I see more and more food that I consider “hand food” such as burgers and sandwiches that don’t fit in your mouth. What the heck are you supposed to do do with a 4" (10 cm for the adults in the room) thing? We can set aside how ugly those things are. Bah!
This is, without doubt, an almost uniquely American thing!
My complaint, such as it is, is not so much the size of the thing as the large range of things which are incorporated, few of which seem to add anything to the enjoyment.
By co-incidence, Mrs H and I were sort of discussing this over lunch today. Basically agreeing that a ham sandwich really needs nothing more than a smear of mustard. Oh, and in the Uk, there will only be one slice of meat between the bread.
Is this a Thatcher legacy?
Ham sandwiches are required to have mayonnaise and lettuce with tomatoes (in season),
or ham and cheese, ( hopefully cheddar or swiss) and a good and decent mustard.
That’s the law on the books in America.
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Yeah I find this really obnoxious too – and it’s more of an issue for women than men, and for people with jaw problems.
Btw, the rule of thumb (achem) is that most people can fit their middle fingers into their mouth, up to the first joint from the end.
I’ve never been able to eat a (restaurant) burger comfortably unless I cut it in half first, to create a small starting point.
Agree with @hyperbowler that it’s a common issue for women.
Fast food burgers that can be squished are easier. But chicken sandwiches create the same problem.
@Harters I have this problem with Pret sandwiches in the USA too - the ones on baguettes for sure, but even the regular ones that are supposed to emulate British sandwiches (entirely possible the latter are stuffed more for the american market - the filling is always falling out).
As someone whose mouth was so small that I had to have four permanent teeth other than my wisdom teeth removed before they could put braces on my teeth to straighten them, I find this a major problem–not to mention that seasonings like mayonnaise make the whole sandwich slide apart in a mess anyway.
When we go to our favorite Greek restaurant and get a gyro sandwich on pita bread, we tell them not to roll it, and then eat it with a knife and fork as an open-face sandwich.
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Many things are (none of them good)- but this isnt one of them. Most British sandwiches (and, I reckon, European ones generally) are quite straightforward. One slice of protein and, more often than not, a single addition - like, say, cheese and pickle. You might find this 2018 article interesting - https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brits-revealed-nations-10-favourite-12546050
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What does “ham salad “ mean in British lingo?
The pic looks like a normal ham sandwich with mayonnaise.
And whether hotdogs and sausages are sandwiches at all is a continual question here in the States.
Interesting.
Fork and knife?
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This is annoying. I see more and more burger getting higher, bigger. No bites without things falling out or dripping!
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It becomes very difficult when both of the corner of the mouth is cracking and again when opening the mouth wide each time.
Baguette sandwich with hard bread doesn’t help.
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I’ve gone completely to knife and fork.
Usually ham with lettuce & tomato.
I once ordered a “chicken salad” sandwich in America, expecting to get something similar, not the finely chopped chicken mixed with loads of mayo . It was a horrible depressing shock at the time and, later, when I found out that this would be what Americans would expect from a “something salad” sandwich. I’ve not repeated the mistake on subsequent trips. As noted on the list, the American “something salad” would be a “something mayo” here. By the by, I think the top ten list may be flawed because there’s no mention of what is probably the most popular sandwich - bacon - but they may be counting lunch sandwiches, and not including breakfast.
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Exactly
Really? Perhaps that “adults in the room” comment could have been left out of your original comment. Not everyone was brought up in the metric system. Why go for a slap upside the head when it’s unnecessary?
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I’ve stopped ordering sandwiches if they’re on the harder baguette bread. Way too difficult to eat - whatever’s on the sandwich always slides out the other side.
- Because it’s funny. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dstpxhIj52k
- Because not being brought up with something is no excuse - cell phones, computers, the Internet, GPS, automatic transmissions, for some of us commercial air travel, …
Let’s not forget that the metric system is easier than the Imperial system.
No, it’s not. It’s condescending to those who don’t use it regardless of your “let’s not forget” comment as well.
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Every culture has oddities. Too much mayo on chicken, egg, ham, grapes, tuna, pasta, … I know y’all have some odd puddings. grin You do NOT want to think about what Afghans do with some sheep parts. Scandanavians with lutefisk; who would marinate random white fish in gasoline on the back porch?
We’ll just have to disagree.
