By Catriona McGrath
Since Peter is ‘ill’ with what he claims is swine flu, I will kindly fill space on CheapEats. Fortunately for him, I’ve been looking for a forum for my sandwich rant.
Like many people I’m a fan of the sandwich. Stick pretty much anything between two slices of bread and I’m fairly certain I’ll have a decent lunch.
Well, at least that’s how I used to feel. But now I’m sick of being handed a dumpling wrapped in bread and having to pretend against all evidence to the contrary that this is in fact a ‘sandwich’ in the traditional meaning – all the while paying for the privilege.
There’s a Centra around the corner from where I work with one woman at the deli counter who you can trust to make a decent sandwich. You can sense the entire queue, like me, mentally calculating the number of people in front of them versus the number of people making sandwiches (factoring in each individual sandwich maker’s speed) trying to figure out if they’ll actually enjoy their lunch today. And then you see the relief spread across the face of the lucky b*&%rd whose numbers come up (Sadly, never me). There should be a sandwich makers course where sandwich makers are forced to eat their own sandwiches for a week, or until they finally figure out that the filling can be spread to the edges of the bread and doesn’t have to stay in the blob shape of the spoon they used to scoop it out and –
Ahem! Sorry about that, I got a little carried away… I’m sure you’ll want me to stick in something positive too. Um, it’s significantly cheaper to buy a filled bagel in Fresh in Smithfield (Dublin) than to get a wrap, sandwich or roll. Usually the bagel is less than €3 euro for two or three fillings. And it’s just as good – unless, of course, you get a deli person from the Blob School of Sandwich Makers for your bagel, in which case you end up with a whole of filling and a wall of bread to work through before you get there.
Where’s your favourite place for lunchtime sandwiches? And have you noticed a price difference between bagels, wraps, rolls, and sandwiches?