Dash of Grace: The evolution of the sandwich

Sandwiches are no longer just good snack fare. Nor are they exclusively for the lunchbox or the brown bag. Sandwiches don’t all look or taste the same. They are much more attractive and interesting than they were when I was growing up. With the addition of fruits, nuts, and vegetables, they are definitely healthier, as well.

About the only fans left for the regular white breads are peanut butter and jelly, and bologna. Even ham and beef and cheese were different. It used to be American cheese and Velveeta on the sandwiches. When I was a child, or even a teenager, and my mom sent me to the store for a loaf of sandwich bread, the slices were square and uniform. Everything matched and came out even. If you put two slices together, they fit together with the lunch meat and the sides were even with the luncheon meat and cheese. And it was all white. They were held together with mayo or mustard. You got a handful of potato chips to eat with the sandwiches. 

Today’s sandwiches do not necessarily have the obligatory two slices of bread to hold the filling inside. They might be of the open-face variety, which has no top, and you will need a knife and fork to eat them, unless you are eating alone. Or, you might order the club sandwich, which will have at least 3 full slices of bread, and each is cut into fourths, and the center piece of bread will have the filling on both sides of the single middle piece. They are very messy, too. 

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