This is part of a blog post title trade with Zachary Kai. We swapped title ideas, and I got this one. You can see his original version on his blog. I spent a few days refining this post. My answers to several of the questions changed rather a lot during that time.
How Many Sandwiches Do You Eat Per Week?
On average, less than one. However, sometimes when I do meal planning I'll include several in one week. I do this partly because I want to buy as few ingredients as possible for a given week, and partly because I don't want to have to come up with a distinct meal for every meal of the week!
When Do You Eat Sandwiches?
I usually eat sandwiches at lunch. However, sometimes if the mood takes me, I'll have a breakfast sandwich. On rare occasions I'll have a sandwich for dinner; most often when I do that, it's a burger at some restaurant or pub.
What's Your Go-To Sandwich Order?
I never order the same thing twice… unless it's Jimmy John's, in which case I always get a Vito (the #5) with quadruple hot peppers. It's the closest thing I've found to my dad's Italian hoagies that he used to make at the family restaurant.
Do You Prefer Hot or Cold Sandwiches?
I don't have a preference. I like hot paninis, grilled cheese, croque madames, and cheesesteaks. I also like dagwoods, hoagies, and other cold sandwiches. Both categories are good.
What's Your Favorite Type Of Bread?
Sourdough. The depth of flavor is awesome. It's not great for making French toast, though. I also like a good rye bread.
Do You Like Condiments?
If it suits the sandwich, yes. Hot dogs get the most condiments. I'll pile a ton of random stuff on those. For brats, I'll usually pile a bunch of sauerkraut on it, then add a ton of coarse-ground mustard, and then top with a bit of horseradish.
What About Pickles?
Pickles are great if they suit the sandwich. For example, they're vital for a cubano. I doubt they would go well on a grilled cheese. The choice of pickle matters too. While I love Indian pickles ("achaars"), they really don't belong on a sandwich, for example.
Sweet Or Savory?
Mostly savory, sometimes with a bit of sweet. Usually I don't eat a lot of sweet foods in general.
Do You Cut Your Sandwiches?
It depends on the sandwich and how lazy I'm feeling. For hoagies, I'll cut them in half at a slight angle. Sometimes I'll cut grilled cheeses diagonally. Most of the time I don't bother cutting them, though.
What's The Worst Sandwich Crime?
I judge no sandwich choice. However, my grandfather would eat white bread dipped in milk. I am still mystified as to why he would do that. Apparently he's not unique in this, though.
What's Your Ideal Sandwich-Eating Environment?
I suppose gathered around the TV with family and friends, all watching some movie or other. Haven't done that in years, though. I also enjoy a burger in a good bar-and-grill setting.
Why Sandwiches?
This could be quite the existential question. I choose to interpret it like this: why would you write about sandwiches over some other food? Sandwiches can be interpreted many ways. The idea of putting things on bread is very old and present in almost all culinary cultures on Earth. Given this versatility, there is a huge amount of material to explore. People have written histories about sandwiches. This is my own small take on the subject.
For more photography by Bimo Luki, check out their work on Unsplash.