Messing With A Classic - The Tomato Sandwich

[weinoo]

Last week, the writer Eric Kim wrote a little ditty about the tomato sandwich, a classic, seasonal sandwich for many, many years.

 

And like many writers of Kim's generation, the gist of Eric's piece is that they've made a classic better - by fucking with it. (They didn't).

 

To whit:

 

Quote

The hallmark of a good tomato sandwich, for me, is mayonnaise that slathers and pools against the tomato. If you’re from the South, “you either grew up in a Duke’s household or a Hellmann’s household,” Mary says. To my mind, the whole Duke’s-versus-Hellmann’s debate couldn’t be more boring or irrelevant (though I enjoy riling people up every year). I use mild-tasting Hellmann’s in this particular case, because I like to sprinkle a little furikake over the mayonnaise before sandwiching the tomatoes. The seaweed in the flavorful rice seasoning amps up the tomato’s savoriness, intensifying the harmony of fruit, carb and condiment. Flavor-forward Duke’s or even Kewpie, delicious though they are, would overpower everything in my perfect tomato sandwich.

 

Sure you do, Eric. But then it's not a classic tomato sandwich, is it?  I mean, I want to taste the tomato and the mayo in a classic tomato sandwich, not spend time thinking about seaweed.

 

Just stop with this shit, please.

 

The Sandwich Southerners Wait for All Year

Edited July 25, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Fuckery and shit, you say?  I read a piece about the classic tomato sandwich as Mary makes it, with squishy bread and Duke's for which she received much grief on YouTube, a discussion of a few options preferred by others (toast? sourdough?focaccia? Hellman's? Kewpie? Miracle Whip?) and a rather brief mention of Kim's own sprinkle of furikake.  With the take home message that we all likely have our own perfect tomato sandwich that starts with the perfect tomato. 
I don’t think I can get Mary’s brand of squishy white sandwich bread but I may try the furikake.

[Katie Meadow]

But what does Barbie put on a tomato sandwich? Never mind.

 

Where's Gabrielle Hamilton when you need her? She would know the RIGHT way to make a classic tomato sandwich. Actually I already know her answer: Hellman's, Pepperidge Farm white bread and a just-picked tomato from a Sicilian hillside garden. See directions for how to build. Slice the tomato 3/8 inches thick. Cut the slice in half moons. Then put the half moons back to make it look like whole slices. Bury the slices in mayo as if you were burying a body in a New Orleans cemetery: shallow, so you rise with the first heavenly bite. 

 

If you are going to use furikake on your sandwich, why waste your stash of Duke"s?  Use Kewpie and then you only need a lousy supermarket tomato because you won't be able to taste it anyway.  

 

Hilarious topic. You gotta hand it to the NYT. Clearly a sizable number of readers spent a long time on that double page spread and got a lot of mileage out it, myself included. 

[blue_dolphin]

9 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

Hilarious topic. You gotta hand it to the NYT. Clearly a sizable number of readers spent a long time on that double page spread and got a lot of mileage out it, myself included. 

 

You and @weinoo, both!  And me, too, as I just went back to read some of the many comments. I didn't see too many giving Eric grief for the seaweed.  Lots of northerners complaining that tomato sandwiches aren't a southern thing.  Lots of southerners rejecting being defined by a single sandwich.  I'd say the NYT got their money's worth 🤣

[Katie Meadow]

5 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

You and @weinoo, both!  And me, too, as I just went back to read some of the many comments. I didn't see too many giving Eric grief for the seaweed.  Lots of northerners complaining that tomato sandwiches aren't a southern thing.  Lots of southerners rejecting being defined by a single sandwich.  I'd say the NYT got their money's worth 🤣

Yes. My mother, who, despite living in Cincinnati until she ran away from home and adopted NY, and to whom the south was only endured because my grandmother lived in Miami, would have made the perfect tomato sandwich with vinaigrette instead of mayo. Then she would have picked out the tomato and tossed the bread.

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Fuckery and shit, you say?  I read a piece about the classic tomato sandwich as Mary makes it, with squishy bread and Duke's for which she received much grief on YouTube, a discussion of a few options preferred by others (toast? sourdough?focaccia? Hellman's? Kewpie? Miracle Whip?) and a rather brief mention of Kim's own sprinkle of furikake.  With the take home message that we all likely have our own perfect tomato sandwich that starts with the perfect tomato. 
I don’t think I can get Mary’s brand of squishy white sandwich bread but I may try the furikake.

 

I think you failed to get the gist of the piece, which is that Kim feels a tomato is improved by furikake. It's not improved by anything, if it starts out with good, proper ingredients.

 

And I'm quite surprised that you're not going to try and make a popsicle out of it.

[weinoo]

The interesting thing about Duke's and we from the "north east" portion of the country, is that Hellman's was always the mayo of choice (Best Foods, for those west of the Rockies).  I was never able to procure Duke's...and then I was.

Edited July 25, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[heidih]

I'll agree that bringing out the best in perfection makes little sense. Despise the term 'elevate". Sure call it lobster mac n' cheese made with cheap tasteless frozen crawdad tails and cheap cheddar and charge more. Watching people extoll the flavor is Kool-Aid like (though JonesTown was a British version i think).

 

My intro to the tomato sandwich was Harriet the Spy and hers was white bread, mayo, tomato, salt/pepper as  recall. I then began to have access to homegrown excellent tomatoes and just ate them as is with good corn from farmstand. I'd get sores in my mouth fom overdoing it. Then I grew some heirlooms with glorious flavor and switched to toasted homemade bread, Trader Joe organic mayo (like the eggy flavor), and a slice or 2 of very crispy bacon. No lettuce please. I enjoy furikake as makes sense but nope. 

[weinoo]

 

NEVER!!

 

That's like using Miracle Whip on a tomato sandwich.

[blue_dolphin]

33 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I think you failed to get the gist of the piece, which is that Kim feels a tomato is improved by furikake.

I don’t think it’s the little mention of furikake, I think the gist of the piece is where Eric says:

Quote

…I enjoy riling people up every year…

🙃

[Shelby]

BUT FIRST YOU MUST PEEL THE TOMATOES

[Tropicalsenior]

Please, don't even get me started. Nothing pisses me off more than to mess with my classics.

Whenever I see some ignoramus actually put in print, new improved classic or my take on the old classic...I'm never going to click on that blog again.

[Anna N]

And then there is Vivian Howard.

[heidih]

54 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

NEVER!!

 

That's like using Miracle Whip on a tomato sandwich.

Actually my mom didn't kniw what mayo was so when we told her we liked the tuna sandwiches at a friend's house she bought what the American used ---- Mirace Whip. What I used on those early 'mater sandwiches.

[weinoo]

9 minutes ago, Anna N said:

And then there is Vivian Howard.

 

Vivian's nuts too.  I don't mind the "cheffing up" with different tomato varieties or even...gasp...homemade mayo, but basil????  Come on.  

 

By the way, that sandwich is easily $25.

Edited July 25, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[weinoo]

36 minutes ago, Shelby said:

BUT FIRST YOU MUST PEEL THE TOMATOES

 

This is neurotic about tomato skins!

[Tropicalsenior]

9 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Vivian's nuts too

At least she doesn't claim that it is the classic tomato sandwich. It is Vivian Howard's tomato sandwich. As long as she names it as her sandwich she can make it any darn way she wants and it doesn't bother me. And $25 for the sandwich, she does say that it will make 8 servings. That's not too bad.

But then again, the classic will be a whole lot cheaper and probably a whole lot better.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[blue_dolphin]

27 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Please, don't even get me started. Nothing pisses me off more than to mess with my classics.

Whenever I see some ignoramus actually put in print, new improved classic or my take on the old classic...I'm never going to click on that blog again.

Gracious!  You sound like you've already started! Did you read the piece?  No where does it say it's presenting a new or improved anything.  The guy just says he likes it and it's HIS perfect tomato sandwich.  Not messing with your classics, whatever they may be!

[Shelby]

9 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

This is neurotic about tomato skins!

Just think if you knew me in person.

[blue_dolphin]

49 minutes ago, Anna N said:

And then there is Vivian Howard.

 

I've made it and that smoked corn mayo is pretty dang good with tomatoes.  Thanks for the reminder!

 

Edited to add that when I read Eric's article, the first thing that came to mind was trying Vivian’s ridiculously named Quirky Furki that includes crushed salt & vinegar potato chips.  
Clearly, I lack the reverence in which many here hold the tomato sandwich!

Edited July 25, 2023 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

2 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Gracious!  You sound like you've already started!

Yeah, you're right. But the title of the topic is messing with a classic.

One of my pet peeves is seeing all the Abominable food that is presented by people trying to reinvent the classics.

[blue_dolphin]

2 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Yeah, you're right. But the title of the topic is messing with a classic.

So that's just  @weinoo riling you up!  

The title of the article, which appears later in his post, and was surely written by a copywriter rather than the author, seems to have riled up even more folks!

Peeves for everyone!

 

[Tropicalsenior]

15 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Peeves for everyone!

 

16 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

So that's just  @weinoo riling you up!  

I guess he succeeded. Just don't get me started on Caesar salad and Fettuccine Alfredo. I've got a really big soapbox for those.

[heidih]

Perhaps heat is making us all grumpy and venting at a guy who gets paid to write about food seems ok.

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, Tropicalsenior said:

At least she doesn't claim that it is the classic tomato sandwich. It is Vivian Howard's tomato sandwich. As long as she names it as her sandwich she can make it any darn way she wants and it doesn't bother me. And $25 for the sandwich, she does say that it will make 8 servings.

 

Yes:

 

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

I don't mind the "cheffing up" with different tomato varieties or even...gasp...homemade mayo,

 

But as to the $25 - I was referencing what a sandwich, serving one diner, would cost here were it that cheffed up.  

 

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

Clearly, I lack the reverence in which many here hold the tomato sandwich!

 

That's an understatement.