perspective while the common, everyday liverwurst is intended more as a lunchmeat so not quite as highfalutin. But if you find a local meat processor who takes pride in their liverwurst, it really steps up the food quality, and the liverwurst I had in that sandwich was Thumann's smoked liverwurst which is well above average. I squint when my eyes pass over that American Heart Assoc. statement:



On the Limburger cheese, I've had it and like it (disclaimer: I like almost everything even vaguely edible). If you like the taste of very ripe cheeses, like drippy ripe brie, a ripe soft Stilton or Blue, you would probably like it, if you can get it passed your nose...the smell is not the part I like about it. But hold your breath (don't breathe in through your nose while putting it into your mouth), put a piece in your mouth with a nice crusty bread, and it's creamy and rich and ripe. Back when I was a young lad my parents ate it and always had it around, but kept it behind the basement door on a separate cupboard shelf since my siblings and I usually gagged if we smelled it.

 

Hmm, from the pic, it looks like it's spreadable. (I was thinking it was more like Bologna)
I think I'll try some on Ritz crackers.
Thanks, Remixer.

Heh, so it is as bad smelling as tv represents.
I don't know if I really want to try Limburger, but I definitely would like to try Liverwurst.

Thank you, Remixer and BadNick. You've given me food for thought.

 

Combining the words "spreadable" and "crack(ers)" in one sentence made me remember the smell of Limburger.

 

Cheers, Fremen. Yes, all liverwurst is spreadable.

FYI, there's "fine" and "rough" (translating directly from German here) liverwurst. Fine liverwurst goes very well with crackers and white breads, while rough liverwurst is very nice on dense bread (brown bread loaf here, not brown toast e.g. Whole Rye).

Crackers go well with liverwurst, but for your first time I'd advise for fine liverwurst on white toast bread (not toasted). I love that combination.

I am SO going to empty my local supermarket's liverwurst stock when I move back to Germany.

 

Ok, I'll try it on white bread first. I just don't like the taste of rye bread or pumpernickel bread. I have a loathing for caraway and fennel seeds. (it's why I won't eat Italian sausage, or eat sauerkraut with caraway seeds in it)

Damn, now I'm hungry for brats and sauerkraut.

 

Hah, you got me with that one. I was going to suggest for you to try "Bauernbrot" (farmhouse bread), but when I translated it, it gave me "coarse rye loaf". Then I was going to suggest "Schwarzbrot" to you, but it turned out to be dark rye bread.

Guess you can only experiment with rough liverwurst on white bread and/or crackers. It's a bit of an acquired taste for some people (rough liverwurst in general, not the combination).

Oh man, how I'd love a well-made Bratwurst, grilled, with mashed potatoes and Sauerkraut right now...

 

Ditto, brother.