Sandwiches: the open vs. closed debate - by Yakoob
Yakoob on 17/7/2011 at 16:07
In a lot of parts of the world, especially the US and UK, the sandwich looks something like this:
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_cf1.jpgPretty standard fare to most, but given my Polish background, I slowly grew to realize...
it's too much bread! Compare to what I have been used to my whole life:
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_of3.jpgAlright, so a single-sided sandwich technically does not match the dictionary definition of "to sandwich" , but I always found them tasting so much better. Why? It's all about the bread:ingredients ratio. Look at your typical sub:
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_cf3.jpgThere is way more bread there than the fillings! Not that bread is bad, mind you, but when I eat my sandwich, I like to be able to actually taste the fillings. When I eat these kinda sandwiches I always end up feeling like Im just chewing on bread with the occasional piece of ham and tomato greedily thrown in just to tease my tastebuds. Especially when you get some quality
fillings toppings on it:
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_of4.jpgAnd trust me, the Polish freshly baked (and still warm!) bread, various types of meats, and cheeses with actual holes in them, are at least 100x much tastier, fresher and unique in flavor than the generic bland crap they paddle in your Tescos/Safeways as "cheddar/lancaster" or "ham" (wtf does ham even mean?). Not to mention, an open-faced sandwich simply
looks that much more appetizing. Compare:
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_cf4.jpg vs Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_of4-1.pngDoesnt that just make your mouth water so much more?
And I began to realize, it's not just sandwiches. Same rules applies to other sandiwichy products. Croissants?
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_cr1.jpgOH HAI, I cant even see what I'm eating. Take that fucking top off.
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_cr4.jpgYou get more flavor on your main sandwich, PLUS an extra croissant pieces that just tastes plain awesome by itself, or slightly toasted with wee bit of butter. Oh and did I mention toasted cheesies?
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_of1.jpgLOOK AT THAT YUMMAGE. Put another piece of bread on it and all you're eating is half-burnt flour postproduct that looks like a brown square. Bagels?
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_of5.jpgShit if that doesn't look awesome. And the toasted top with butter is heaven upon itself too, and tricks you into thinking you are eating twice as much, while still at the same calorie count, for those of us on a weight-watch.
The only exceptions are, of course, grilled cheeses and paninis
Inline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_gc1.jpgInline Image:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Koobazaur/sandwiches/sandwich_pa1.jpgBut those are allowed only by the virtue of the fact you can't make them any other way. But even so, you still have to usually squeeze extra cheese and fillings in to compensate for the massive amounts of bread ...
dexterward on 17/7/2011 at 16:32
Open, of course. Debate: closed.
Also, the phrase: "the best thing since sliced bread" is one that best describes colossal UK/US denizens food ignorance (yes: it is a sweeping generalization)...
Mr.Duck on 17/7/2011 at 16:37
Closed, niggah.
If it's open it's toast! (well...most of the time ;) )
Yum pics...
Matthew on 17/7/2011 at 16:47
Yakoob I'm calling foul; there is not nearly enough greasy egg in that first sandwich to be a proper Ulster concoction.
Yakoob on 17/7/2011 at 17:49
Heh, the ulster fry is pretty drat awesome, and is the kinda of a breakfast after which you can skip eating for the rest of the day if done right. Actually, fried soda bread is definitely my favorite local food product. But then again, it's like the only real local food product... I realized that the peak of NI / UK cuisine is bread, bacon, eggs and beans; everything else is just your typical copy-pasta of italian, asian, mexican and kebabs... and even those aren't real kebabs.
Sulphur on 17/7/2011 at 17:57
Shit, I like both.
Crostinis are great, and burgers are too. Sometimes you just want the bread to offset the texture of the filling after you've chomped down on a burger. Sometimes you just want a huge helping of actual stuff along with your bread as a base. For every mood, there's a choice.
F'r instance, I just had a beef steak marinated in a peanut and red chilli paste that was then roasted with butter and a little garlic. It's now sunk to the bottom of my stomach and I can barely walk. Fuckin' A, and this is my face right now: :)
I can tell you I certainly didn't consider the sandwiches on the menu tonight. Different moods, different foods.
demagogue on 17/7/2011 at 17:58
Americans are too busy closing business deals / making soccer practice to give a shit about the goddamn sandwich. Eat it and let's go.
No wait.
We'll eat on the way. Let's go.
Matthew on 17/7/2011 at 18:22
Quote Posted by Yakoob
Heh, the ulster fry is pretty drat awesome, and is the kinda of a breakfast after which you can skip eating for the rest of the day if done right. Actually, fried soda bread is definitely my favorite local food product. But then again, it's like the only real local food product... I realized that the peak of NI / UK cuisine is bread, bacon, eggs and beans; everything else is just your typical copy-pasta of italian, asian, mexican and kebabs... and even those aren't real kebabs.
You forgot tatey bread!
Rug Burn Junky on 17/7/2011 at 20:41
This is not a debate. Sandwich = closed. Period. By their very definition.*
An "open-faced sandwich" is something else entirely, and needs the modifier because it is not, in fact, a "sandwich" per se. They may be pleasant to eat, but they are not a sandwich. End of discussion.
Also: (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95123&p=1232656#post1232656) this.
*"An item of food consisting of
two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other filling
between them, eaten as a light meal"
Yakoob on 17/7/2011 at 21:48
You know, I never quite understood it when someone makes a post, acknowledges a counter-argument in advance so we can avoid going into it, and yet you still end up with like ten people repeating the same counter argument as if they were the cleverest little twits ever.
Also tatey bread... not particularily fond of it tbh. Tastes too much like potato; I might as well just have a potato in first place :p
