Sandwich trivia
STOP CHEWING AND THROW THE DICE
By Oscar Lippe
Natural, Sub, Hero, Reuben, BLT, Club, Lox and cream on bagel, Burguer,Sailor, Croque Monseur.
All these names make reference to various kinds of foodstuff compressed between two loaves of bread. The sandwich is the humblest of items at the table menu, the fastest served and eaten.
It is hard to imagine the origins of this dish -if we can call it that- given the circumstances in which it was conceived. Let us then travel through history.
Facts point to John Montagu (1718 -1792) Fourth heir to the Seal of the House of Sandwich, Lord of Sandwich, First Lord Admiral of the Royal Crown of the United Kingdom, member of the House of Lords, of the Royal Society of London, Superior Administrator of the Royal Navy, Commander General of Expeditions. Having his name adjudicated to the Sandwich Islands through the famous Capitan Cook. Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Madrid, of mad wife descendant of the House of Windsor, lover of Martha Ray, famous actress at the time, pioneer expeditionary of the North Pole, member of the Brotherhood of the Monks of Medmenham, secret sect dedicated to pleasures of the table and more in orgies that lasted for days of which also participated his concubines and a considerable slice of the European aristocracy in the caverns behind the Abbey of Medmenham in Merlow, Buckinghamshire, founded by the frays of the Cistercian Order in 1145 and abandoned in those years.
Self proclaimed libertine began a gastronomic havoc practiced to this day thanks to his addicted dedication to gambling. In the words of Rodger, his official biographer, a segment of Grosley's Tour of London, a contemporary tour guide describes the following; "...found by chance and followed a Royal Minister for twenty-four straight hours, he that so concentrated in his drawings of luck not had more than a morsel of meat in between two loaves of toasted bread and a chalise of red wine. Custom made by him very popular amongst London nobility in nights of indulgence..."
Since Grosley's guide does not go beyond being a relatory for tourists there is no solid proof of the veracity of this tale, British custom nevertheless adopted to present, heralded by a brand of Scottish name by irony of Fate or Divine justice.
Wait! It does not stop there. Once the disease spread it can hardly be contained. As Jeremiah Tower points out in an article of the San Francisco The Examiner in 2002, Raymond of Le Manoir de Quat' Saissons in Oxford used pork head, boiled eggs and lobster. Or yet the famous "Rivierawich" by Alain Ducasse fresh vegeggie of the French Riviera, Anton Edelman at the Savoy with his creation of Brie cheese and okra.; Ken Horn with his combination of ginger pepper and basil. Good Lord Sandwich must certainly had approved two hundred years later Juan Maria Arzac throwing a freshly grilled steak of tuna in between two halves drenched in Spanish olive oil. Be your taste what it may, here is my advise.
Next time you bite a sandwich do not forget you are chewing away on a piece of man's gastronomic history.
Butterscrout Pound Cake
Is it possible I can get a recipe to make Butterscrout Poundcake?
Kate Lawson food blog
The bottom line is that Gleaners Community Food Bank needs to acquire 2 million pounds of food before Thanksgiving in order to help feed the needs of 250,000 people who depend on the emergency food.
So, as you plan your Thanksgiving menu in the next few weeks and think about feeding friends and family, think about helping those hungry children, seniors and families with a donation to Gleaners. Because the agency can purchase food much more cheaply than the average person, Gleaners is asking for individuals and business to make a monetary donation. Please go to www.gcfg.org or call toll free (866) 453-2637. Gleaners works tirelessly to help cure hunger but they can't do it alone. They need help and they need it now. Kate Lawson
Thanks Kate, sounds like a worthy cause. I'll move this over to the main forum where perhaps others can read it and consider a donation.
Helping fruit and veggies last longer
I want to let you know about a cool new product that I've discovered. It's called the Mini Mate, this product is placed in your fridge and uses activated oxygen to kill bacteria and eliminate odors, keeping food fresh longer. If you are like me I like to buy fresh veggies and fruit but hate to throw things away because organic foods don't have any chemicals or preservatives to help them stay fresh. I've found that the Mini Mate which costs right around $50 has saved me more than the cost of the product in keeping my produce fresh longer. I love saving money and knowing that the germs and bacteria that may be in my fridge are being eliminated, keeping me and my family healthier. This product is about 5 inches in size and runs on D batteries so all you have to do is put it in the back of your fridge and let it work. I ordered mine at www.orderminimate.com
Previosuly on Top Snoozefest/Comfort Food
There seems to be a lack of comfort food in general in most restaurants these days--a lot of sit down places are jumping on this "gourmet" bandwagon. It is refreshing to see real restaurants that can just make good food--food people can still identify. Stage Deli on Orchard Lake in West Bloomfield rolled out an entire menu of hot dog-themed entrees for July (which is National Hot Dog Month. . .). Chicago Dogs, Texas Dogs and Swankee Frankees! Even split pea soup with kosher hot dog slices. Can't get much more comforting than that.
Crepes in Paris
Ummmmm Crepes in Paris are fantastic!! No better way to try them than to go to Paris.. Dreaming of Paris. Well, I've got just the thing for you!! go to www.romefrance.net and check out the deals for a Paris vacation package!!! www.romefrance.net HURRY, SALE ENDS MAY 10TH!!!
Please contribute to the newly launched
Website - www.herbalist.com ...
Vodka good enough to eat
I think the recipe you were speaking of sounds pretty interesting! Although I would probably have to do a non-alcohol version of it also, Or a version using another form or alcohol maybe a brandy or cognac. I think that difference would possibly add to the texture a little. :-) Irvin http://ghettocuisine.com
Papa Joe's Opening
I too attended the Papa Joe's Grand Opening yesterday. I will agree that it is a great place. It does, however, have many faults that I hope can be attributed to the first day crowd. First of all, the ingress / egress pathways are way too small. I could barely fit the shopping car through the entry aisle. Papa Joe's in their effort to carry everything imaginable has stuffed flowers, a coffee bar, a cash register and what seems to be a business office, right in the first fifty feet of the store. This created a huge bottleneck for those of us trying to enter. Second, the shopping carts are too big. It way difficult to negotiate the narrow aisles with the cart. Buy smaller carts. Third, the set up to acquire a wine charge card was confusing. The sign up desk was situated in front of a Coldstone Creamery banner. It looked as if you were signing up for a job at Coldstone. Also in that area were the restrooms, an eating area and a cash register to pay for the food you were planning to eat in that area. Very confusing. Finally, the checkout areas were not marked. You just sort of happened upon them. I had to search for them. But maybe that is what management wanted, keep the customer in the store longer so they will buy more. The whole experience was disappointing. I will return to the store to give it another chance when the crowds die down. If they die down. But for my money and shopping pleasure I prefer the Nino Salvaggio's markets.
Chocolate as health food
Your recipes are fun and do-able! Thanks for all your fun articles!
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