To continue the theme of pricey food angst (developed here) and the theme of sandwiches (developed here), I would just like to say that I have discovered another fabulous sandwich in the Boston area, albeit one very different from the chacarero I discussed in my last post. this sandwich is the well-known, well-reputed Cuban sandwich at the bar at Chez Henri. everyone (or at least everyone on the Boston Chowhound board) knows that this sandwich is the shit. but I had not experienced its excellence until this past weekend, largely because Chez Henri is an expensive and somewhat snobby place, unlike the sorts of places I am used to finding good sandwiches in.
nonetheless, this weekend I bit the bullet and went down there for rum drinks and the famed sandwich, which costs 14 dollars (plus a $9 drink and a big tip for the extremely great bartender), is actually pretty big (although not by Philly standards), and comes with paper-thin, totally ungreasy fried plantain chips, salsa, and some greens with a bright, citrus-y sort of vinaigrette. as I devoured it ecstatically, reveling in the perfect balance of pressed cuban bread, superbly roasted pork, swiss cheese, ham, pickle, and mustard (with the roast pork as the strongest element – as it should be – most inferior cuban sandwiches are too sharp, dominated by the salty taste of too much ham or the mustardy taste of, well, the mustard), I thought to myself, “in the whole wide world of discretionary food spending, what could possibly be a better use of a couple hours’ wages than purchasing the right to eat this sandwich?” And I could think of nothing.
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Meditation of the day: is a hot dog a sandwich? Discuss
I don’t know how many readers we have, and I think it would be sad if no one answered your prompt, so even though I may be the least qualified person in the world, I will make an attempt to do so.
I think a hot dog is easily a sandwich. It’s meat, delivered in a handheld carbohydrate envelope. I think things get interesting when the carbohydrate is not bread, and irreverent when the envelope is not carbohydrate.
I don’t think the hot dog is a sandwich. If a hot dog were a sandwich, it would be advertised as such. I think it has to do with its elongated shape. Now if the hot dog were sliced, it may be a different matter.
But you CAN say, “that hot dog was sandwiched between two long buns.”