NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY: GOD BLESS AMERICA!

A couple of summers ago some friends from Europe stayed with us. They used our house as a sort of home base and would then venture off for a day or a week as they visited various states. The thing I remember most about their visit is their astonishment at how patriotic the United States is. It was June, if i recall correctly, so peak patriotic season hadn’t yet arrived, but everywhere they looked they saw American flags. And stickers. And license plates. And billboards.

And I remember thinking to myself, “Well, yeah! This is the U.S.A. The greatest country in the world!”

As a reminder of what a great country we live in, I glanced at the calendar today and saw this:

National Sandwich Day, November 4

Sure, you’ve got your Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. You’ve got Flag Day, Columbus Day, and Presidents Day. But in this beautiful country we live in we also have NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY! God bless America!

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I was seven years old when I made my first sandwich. Up to that point it was all mom-made sandwiches for me—and I’m not complaining! From peanut butter and jelly to ham and cheese, my mom made consistently perfect sandwiches. When my mom made a sandwich I knew exactly what it was going to taste like, and it was delicious every time.

But one day I was hungry, and my mom wasn’t there! What was a seven-year-old boy to do? Well, it all started innocently enough. I got out the bread, pulled out some ham and cheese, and started to build. It was when I decided to put the Pringles on my sandwich rather than on the side that I began to realize the possibilities. I opened the fridge to put the ham away, but what I saw was unlike anything I had seen before. Instead of the standard 8-color box of crayons it was now the giant 64-color box (with sharpener!).

It was like the scene in Hook when they have the food fight. Or the scenery in What Dreams May Come. It was like how I imagine Robin Williams sees the world pretty much every day.

I didn’t just put mustard on that sandwich. I put butter, and ranch dressing, and Miracle Whip. I didn’t stop at just ham. I found roast beef and even a couple of slices of leftover Spam.

And the cheese…the cheese! I didn’t stop at Kraft Singles. I piled on Velveeta, and some aged Swiss cheese, and even colby jack!

If it was in the fridge, it was fair game. The only limit I had was gravity, and I only stopped building until there was no doubt the sandwich would topple over if I added another item.

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My kids enjoy the Kraft Big Slices because they’re pre-cut and ready to go

…no knife needed. (Whew!)

I‘ve since learned that what I had created was called a Dagwood:  a tall, multi-layered sandwich made with a variety of meats, cheeses, and condiments. It was named after Dagwood Bumstead, a central character in the comic strip Blondie. I’ve also since learned that more is not always better (though it usually is), and the art of complimentary flavors. But most of all I’ve learned that a sandwich can be whatever you want it to be—short or tall; square or triangle; hot, warm, or cold. This weekend we’ll be building with Kraft Big Slices because they cover the sandwich edge to edge, guaranteeing that we get cheese in every bite. In America not only am I free to build my sandwich the way I see fit, but on November 4 I can even celebrate it.

Sandwich Shown: With Kraft Colby Jack and Aged Swiss Big Slices. And whatever else I could find in the fridge.

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Disclosure: I was selected as a Kraft Cheese blogger ambassador by Kraft Foods. While I have been compensated for my time, my opinions are my own, and I have not been paid to post positive comments.

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