Am I weird for having no problem with eating a "dry" sandwich?

Cafe Society
1

You may remember my post of last year asking about the science behind the subjectivity of taste preferences. And how in that post, and multiple other posts, I have stated my strong dislike of mayonnaise.

Since then, I’ve come to a followup observation: in general, I don’t really need many condiments, if any, when eating a sandwich. And in this respect, it appears I’m very different from the average person.

It would be way too long of a post if I wrote which foods I prefer with a sauce (e.g. chicken wings) and which without (e.g. beefsteak), and which condiments I like and which I’d rather skip. The fact of the matter is, I’m not big on sauces and condiments in general, and a number of times in my life, someone has described some of my food choices as “dry”. Today I’d like to focus just on sandwiches, however.

Again, I’ve already specifically complained that most restaurants, or many at any rate, automatically include mayo, which I despise, in BLTs (my favorite sandwich) and burgers (which are something I eat as a quick meal but which don’t bring me the kind of joy they seem to bring some of my friends). If you ask “why do they put mayo in BLTs” on any online platform, the answer will very often be “because it acts like a binder” or “because it keeps it from being dry”.

But is it strange when I say I see no need for either? You don’t need a binder, it’s enough to hold the thing firmly in your hands, and I don’t see anything wrong with eating a sandwich that’s “dry”. ( and is it even that dry? The bacon has oil from the frying, the lettuce and tomato have their own juices). I don’t need any “wetness” in my solid food. Is this somehow weird?

I can see putting a thin layer of butter in a sandwich to act as a binder, but why must there be any sauce (condiment) to begin with? I don’t see what I’m missing if there is none.

I’m not saying I would never put a condiment in a sandwich, quite the contrary. But for example, in a BLT (or Turkey Club), I see no need for one.

Take burgers, for instance. I do like ketchup in my burger. But I don’t think I would need anything else by way of condiments, and I can imagine eating a burger without it. Heck, I can imagine eating a burger that literally consists of nothing but the meat patty and the bun. My ideal burger would (beside the obvious patty and bun) contain exactly what a Whopper contains – minus the mayo. That is, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and ketchup. Making it a cheeseburger and / or bacon burger optional. Nothing else. (Of all those ingredients, I’d say a burger with just tomatos and onions would be pretty tasty as well. Also, cucumber relish could be a substitute for the pickles, though I prefer it on hot dogs).

I’m OK with the McDonald’s and Burger King formula for a basic hamburger / cheeseburger with some ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles. What I cannot stand is any of these trendy modern “gourmet burgers” that have tons of different ingredients and condiments crammed into them. IMHO if you can’t easily stuff a burger in your mouth, it sucks!!!

Here are some conversations I’ve had since last fall with my very good friends Jason (Prague expat, Canadian like me) and John (other Prague expat, American). Jason loves a few foods toward which I’m indifferent or dislike. At one point last year, I was bitching to him about greasy spoon-type restaurants that could ask you what you want on your sandwich, but don’t. I mentioned that a favorite place back home in Toronto would put tzaziki sauce over my souvlaki without my asking for it. Jason wouldn’t let me finish the sentence, but laughed out: “You don’t like tsatzki?!” This irked me. First of all, I’m not obligated to like any sauce or condiment just because you do. People have different tastes, you know. Secondly, I didn’t say I didn’t like tzatziki. I just don’t want you putting it on my meat in the amount you see fit. I would not put it in a souvlaki sandwich, I would however be happy to have a bit on the side to dip into if I had a full souvlaki dinner. I just don’t want someone else to dose it. I want to be able to taste my meat. I don’t need the barrier of a sauce.

A few weeks ago, I was on a hike with John and we ended up in a restaurant. John chose the burger. John shares my dislike of mayonnaise. However, when I offered to tell the server (in Czech) to hold the special mayo that they advertised on the menu, he said that the sandwich needed something so as not to be dry. So he’s willing even to have a condiment that he dislikes rather than eat a “dry” burger? The burger subsequently came with an enormous amount of mayo that spilled out the sides. If it were me I would find any condiment gross in that amount. It and everything else that was in the burger hard for him to eat. It was another one of these fat “gourmet burgers”**.

Am I really so unusual for preferring sandwiches (and various meat offerings) on the “dry” side and for not wanting lots of different condiments in them?

** An oxymoron as far as I’m concerned. While I believe some restaurants may be capable of making a burger better than average, in general, IMHO, attempting to make a burger a gourmet menu item is like putting lipstick on a pig.

2

I am quite happy with a dry sandwich, but I also loathe mayonnaise. I, too, find it weird that other people can’t handle bread being bread.

3

Condiments offer another layer of flavor is the simple answer. Mayo adds a bit of tart/umami, ketchup adds sweet, mustard adds salt/acid, etc. A plain burger is kinda boring, IMO, but I don’t think there’s any weirdness in leaving out the condiments.

4

I’ll third this. I eat “dry” sandwiches all the time, and hate mayonnaise, too.

I order my burgers and chicken sandwiches “plain” at fast food joints.

5

Mayo or butter aren’t binders so much as they are barriers to prevent the bread from being soaked by juicy meats or vegetable fillings.

6

I just recently switched to dry sandwiches, and I was pleasantly surprised.

7

To me, sauces add a degree of spice, sweetness, moisture and flavour. Some things are better with sauce(s), some aren’t, and everyone has different preferences.

Nothing wrong with simplicity. In my view a few well chosen additions are better than lots of indifferent ones. You’re not weird, exactly - lots of foods are dry and enjoyable. Some countries are not known for sauces; a friend of mine from Albania says they tend to be rarely used there. If this is true, maybe there’s a cultural/childhood nostalgia basis to these things too.

Butter is a much underrated addition, and all a sandwich made with good quality ham requires.

8

I don’t like mayo either, but I feel like most sandwiches need something. Mustard, avocado, a drizzle of olive oil, some sort of spreadable cheese, whatever.

9

You make a good point here, in fact with juicy meats, I often use no condiments. With cheese sandwiches maybe some butter, depending if the bread is dry.

Here, however, you lost me. I dont like ketchup at all, in fact I love Cecil’s quote “Behold this creature that walks like a man- it wants ketchup on it’s hotdog!”

On ham sandwiches I like some good mustard. On burgers- 1000 island or A1 sauce- depending on how good the meat is- sometimes with really good and juicy meat- no condiments.

I have had gourmet burgers, but only when sold and cooked by a premium meat company.

I like mayo only on a BLT, for some Proustian reason.

10

I do that too. Meat, cheese if applicable, bun. At home, I might add a suitable condiment to my sandwich, but there I’m in control of the amount. Fast-food assemblers get WAY too heavy-handed with condiments, and I do not like have my food smeared on my face or dripping on my clothes.

I still refuse to eat at Carl Jr. 20 years or more after an ad campaign boasting about how sloppy and messy their food was. Still too disgusted by those ads.

11

I’m allergic to eggs. My understanding is that mayonnaise contains egg. I haven’t checked Miracle Whip, but I don’t feel that I’ve lost anything avoiding it. As such, I order all of my sandwiches plain, lest I accidentally ingest some ingredients that I may have a reaction to. Ketchup on a burger is fine. Everything else is bone dry. And I prefer it that way.

12

I’m on the fence - but mostly agree with the OP. I think a fair distinction can be made when it comes to homemade vs. restaurant/fast food options. Because, in almost all of those your condiments (mayo especially) are the weakest, lowest quality ingredient. And that can really hurt a simple sandwich.

Am I at a place that adds a from scratch (not doctored up Hellman’s) garlic aioli (the OG, sans mayo at all would be better, but it’s not what I see mostly) might be worthwhile. A place that has a thick coating of mayo - especially the cheap stuff? Hell no.

Sure, if I’m having a juice burger, having a fat barrier is worthwhile, but that can be a bit of pan drippings, melted butter, or what have you. But for fast food especially, the condiments are a way to add flavor when the veggies, meat and bun are already pretty bland because cost is king.

The better the quality of the other ingredients, the more I want the meat, bread, and sometimes cheese to stand out. Like at a good deli. I don’t want pickles on anything - they overpower. But a good kosher dill on the side to add a sour note between bites? Great!

13

I’m with the OP about not needing much on a sandwich but I like condiments. The first thing that I don’t put on sandwiches is butter. To me it is just greasing the bread and totally unnecessary. You may as well coat it with olive oil before adding your fillings. So I just spread the bread with a thin smear of my condiment of choice. Sometimes I make a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich by putting those 3 things between 2 slices of bread (or on a bun). Sometimes I smear one slice of bread with mustard.

Yesterday I had leftover cold chicken in a sandwich and just spread a little satay sauce on the bread. But with hot chicken I often just have a pile of chicken with no condiments. Well, maybe some pepper.

14

I don’t think you’re weird for wanting a dry sandwich. Personally I don’t like having tomatoes or lettuce on sandwiches. If I am at a hamburger place, I will get pickles and onions but no lettuce or tomatoes. At Subway restaurants, I will get all the other vegetables but no tomatoes or lettuce. We all have our preferences.

15

Yes, you’re weird. But we’re OK with weird around here. If it wasn’t, I’d have been kicked out years ago. :smiley:

I prefer condiments with pretty much any sandwich, and unless we’re talking about a hot dog (is a hot dog really a sandwich? bet we could debate that one for hours), mayo would be one of my condiments. It just adds a certain something.

I could see eating a sufficiently juicy burger (IOW, not from a fast-food joint, but maybe off my backyard grill) without any condiments. (I’d still add ketchup, mayo, lettuce, and tomato. But I can see how just the burger would be sufficient, and I may try it the next time I grill.

BLT? Again, the bacon would have to be good and juicy, but then I’ve never understood the point of cooking bacon until the juiciness is practically gone. (Another good source of debates, I’ll bet. Some people do seem to like bacon that’s almost crumbly.) And the tomato would ideally be right off the vine, and the lettuce fresh and crisp. I’d try a BLT without mayo that was like that. But I bet I’d still like it even better with mayo.

My experience with fast-food places is that they tend to add way too little in the way of condiments, rather than too much. When my wife brings home a Whopper Jr. or a chicken sandwich from Chick Fil-A, the amount of mayo (and ketchup on the Whopper Jr) is barely discernable. I’m always adding more condiments at home. (Can’t say about sit-down restaurants: I tend to order an entree rather than a sandwich if I’m at a restaurant.)

16

Yes, they both do. I just went to the fridge and checked the labels on a jar of Miracle Whip and a jar of Duke’s mayo. IIRC, if it doesn’t have egg (specifically egg yolk if I’m not mistaken) it can’t be sold in the U.S. as mayo.

I agree that you’ve lost nothing by avoiding Miracle Whip, but it’s what my wife grew up on, so it’s in our fridge.

17

‘Tzatziki’ isn’t the easiest word to spell, but third time was the charm. :wink:

18

I’m with OP, in that I dislike mayo (I can take a little, but it’s never just a little, is it?). To me it’s greasy goo that interferes with the flavor. Especially something like a BLT, where the tomato is plenty wet already. Even a dry club sandwich is preferable, to me, to one with mayo.

There are some situations where a sandwich can be better with a sauce. A little spicy mustard on a ham or even turkey sandwich can perk it up a little.

And I don’t like ketchup on my fries, either. I like my fries hot and salty, not soggy, thanks very much.

19

So I like “plain” sandwiches under one circumstance - it’s sufficiently greasy hot meat and/or cheese. Grilled cheese, grilled ham & cheese, Philly cheese steak, even certain hamburgers.

Other than that I’m once again your opposite. I want sandwiches to be wet - practically oozing condiments or other “wet” ingredients like say cranberry sauce or cream cheese. Extra tzatziki, extra tahini, extra guacamole, extra spicy coleslaw. Why? I dunno, I just like 'em that way :wink:. I enjoy the flavor of condiments and I like lubrication. Their is one sandwich I like to order from a specific place substantially because I like the specific chipotle mayo they use on it.

Every variant of how you enjoy your food is A-OK. I had a friend who salted pizza slices. I had a different friend who ate their hamburger a layer at a time - top bun first, vegetation if any next, then patty, then bottom bun. I had a friend who wouldn’t eat raw tomatoes (pretty common really) and every time they ate gnocchi had to arrange them in a circle around the edge of the plate, then consume them one by one in a psychologically pleasing geometric pattern. I had a friend who had such an bland American 1960’s meat and potatoes diet that when I met them in their late twenties they thought Italian food was exotic and ‘ethnic’ and flat-out refused to try anything as out there as Mexican (this was in the late 1990’s, transplant from the northeast to California). Other than being a challenge to not eat at the same place all the time during group gatherings with the last, it was fine.

It’s always all good. There is probably few things where people vary more than in food preferences :slightly_smiling_face:.

20

One of my favorite sandwiches right now is rare roast beef on toasted bread (I like pumpernickel or very dark rye) with cranberry mustard and some horseradish sauce.