Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Sandwich Circles

When I was a kid my parents used to make me eat the crust on sandwiches. Like any normal kid, I hated the crust and this seemed like quite the demand. But I was also one of those kids who tried to listen to her parents, so I found a way to cope.

It was simple—I would eat the crust first, then I could enjoy my sandwich with the worst part over and done.

Funny thing is, even though my distaste for crust has long gone, I still eat my sandwiches like this. It's a habit I rarely think about, but sometimes a friend will point it out and I have to stop and explain the origin of my silly habit. It always reminds me that not everyone eats their sandwiches in a circle like weirdo me. And then I start thinking about just how many ways there are to eat a sandwich, which is ridiculous and yet telling at the same time.

There are so many ways to DO things. Not just something as small as sandwich-eating, but even big things like giving birth or making a living. And yet we as people constantly seem to forget that doing something in a different way doesn't mean it's wrong.

Could you imagine if people shunned me for eating my sandwiches in circles because they believed sandwiches should only be eaten from top to bottom? It sounds silly, but people fight over perfectly acceptable options/preferences all the time.

As a writer, I've come to find all these different ways of living to be some of the best story fodder out there. It's so interesting to dig in and figure out why a character makes the choices he does, whether it's eating a sandwich in circles or going completely vegan. Stories come out of these seemingly random choices. They build the fabric of character and thereby plot.

I think the best of writers are also the best of observers, the best of investigators, and people who seek to understand. I also think these are qualities passed on to readers. What we do, this creating of worlds in words, is a powerful thing in that it grants us a peek into different ways of living, and thereby broadens our understanding and empathy.

If only we could get more people to write and read, right? Or maybe I should start the Circular Sandwich-Eating Revolution instead. It is, of course, the superior way to eat a sandwich!

16 comments:

  1. I eat sandwiches with crusts the same way and for the same reason.
    But as an adult, I mostly go with pita bread nowadays. It already IS a circle! ;-D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Um, me three! All the good stuff is in the middle!

    ... There's probably a writing metaphor in that. :P

    ReplyDelete
  3. Since we're talking about eating sandwiches... I'm not a big eater. If I get a sandwich, about halfway through, I'll eat the things I like out of the middle and abandon the bread and lettuce. I figure why waste my valuable stomach real estate with something like lettuce?

    ReplyDelete
  4. If you're going to eat the crust first, I hope it is on some delicious artisan bread. Then the crust is the best part!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I eat sandwiches that way too. When presented with multiple foods, I save the ones I like the most for last. I pick out french fries like a game of pick-up sticks (cuz otherwise the pile might collapse, and some fries might end up falling off the plate, or into some sauce I don't want them to).

    That's just a start. I'm sure I could find weirder stuff, if you like ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I eat my sandwiches that way... but only because I like the last piece to be one with EVERYTHING yummy on it... which means, since I'm pregnant and my stomach will suddenly decide it's not hungry after being starving 2 minutes ago, that a lot of the time I get to the last bite and don't want it... I should really redo this theory...

    But maybe that's why I have such problems with the middle of my stories -- beginning = great; ending = fine-> great; middle = ... I got too full and forgot.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm always seeking to understand, and one of the best things about life are the various ways we can do something, anything.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have started by Orowheat 'rounds' which are circular thin bread slices. No crust, 100 calories for two slices, lots of fiber. Thus the crust/no crust problem is solved!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't like sandwich crusts, but I like pizza crusts, especially the kind that are stuffed with cheese, mmmm... I do eat cookies by eating the outer rim first, for some reason; I think I also started doing it when I was a kid, because I thought that would make them last longer. I think it would be interesting to include little details like how they eat their food in the story, because like you said, it could reveal something interesting about who they are.

    ReplyDelete
  10. To me, the crusts are the best part. I use the heels of the bread to make sandwiches. "What the hell are you doing?" a friend asked when he saw me do it. I never considered having a character do it, though. Maybe I will now.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't do that with sandwiches, but if I have a piece of bread and butter, I'll eat the crusts like that. Or when I make a grilled cheese sandwich, I kind of eat the middle first and make sure I save as much crust as possible for the end, because that's my favorite part.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's all about the little things, really. The big things tend to make us fairly similar to one another (Humanity, need for water and food, the fact that almost everybody likes music, etc.) but the little things in little combinations are what make us stand out from each other.

    I like this post.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I eat sandwiches the same way, but now I'm wondering why. Probably saving best for last (which is the way I eat M&Ms - least-liked to most-liked color).I may be the only kid in the world whose parents never insisted she finish her food.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I never minded the crusts, but like you, I also eat towards the center, in a circle, eating crusts first.

    ReplyDelete
  15. OH. MY. I really needed to be reading your blog today! :) SO glad. Yes. Everyone does things differently, and that is what makes the world an interesting place.

    Also, I didn't eat in circles, but I did, and still do try and save some of the middle for last, because that IS the best part. :) I am very thankful for parents who "made me" eat the crusts. (it was never an option....I remember my friend having her crust-less sandwich at school and thinking that was really weird)

    ReplyDelete
  16. My husband never eats the last bite of his sandwich. Even if he loves his sandwich, he always throws the last bite away. It's nuts.

    ReplyDelete