Sandwiches are complex. I know they may seem simple but they're not. I know because I make sandwiches everyday. I don't work at a sub shop, so I suppose I am amateur at best, but because I make them so often I consider myself very good. But I remember the first few times I started making more complex sandwiches, it was difficult to do. What I mean by more complex is moving on from the standard peanut butter and jelly or going beyond a few slices of deli meat, cheese, and vegetables to something with complex flavor yet simple and easy. That being said, my typical sandwich is made from the following:
Bread, anything but plain white bread (2)
Uncured deli meat (3)
Natural cheese (Sliced from a block)
Avocado (1/2)
Tomato (1/2)
Onion (one thin slice)
Leafy greens (1-2 leaves)
Spicy Mustard
I would first put everything together and then slice it in half. And boy, was it a mess the first few time. Every time I would slice it, the insides would just all fall out. It was terrible. Once I put everything back into their proper places, I wrap it in aluminum foil and hours later I would open it to enjoy…open it to find a soggy sandwich I mean. Nothing worse than finding something wet that isn't supposed to be wet.
So I did some experimenting. I found that if I placed the cheese down on my base bread slice first, then mustard on top, then onions and tomatoes, then meat, then avocado, and top with the leaf lettuce and the last piece of bread, then I would have no trouble cutting it in half and it also would not succumb to sogginess. Great! I finally figured out how to make a sandwich that stood up to my expectations. But it took time and the sandwich was patient and found proper technique. If only everything was like a sandwich, because than I would be able to experiment and learn with little to no consequences.
But than again, why can't things be more like sandwiches? Just because I fail the first few times doesn't mean that I'm going to suck at it forever. I truly believe this. There are only a handful of geniuses in this world and I'm going to assume that you and I are not one of them. Does this mean we are screwed to live lives full of mistakes and almosts? No. Absolutely not. We learn from our mistakes. We learn to stack ideas properly. We learn to cut properly. We learn to store and remember with higher efficiency. Basically, we can learn. That being said, we can also falter. Meaning, just because you did it great once, doesn't mean your going to be able to do it again.
Can I say making sandwiches has made me a more observant person? A more focused? A more persistent? I'm not sure. But I can tell that it going to lead to a terrific story soon. Stay tuned.
