[Sca-cooks] Gyro? Hero?

[Philip & Susan Troy]

ruadh wrote:
>
> back in 1968, during a short stay in Philly, Pa; I learnt that subs were
> called "heroes" locally. Not so back in New England.   Three months later I
> moved to Greece, where on going to a local "hot-dog" kiosk, I learnt that
> the name for my fave "sub" was soulavki [ easy on the sauce please] . To me,
> that was the same as asking for a 'Lamb' gyro today. The Greeks didn't call
> it by the tool that made it. Sort-a like "Crescent" wrench or adjustable
> spanner; Vice-Grip or...

It was my understanding that "souvlaki" was the Greek equivalent term to
"brochette"; essentially, anything cooked on a skewer. Where I live,
souvlaki sems to be more or less synonymous with shish kebab, while gyro
is either shwarma in the better establishments or grilled meat loaf in
the lesser ones.

Where I am, we don't have subs, grinders, or hoagies, unless you count
the Subway sandwich chain (presumably an import from foreign parts
unknown and known for a product line so low in fat [allegedly] that a
man recently lost close to 300 pounds while subsisting on a diet of
these sandwiches almost exclusively). We have heroes.

Okay, on an off-but-at-least-moderately-food-related-note, can people
name (for them) "the" sandwich? The One, True sandwich from which
deviation is considered heresy?

For me, I have to have two, or possibly even three, a holy trinity of
great sandwiches from three great sandwich-eating cultures. In no
particular order, there is the Irish "bookmaker's sandwich", essentially
a shell steak on French bread with butter and Coleman's mustard, then
there's the pan bagnat, of course (see the Florilegium; it should be in
there by now, I'd guess, unless considered insufficiently period), and
finally there is a very simple preparation of fresh mozzarella, either
prosciutto, cappicola, or sopresatta, and roasted red peppers, on a
crusty roll or Italian bread. This last, BTW, is The Official Sandwich
of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn ;  ) . Or so I am informed.

Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com