Category Archives: Uncategorized

Boneville

If you had this cheese sandwich on you, you’d be toasty. At least a few square inches of you would be toasty.

This picture is horribly unappetizing and, believe me, I tried to doctor it via photoshop, but was blocked by the Craft Bits site. Their loss, I was going to make the bread look crispy and the cheese gooey. The thought of chewing through a bit of knitting does make my tongue itch.

Did I tell you that knitting is subversive?!?! Bah, I knew it!

Graffiti Knitting!

Should you need your arm further twisted take a lookie here:
ART REVIEW | ‘RADICAL LACE & SUBVERSIVE KNITTING’
Flair and Flash, Not Frumpiness

Hotcha! Where’s my dang needles?!? I’m feelin’ anarchic!

Another page in the book, written in the universally understood language of sandwiches. Pittsburgh is sandwich central, the axis of eating.

My Ngoc serves Banh Mi in season, with a grill set up on the sidewalk. You can’t beat an outdoor kitchen.

I owe this story to the Sublime Miss M. Thank you.

Had a gathering of the neighborhood renegade insurgency and put our platform in place via Cause and Effect from the White Stripes.

First came an action
And then a reaction
But you can’t switch ’em around
For your own satisfaction.

I heard on the radio (so it must be true) that knitting is subversive. That to me translates as anything that you do yourself, that is done for the pleasure of doing it, that is not a response to marketing and acquisition, is subversive. I buy that vantage, so to speak, cause I didn’t have to buy it. Subversion is free.

In every complicated situation
There’s the human relation
Makin’ sense of it all
Takes a whole lot of concentration.

You do have to shell out a bit for brats, buns and burning.

When you people robbin’ Peter
Don’t blame Paul
Can’t take the effect
And make it the cause

Stone soup, also known as button, ax, wood or nail soup, makes the best feast. It ain’t free, but gives the illusion.

You can’t take the effect
And make it the cause
I didn’t rob a band
Because you made up a law

The beacon of yellow mustard. The light of the moon reflected off the bottle and gave our table a lovely, supernatural glow. Carbon footprint reduction right there.

Well you can’t blame the baby
For her pregnant ma
And if there’s one of these
Unavoidable laws
It’s that you can’t take the effect
And make it the cause

Oh, just obliterated that reduction of carbon footprint. Scale tipping up again.

I guess you have to have a problem
If you want to invent a contraption
First you cause a train wreck
Then you put me in traction.

Making your own music?! Now that’s subversive. Didn’t spend a cent and that ain’t all.

I ain’t sayin’ I’m innocent
In fact the reverse
But if you’re headin’ to the grave
You don’t blame the hearse

Yup, no kidding. If you’re gonna shake things up, you gotta take it upon yourself. A little Friday night front porch DIY. An evening of “hesitatin’, aggravatin’ beauty”. Amen.

 Blithe She-Does-Her-Best-to-Suit-Herself Correspondent Cynthia reports:

We didn’t have too many sandwiches in New Orleans, but there were two that were noteworthy.

When we got to New Orleans around 2:30 in the afternoon, I was starving. It was a difficult time to arrive because any restaurants on my “list” were done serving lunch and not yet open for dinner. So, we headed to the Acme Oyster House for a po- boy. Yum Yum. You forget how good those sandwiches are. Mine was called a “Peace Maker” –fried oysters & shrimp, tabasco mayo, lettuce & tomato. *(see side note below about WHY we arrived at 2:30 without having eaten any lunch)

No idea why it is called a peace maker — isn’t a peace maker a pistol? Jon and I each polished off one of these, plus a beer or two. Then we sure didn’t need anything else to eat that day.

 A few days later I was hanging out alone shopping on Magazine Street. There are some areas of Magazine Street that have a lot of restaurants, but the area where I happened to be at lunch time was a bit short on food. I was trying to figure out what to do when I happened upon Stein’s Deli and walked in to check it out.

What a great place! A jewish/italian deli with tons of great sandwiches, plus picnic tables indoors and out to sit down and eat.  I almost hate to admit it but I had a vegetarian sandwich (chedder, swiss, provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, cucumber and artichokes with a lemony dressing on a house-made ciabatta).

I had eaten oysters and pork for two days straight and was in need of something “lighter.” And it was, crisp, refreshing, and delicious.

 The fellow across the table happened to inquire why I was photographing my sandwich, so I explained the blog. He said that he had quite a few recommendations for sandwich places in New Orleans, so hopefully he’ll email some in. I believe (but am not quite sure) that the guy and the sandwich were both named “Dan.”

 Anyway, he was a New Orleans fire fighter who told me about rescuing folks after Katrina. He estimated that he helped bring in more than 250 people by boat the first day. Quite a story. And, he allowed me to take his photo (nice lookin guy AND sandwich!)

So, two great NOLA sandwich experiences.

I got the vicarious pleasure – very vivid – and two new places for the Lunch Encounter directory. The Acme had slipped my mind. Stein’s is all new to me. They do know a thing or two about sandwiches in New Orleans. Mm-hmm. Thank you, Cindy.

*An aside about the first sandwich…
So, Jon and I arrived at the airport at 8:00 a.m. and went to get our boarding passes. We got the passes, but couldn’t check our bags. We got someone to help us who said, “oh, you’re having trouble because you can’t check your bags more than 4 hours before a flight.”
“But our flight is at 9:55,” we protested.
“That’s right” he said, “9:55 p.m.”
We took in the fact that our Saturday in NO had just disappeared before our eyes. Then we started making arrangements to fly standby. I think we were both too pained to eat anything as we waited to see if we’d get on the 11:45 flight.
Well, we got on and ate the 8-10 pretzels that you get on flights these days, and arrived famished.
I believe this is the only time that Jon has booked tickets without explicit instructions from me. It probably won’t happen again for quite some time.

Photo by Dan Whipps
Styling by Meself

I know, I know, I know, looks like a lot of rice and not enough olives, tomatoes, feta, oil, and all the other good wet, salty stuff. Three guesses who the client was. Right. USA Rice Federation. I do think the shot is pretty and love the bread and pinked paper. It sure is tidy and they like it like that.

Something else I did for the same outfit. It’s all about the rice. Rice is nice.

(See the steam?)

* Tuna Fish on Toast

I am fascinated by these ads. Had a euraka moment today when I came upon this one in an In Touch magazine, or perhaps it was Star. In between snaps of an Amy Winehouse stick figure and Misha Barton’s ridiculously doctored derriere. I musta been starvin’ subliminally cause this Moab Meat jumped out at me. “Somebody get me a sandwich!”, I shrieked.

If meats that confuse scale turn you on, look here and here. Food as landscape freaks me out. I hate to think of walking on such a slicked meat surface. The temptation to lick the bottom of one’s shoe would fascinate and repulse a person. Such a compelling dilemma. Ack.

I was in NYC. Almost didn’t make it cause there was a cluster of muck just as I was heading out the door. Tree on the roof, work chaos, power out, small boys and pizza everywhere! Breath in, breath out, pack your bag, make your phone calls, lock the door, hit the road.

Wasn’t really enjoying the spectacle of the lodged tree, folks wandering by snapping pix and gawking. So good to step over the roof shingles and *poof* be gone. Walked away with the sound of the generator humming behind me. Out here beyond rural electrification, off the grid and all.

It’s a true friend who will venture to Queens for a chivito. A Chi-What-O?!? Janie Barnett whispered, “Beware the rogue rhinoceros,” and pressed through the steel-barred turngate to the subway. Our destination…Mi Tio, Steakhouse. 

We didn’t really like the sandwich. Can’t even say for sure that it was good. As a babystep toward a chivito, yes, good, but nothing to mount on the library wall. I had heard of amazing chivitos in its country of origin and wanted to make initial contact. We got a hint, a clue, a vapor of authenticity. Uruguay sieved through a New York kitchen.

Red = Hot. Green = Chimichurri. To the best of my knowledge. 

I was happy to have a vehicle for garlic, oil and parsley. It sure was pretty. Steak AND ham AND cheese AND egg. If it could be fried, it was.  And they stamped my passport too. Can’t say with certainty that the bread coulda and woulda been better in Uruguay, but a girl can dream.

Clearly, we didn’t not like the sandwich. It had potential. Anything with an egg in, on or over it has potential. An egg is the crown of glory.

Saturday night, same weekend, at the first church of rock n roll I gave thanks for life and limb, genuflected to the force of mother nature and the omnipresence of sandwiches, then kissed the hem of safe return.

(While writing this a storm blew over. Did not see hail the size of pennies, as predicted, but the generator coughed, choked and stoked. That 63 db box is my new bff. Time to circulate, resetting clocks. An LED walkabout, watching the periphery for rogue beasts.)

 
Rube Goldberged!
 

Rube Stuff

Consumers Want More Sandwich Variety
This almost reads like an Onion headline, in the sentiment of Nation Says, I’ll Take the Chicken Caesar, cept this one is real. For real. Much drier, not as funny, but kinda interesting. Seems to me we have TOO MUCH variety. I don’t want any more choices. Actually, I would be happy if we just improved on the choices we’ve got. 

New terms I hope to insert into casual conversation:

LSR = Limited Service Restaurant

FSR = Full Service Restaurant

Day-part. As in  “Sandwiches, once viewed as lunch fare, are important to all

dayparts.”

Menu. As a verb. “This presents an enormous opportunity for

operators to menu more innovative sandwich offerings.”

Technomic Finds That Consumers Want More Sandwich Variety

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–New research from foodservice consultants

Technomic found that though preferences for traditional sandwiches remain

strong, consumers are looking for greater variety in sandwich ingredients

available from limited- and full-service restaurants. A survey of more than

1,500 consumers revealed that over one third (39 percent) of those eating at

LSRs and 51 percent at FSRs were not fully satisfied with available sandwich

options, wanting new and unique ingredient offerings, flavors and

combinations.

 Technomic’s Sandwich Consumer Trend Report combines the results of

extensive quantitative consumer research, menu analysis from its proprietary

MenuMonitor database and restaurant data from its Top 500 Report to generate

fresh and timely insights into the sandwich segment.

 Among the more interesting findings of the report:

    •      Sandwiches continue to be a strong mainstay of restaurant fare,

making up 31 percent of all limited-service restaurant entrees and 15

percent of entrees at full-service restaurants.

    •      Bold flavor profiles and the use of artisanal and premium breads,

ingredients and sandwich spreads are growing trends in sandwich

differentiation. The sandwich concept itself allows for a great deal of

innovation as well as portability to meet the needs of consumers on the go.

    •      The sandwich segment is appealing to health-conscious consumers

through offering high-quality, fresh, local and organic ingredients.

Consumer interest in healthy sandwich ingredients continues to grow, with 44

percent of consumers wanting sandwiches made with locally-grown ingredients

and 30 percent with organic ingredients.

    •      Sandwiches, once viewed as lunch fare, are important to all

dayparts. Toasted sandwiches and paninis are increasing in popularity as

entrée options in the dinner daypart, while the portability of breakfast

sandwiches boosts breakfast daypart sales. Sandwiches are also gaining

ground in the growing away-from-home snacking segment.

“Sandwiches are growing in share in all dayparts while consumers are asking

for more variety in sandwich selections,” says Darren Tristano, Executive

Vice President of Technomic Information Services. “Given strong consumer

trends toward healthy eating and an increasing consumer appetite for bolder

flavors and premium ingredients, this presents an enormous opportunity for

operators to menu more innovative sandwich offerings.”

Researched and reported by Mrs. Whippppeeeessss!