# Sandwiches nobody eats anymore **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 16, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714 "2024-12-16T16:38:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/181 "2024-12-17T19:39:20Z")
> [@YellowDog51](#): > > As a kid growing up in the south I remember old-timers eating tomato sandwiches: Two pieces of plain white bread, a fresh home-grown sliced tomato, mayo, and salt and pepper. Nothing else. > > My recollection is that they really hit the spot on a hot summer day. Haven’t seen or had one in many years. I’ll have one of these when I can get ripe local tomatoes from the farmer’s market. I usually add lettuce just for the crunch, but at that time of year, the tomato is the star of the show. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/182 "2024-12-17T19:53:04Z")
At age 20, I was going through a really rough patch where my diet was basically oatmeal with raspberry jam stirred in (I don’t recall any dairy products being involved) and baked bean sandwiches on whole wheat bread. I’d sprinkle the sandwiches with soy sauce and add some chopped onion for extra flavor and nutrition. At my evening job, I’d have a pack of crunchy corn nuts out of the vending machine, accompanied by a cup of Mr Pibb (similar to Dr Pepper). If I ate anything else from September through November, I don’t remember it. But boy, did I lose a lot of weight! ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/183 "2024-12-17T20:13:39Z")
Open-face Monte Cristo? Oh, the horror… ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/184 "2024-12-17T20:23:04Z")
You are not getting real bagels. Bagels should have an elastic chew but if they’re hard they’re wrong. Come out to Bozeman (it’s winter–you’ll love it). BagelWorks slogan is “not just a roll with a hole.” Excellent, and make a great sammie. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/185 "2024-12-17T20:27:56Z")
I was visiting L.A. last year and I couldn’t find a convenient place that had chili size. Even Barney’s Beanery, which was famous for its chili size, no longer had it on the menu. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/186 "2024-12-17T20:31:57Z")
To deep fry or not is rather polarizing. Old thread: > [@Monte Cristo sandwich: Bring It On or Take It Away?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monte-cristo-sandwich-bring-it-on-or-take-it-away/559227): > > I’ve only had one of these in my life. It was more than a decade ago, and it was so nasty I recall it to this day. I took exactly one bite, then shit-canned the remainder. I wonder now, though, if I merely got a hold of a bad one. The inside of the bread was very moist, and the sweetness of the French Toasty bread clashed horribly with the ham and cheese within. The Google images of the MC do look tasty, but I believe I may have been traumatized for life. I never encountered the deep fried version until I visited relatives in Texas, possibly in a Bennigan’s. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/187 "2024-12-17T20:40:02Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > Bagels should have an elastic chew but if they’re hard they’re wrong. Definition of a bagel from a joke book I had in the '70s: A doughnut dipped in cement. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/188 "2024-12-17T20:46:55Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Yum…Monte Cristo! I used to go way out of my way to a Bennigan’s to get the Monte Cristo, They serve them in Disneyland. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yes, Tommy burgers at the original Rampart location, preferably after midnight when the real “creatures of the night” emerge, is an important rite of passage for all _Angelenos_. I worked security there. Educational and entertaining. Guys in Tuxes, next to lowriders and bikers, ladies in evening wear and hooker wear. Politicians, cops, and crooks, all lined up after the bars closed to get some chili burgers on top of all the booze. A real scene. Fortunately, we now have one not far from where I live. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/189 "2024-12-17T20:47:30Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > You are not getting real bagels. Bagels should have an elastic chew but if they’re hard they’re wrong. Come out to Bozeman (it’s winter–you’ll love it). BagelWorks slogan is “not just a roll with a hole.” Excellent, and make a great sammie. Thank you. My choice of the word “hard” was poor. They should be chewy and resistant. You know you’re eating something substantial, not something light and fluffy. But everyone is right: they should not be “hard” or brittle like one of those tennis-ball sized French rolls you can pound a nail with until the crust has fractured. Although those are good too, just for a different purpose. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/190 "2024-12-17T20:58:45Z")
For what it’s worth, I don’t think I’ve personally eaten a sloppy joe in nearly 20 years. But I assumed other people still ate them, and never thought of them as a sandwich no one eats anymore. But perhaps I’m contributing to their decline. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/191 "2024-12-17T21:00:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@ZonexandScout](#): > > > > Yum…Monte Cristo! I used to go way out of my way to a Bennigan’s to get the Monte Cristo, > > They serve them in Disneyland. Which apparently originated the deep fried version. > [@Monte Cristo sandwich: Bring It On or Take It Away?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monte-cristo-sandwich-bring-it-on-or-take-it-away/559227/30): > > the sandwich dates back to 1910, it became trendy when it became a featured menu item at the Blue Bayou and Tahitian Terrace restaurants in Disneyland in 1966. And the Disneyland recipe, which is cited, specifices deep frying with jelly on the side. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/192 "2024-12-17T21:01:19Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Which apparently originated the deep fried version. They are fantastic, and if you get fries- and you should- big enough to share. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/193 "2024-12-17T21:09:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Since we’re SoCal reminiscing … I recall being age 6 or maybe 8 when I first learned of chili size. Sounds like me. My dad loved chili size so he got it whenever we ate at a coffee shop. Chili size was on all coffee shop menus back in the day. > [@Odesio](#): > > I am sad to report that there is only one place to find a Monte Cristo is Little Rock and it’s at a restaurant called Cheddar’s Scratch Chicken. Whenever we go to Disneyland, we eat at the Blue Bayou restaurant. They have a very good Monte Cristo. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > In high school I sometimes brought in cream cheese sandwiches on date nut bread for lunch. The lunch counter at Lindberg’s Nutrition used to serve these with a little cup of raspberry sherbet on the side. I never quite understood the “nutrition” part of this dish. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yes, Tommy burgers at the original Rampart location, preferably after midnight when the real “creatures of the night” emerge, is an important rite of passage for all _Angelenos_. True dat. For me, it’s not a Monte Cristo unless it’s deep fried. Otherwise, it’s just a grilled ham and cheese. You have to eat it with the jam/jelly too or its not right, either. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/194 "2024-12-17T22:10:38Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > For me, it’s not a Monte Cristo unless it’s deep fried. Otherwise, it’s just a grilled ham and cheese. You have to eat it with the jam/jelly too or its not right, either. If you want to eat a deep-fried Monte Cristo with a side of jam, go ahead. But let’s not claim that’s the authentic way to make a Monte Cristo. Monte Cristo sandwiches were around for years before Disney began serving their version. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/195 "2024-12-17T22:14:08Z")
I’m not claiming it’s traditional. I’m claiming it’s how I like to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/196 "2024-12-17T23:46:58Z")
A new restaurant is scheduled to open early next year not far from us, offering “gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches”\* which they’ve been selling from a food truck. I will not be counting down the days. \*this is apparently a thing now. Even Martha Stewart has gotten into the act. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/197 "2024-12-17T23:52:52Z")
I like mixing provolone and American cheese. Texas Toast makes it more filling. But Gourmet? Nah ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/198 "2024-12-17T23:55:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > this is apparently a thing now. Even Martha Stewart has gotten into the act. Tom+Chee has been a grilled cheese specialty restaurant for over a decade. [They were on Shark Tank in 2010.](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1601826/tom-chee-shark-tank-now/) ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/199 "2024-12-18T00:01:49Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Whenever we go to Disneyland, we eat at the Blue Bayou restaurant. They have a very good Monte Cristo. Cafe Orleans, where it’s is easier to get a table, has the same sandwich (IIRC, they share the same kitchen). I love sloppy joes. They were my family’s traditional dinner on Halloween, and I’d usually request them on my birthday, too. It’s been a few years since I’ve made them. When I do, I’ll try the version where you put the mixture in a pastry hand pie. For egg sandwiches, did I miss mention of the egg salad sandwich? It was a bag lunch staple for me, but now I add a Moroccan spice blend, ras el hanout, radish slices if I have them, and do it open faced on toasted sourdough. Now I’m hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714/200 "2024-12-18T00:03:44Z")
I think it might have been mentioned upstream, but I still frequently eat pimiento cheese sandwiches. Of course, home made is the best, but I’m lazy so I eat Price’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714.md?page=11)