My Sandwich Philosophy

It is my personal belief that there is no one in the world who has not, in some way, shape, or form, eaten a sandwich. Don't believe me? I'll prove it to you: cheese and crackers. Who hasn't tried or at least heard of that? Well, if you think about it for just a moment, you will find that essentially it is nothing less than an open-face, cheese sandwich on flat-bread. Why do I say that? Ask yourself, What is a sandwich? Let's break it down to the main ingredient: bread. All a food really needs in order to be considered a sandwich is bread. Now, bread may not be your usual flour-and-yeast product. It could be cornbread, rice cakes, tortillas, chips, crackers, cookies. Ever had a taco? Sandwich! Ever had bread and butter? Sandwich! Ever spread a little bit of peanut butter on your rice cake? Sandwich! Now maybe you understand why I say there is no one on earth who has never tasted some kind of sandwich.

Now that I've opened your eyes to the many different forms a sandwich may have, we can take a look at how to make the best kind. Just like in life, when it comes to making sandwiches, everyone has a philosophy which he or she will follow. Mine is simple, and I follow it as best as I can: take any and all the food that you love and place it between 2 slices of bread. No, this is not my definition of a sandwich, just my idea of how to make the best kind. As a follow-up to this philosophy, I will say that there are only 2 kinds of sandwich: meat, and non meat. Of course, that doesn't mean that some sandwiches may only have meat and others only vegetables or other non-animal products; it just means that one should use common sense when putting together a sandwich. Would you put peanut butter on your toasted ham-and-cheese? Even I probably would not. There are some foods that go together, some foods that simply shouldn't, and others that go with everything and anything. Like sour cream. (Please note: I love sour cream and will eat it by the spoonful. I will add it to ANYthing. So, where I put down sour cream as a sandwich topping, you may have sauerkraut, or tomato paste. It's only a matter of taste and preference.)

To conclude this post, I will simply say this: Making a sandwich is simple. Making a GOOD sandwich is not so simple. There are factors you must consider in your choice of breading, toppings, and condiments. These I will explore in later posts. If this is the first entry you are reading (which I sincerely hope it is, not only because it IS the first entry, but also because it sets the tone for all posts to follow), I hope you have come away with the knowledge that my purpose is simply to share with YOU my love of making sandwiches, and, in the process, to maybe even improve your skills in the art of sandwich-making.

-Riina