My Two-Cents: The Versatility of the Deli Sandwich
This summer, I’ve rediscovered the power of the deli sandwich. Hungry for a quick meal after a pool day? Waking up from your mid-day disco nap to find yourself with an appetite? Re-live your childhood memories through a turkey and provolone medley with mayo on white. Spice it up with some oil. Add some black pepper. Feeling healthy? Through that shit on wheat bread if you so please. Is turkey not your thing? Try some roast beef or ham as a reasonable substitute. There is nothing a deli sandwich can’t do! She’s like if versatility and simplicity had a baby, and that baby was lathered in high-quality Hellman's mayo packets.
With my rediscovery of the deli sandwich, I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t something to be said about the versatility that usually follows suit with simplicity. Maybe the simpler, the better. My cold-cut homemade turkey combo is far from complicated – its simplicity at its essence – and this allows me to switch it up a little bit each time. Sometimes I go ahead and add cream cheese. Sometimes I opt for a spicy ranch atop. Sometimes I through on some salami. Every once in a blue moon, I opt for low-fat mayo to watch my figure. The simplistic nature of the sandwich allows it to never grow old; I’m always able to change it or add a little twist. I wouldn’t say the same of a Reuben – it’s far too specialized to be open to the doors of possibility. Hence, I don’t think I could eat a Reuben every day. Nor would I want to because reubens fucking suck. One time my drunk friend ate a cold rueben and proceeded to throw up the whole thing all over her bathroom, and the second-hand Reuben experience was enough to deter me from their foul existence. Also, who the hell goes to a restaurant and chooses to order a Reuben? Over literally anything else? Insanity. Even a club sandwich, which I recently learned stands for Chicken lettuce under bacon, is a tiresome option after a while. But my deli sandwich is so simple she's un-tireable. She’s perfect, really.
I have declared the remainder of this summer as a deli sandwich summer. And I'll let her rein over my lunch hour for the entire next school year. Now excuse me while I head to the kitchen to whip out some turkey.
