Rant: Poor Sandwich Architecture
Posted: March 14 17, 2:03 pm
If the kitchen can't deliver the sandwich so it stays together* they should just 86 the sandwich and re-work it until they can make it so it stays together. Or just don't serve the damn thing. There's nothing more frustrating than a sandwich falling apart all over you, and you have to like pick up the bits that fell apart and try to get them back on to the bun or bread or pita or whatever so that you can eat the sandwich. This is even worse when it's a hot/wet/saucy sandwich that makes a total mess of your hands if you do have to put it back together.
Like, if your middle eastern place has dry flaky pita that breaks apart spilling falafel or schwarma all over the tray/paper wrapper, get better pita.
Like, if your reuben is so wet and piled high with sauerkraut that the bread practically melts and the guest needs a spoon to eat it, get rid of the damn thing or make it better.
Like, if your sub sandwich has so much wet/cruch on it--tomato, harder lettuces, sprouts, cucumbers--that when someone bites into it everything slides to the back or out the sides, fix that [expletive] or stop serving it.
A sandwich should, like everything else, be a pleasure and not a frustration to eat. It should not take more work on my part to keep it together than it takes on the staff's part to put it together.
If, say, Johnnie's Beef can make a Chicago-style beef sandwich, dipped in jus and covered in peppers, that doesn't fall apart even though it's soaking and laden with greasy goodness then there's no excuse for a sandwich that falls apart.
*Obv stuff that's supposed to fall apart, like a Sloppy Joe or a Maid Rite is a different deal, but those are the outliers.
Like, if your middle eastern place has dry flaky pita that breaks apart spilling falafel or schwarma all over the tray/paper wrapper, get better pita.
Like, if your reuben is so wet and piled high with sauerkraut that the bread practically melts and the guest needs a spoon to eat it, get rid of the damn thing or make it better.
Like, if your sub sandwich has so much wet/cruch on it--tomato, harder lettuces, sprouts, cucumbers--that when someone bites into it everything slides to the back or out the sides, fix that [expletive] or stop serving it.
A sandwich should, like everything else, be a pleasure and not a frustration to eat. It should not take more work on my part to keep it together than it takes on the staff's part to put it together.
If, say, Johnnie's Beef can make a Chicago-style beef sandwich, dipped in jus and covered in peppers, that doesn't fall apart even though it's soaking and laden with greasy goodness then there's no excuse for a sandwich that falls apart.
*Obv stuff that's supposed to fall apart, like a Sloppy Joe or a Maid Rite is a different deal, but those are the outliers.
