Sometimes a guy just wants a sandwich
February 14, 2014 by DarcieTonight, thousands of champagne corks will pop and indulgent meals will be served as couples the world over celebrate Valentine’s Day. This day of romance is named after a Christian martyr from the fifth century, but its modern-day incarnation as an ode to romantic love makes its debut in the writings of Chaucer and others in the fourteenth century. It is frequently celebrated with elegant meals and decadent desserts.
But not everyone requires elaborate food to properly celebrate the holiday. Sometimes the simplest fare can be the most romantic, as I learned early in my marriage.
As a newlywed, I was (to put it mildly) not a great cook. But I was anxious to improve and eager to try new foods. So my beleaguered husband was constantly subjected to mealtime experiments. We never had the same dish twice, and I hopped from one cuisine to another like a Corgi on espresso. We ate wildly different foods from meal to meal: Italian food followed on the heels of Indian fare, to be supplanted by Thai cuisine for the next meal.
One early February evening, I solicited my husband’s opinion on several extravagant options for our Valentine’s Day meal. When I presented my selections he did not seem to share my enthusiasm, so I asked him what he wanted, if not the sumptuous offerings I described. He replied wearily, “Sometimes a guy just wants a fried bologna sandwich.”
Our Valentine’s Day dinner that year was fried bologna sandwiches on white bread, and it was fantastic. I don’t remember any other details about the dinner, or if we had wine, cocktails or beer to accompany the food, but I will always remember the sandwich. Seventeen years later, the meal is a tradition, and I wouldn’t trade it for the best steak dinner in the world.
What is your Valentine’s Day tradition?
And just in case you are rethinking your Valentine’s Day menu, here are some simple yet satisfying sandwiches from the Eat Your Books library:
Banh-Mi style chicken sandwiches
Grilled cheese with bacon, tomato and
avocado
Hoisin-glazed meatloaf sandwiches
Blue cheese, radicchio and fig sandwiches
Pan bagnat: le French tuna salad
sandwich
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