Sandwich Standards

Turkey sandwich at Gus's!

My favorite food as a little girl was sandwiches! Okara sandwiches (Okara is a tofu by-product which can be made into fantastic little burgers), tofu sandwiches, veggies sandwiches, hoagie sandwiches; I liked it all. My passion for goodies stuffed between bread slices continues today! I love how versatile a sandwich can be, how they needn't be dull. I have had curried fried potato sandwiches, beans on toast, grilled eggplant paninis and sauteed poke (seasoned cubed fish) sandwiches. When I visit a new city, I always keep my eyes open for a good deli or sandwich shop. I am especially drawn to sandwich spots with interesting names like the "Giant Grinder," or "Mary's Jumbo Submarines." I also look for dumpy looking spots or holes in the walls. I have found that these sorts of places seem to produce really tasty, messy, enormous sandwiches. That brings me to the criteria of an awesome sandwich. Here is my list of Sandwich Standards:

1). It has to be huge. I am sorry, size does matter in this case!

2). It needs to be messy! When you bite into it, excess goodies and condiments need to make you look like a two year old learning to eat.

3). The bread can't be too hard or too soft. If it's too hard, you spend most of your time wrestling the bread and not enjoying the rest of the sandwiches' components. If it's too soft, well, who likes a sandwich that looks like Rover the Dog got to it before you did?

4). It needs to taste fresh! The lettuce should be crunchy, the bread freshly baked, the tomatoes must be
firm and the meat freshly sliced!

5). Finally, the condiments should not overpower the filling. What I mean by this is that your sandwich should not taste solely of yellow mustard, unless you like that sort of thing.

I'm not a sandwich snob. Sandwich construction and ingredient ratio is just really important if you want that perfect sandwich. Speaking of perfectly scrumptious sandwiches, here is a list of my favorite sandwich shops:

1). Gus's! Gus's makes my favorite sandwich: turkey on a Dutch crunch roll! This quaint sandwich shop and deli is located in the lovely city of San Luis Obispo, CA. They have a wide variety of sandwich choices and offer three different sizes. They have a small, regular and large but I always get the regular because it really is rather large. Their sandwiches come with lettuce, tomato, pickle, cheese, sprouts, purple onion, pepperoncini as well as a generous portion of meat on artisan quality bread! They also sell beer!

2). Manono Mini Mart and Deli. This deli has been around forever and is located in the small town of Hilo on  the Island of Hawaii. Their sandwiches aren't fancy and their bread isn't gourmet, but they are satisfying! I  love ordering a garden burger with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, sprouts and mayo and eating it in a park near this deli.

3). Island Naturals Market and Deli. Island Naturals is a health food store located on the Island of Hawaii. Their deli offers made to order gourmet sandwiches, my favorite being the teriyaki tofu sandwich with avocado, sprouts, smoked Gouda cheese and sliced tomato.

I've told you some of my favorite sandwich shops. What's yours? What's your favorite sandwich? Until next time, cheers!

Jahkotta

Thailand Eats!

A meal in Thailand

When I went to Thailand three years ago, I photographed the food that I ate. Curries, noodle dishes, fried morning glory and delectable papaya salads, this is how I ate my way through Thailand. I think that it was the only time in my life where I ate five times in one day. I just couldn't believe how affordable and delicious everything was and so I couldn't pass anything up. Forget any ideas about trying to stay slim. I guzzled Singha beers and ate spring rolls like J. Wellington Wimpy from Popeye! I found myself photographing my meals before I consumed them, and to this day I admire them with salivating satisfaction.

Thai food is so full of flavor. It inundates your taste buds with a symphony of perfectly blended spices that personally makes me want to sing in an operatic voice. Perhaps this description is over the top. What can I say? I love Thai cuisine! The dishes I ate in Thailand were intrinsically more flavorful than their counterparts  in America. This is often the case when eating from a cuisine's home country. I have to say, when I got back to the States, I had a hard time eating Americanized Thai food. Americanized Thai food is often too sweet and lacks real heat. You can't find fried morning glory ( I absolutely loved this dish) and you never see crab papaya salad. However, there are some places that do taste pretty authentic. If you ever happen to find your self on the Island of Hawaii, try the Thai Thai Restaurant located in Volcano Village. Their papaya salad is to die for and they make a mean green curry. If you are on the West Coast in the city of Sebastopol, try the Thai Issan Restaurant. I love their Tom Kah, a traditional coconut soup with hot pepper and bits of galanga and vegetables.

I like to cook just as much, or perhaps more, than I like to eat out. I love working with fresh ingredients, the therapeutic nature of chopping stuff and the sizzle of the wok or frying pan. And when you cook a good meal and everyone smiles at its conclusion, the feeling is priceless. The first time I attempted to cook Thai cuisine was when I was 12 years old. My mom is a cook book collector. She had boxes and boxes of cook books scattered throughout our home. I remember looking through one of these boxes and happening upon "Keo's Thai Cuisine," and thinking, "I want to eat everything in this book." If you have never cooked Thai food before, check this book out.

Thanks for reading my blog! Hope it was enjoyable and not too corny! Join me next time when I'll be talking about sandwiches and my personal favorite sandwich shop of all time!

cheers!

Jahkotta

Welcome to Food Stop!

Coconut green curry!

If you are a person like me, you love food. The idea of a well rounded meal excites you. Texture, smell, plating, flavor and balance are important to you. When you go out to eat, or even when you prepare a meal for yourself, you put thought into what it means to eat something delicious. Whether its delicately roasted walnuts sprinkled over fettuccine in creamy white sauce or fresh papaya salad with crisp mint and fresh tomatoes topped off with a wedge of lemon, you ENJOY food! The purpose of this blog is to talk about food. I will keep you updated on places to eat, recipes that are fabulous, foodie adventures and more. Enjoy!

Jahkotta