Friday 9 March 2012

Foodie Friday: Quest for Sandwich






Sometimes you don’t realize you have been on a quest until you see the prize, and you understand, at that golden moment, that this is what your entire life has been leading you to. You experience the glory before you and wonder, how have I lived until now? It wasn’t living. It was merely existing. And life will continue to be a bland repetition of meaningless trite until you can experience the nirvana that you’ve known, so briefly, once again.
Of course I am talking about the perfect tuna sandwich.





I shouldn’t love tuna sandwiches as much as I do. I was a picky eater as a child and didn’t like fish, milk, sauces or anything that had a texture. But one day, while watching Sesame Street a girl puppet asked to have a toasted tuna fish sandwich, and it got me thinking... hey, I want a toasted tuna fish sandwich. So I got one. And it started a love affiar that has lasted a lifetime. I tried to find the original Sesame Street clip, but all I could find was this:








This doesn't make me want a tuna sandwich. Kind of peckish for brains now.

Never got into canned salmon though. My mom loves it. But to me it's like feeding a cat some fish, having it throw up into a tin, add some pickle juice and a bit of soap, put it in your cupboard and save it for fancy.

However, between tuna sandwiches and tuna salads, I probably go through 3 or 4 cans of tuna a week. I know there are issues around eating too much tuna. I’d rather not think about them, thanks.
While Brian and I were vacationing in Paris a few years ago, I experienced the ultimate tuna sandwich. We didn’t got to Paris for the food, although it was, of course, amazing. We’re not foodie travelers. We were on one of our epic 15 miles city walks and we stopped for a quick lunch on the street, to eat on the go. This is not very Parisienne, I know. In fact our favourite breakfast spot was Le Croissanterie, which is shameful to admit (with apologies to Cheryl McKinnon and Ryan McKnight).


                                                                                                      photo credit kimncris.com




So anyway, we were walking and walking and we stopped at  a little hole in the wall grab and go place and I got a tuna salad sandwich. It was THE BEST TUNA SANDWICH I HAVE EVER HAD. It was on a small baguette thing. It had HARD BOILED EGG in it!!!! The mayo was utter perfection. I couldn’t stop talking about it. After enjoying fine Parisienne dining I thought,






I have spent the past 3 years trying to recreate this sandwich to no avail.
I’ve tried fancy tuna, cheap tuna;full fat/half fat/low fat mayo; rye bread, bagels, whole wheat bread.
Nothing has come close. 


I keep trying.


I use my favourite ingredients:




I boiled only the finest eggs to hard-boiled boiled perfection. Boiled.




The sandwich passed the "Cat is definitely interested" test.





It was a good-looking' sammich.








But sadly, it was not the sandwich of my dreams. It was not nirvana. It was merely a nice lunch.


Maybe I need to walk 15 miles before eating said sandwich, and it will make it seem more magical than it really is. 


Brian says he wants to go back to Paris again; to see The Arts et Metiers Musuem, the Eiffel Tower, the amazing Art Deco architecture.


I want to go back for that damned sandwich.


Tell me you don't want one now. 

8 comments:

  1. Lisa Wells said:

    Yummay! I'm confused though. Is that egg salad, or just sliced/mashed egg on the sammich?

    A past boyfriend of mine (his Mom owned The Tea Cozy in Osborne Village...know the place?) made me tuna sandwiches with tiny cubes of cheddar in them. Ever tried that? Your find looks better.

    Good luck in your quest.

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  2. I LOVE tuna, but never got into canned salmon either. And now I never will, what with your description. Yuck!

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  3. i so want a tuna sandwich now. damn you, ellen reid.

    love,
    jules

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  4. Well that's odd. Pandora is playing "Superman's Song" and I hear Ellen's angelic voice in the background.

    And in my mind, I smell tuna fish.

    I had to come tell everyone. Because I'm sure they care!

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  5. The secret ingredient is the dolphin. Mmmm... dolphin.

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  6. I'm a pretty picky eater myself, and have had an aversion to onions for ages. But lately I've just been getting in the mood for something different, and I've been putting onion into more and more dishes. I still can't take overpowering onion flavor but I'm no longer picking out the onions from things.

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  7. I love the Miracle Whip! Oh yes I do!
    I like tuna with egg. With just touch of small chopped onion and celery, and I add some paprika. yum.

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  8. My "secret" ingredients for tuna sandwiches are onion and garlic powder! Also sometimes chopped tomato or celery.

    The BEST tuna sandwich I ever made was with mashed avocado, and also included red onions, tomato, and roasted red peppers. Deee-lish!
    Recipe here.

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