Sandwich Thoughts

I used to think I was the only one who noticed and wondered about things like: why did Subway sandwich shops change the way they cut the bread on their subs? Turns out, I'm not the only one. I don't know whether this is comforting or frightening, but it's certainly enlightening.

Steve, at The Sneeze (whose motto I wish I'd thought of), wrote a post in which he wondered the same thing. I just read the post with all the comments to that post, and I highly recommend it. For those of us whose eyes glaze over reading the comments sections of political blogs with all the off-topic mud-slinging and strident invective, try instead this cool and considerate discussion of the comparative benefits of the former "u-gouge" (which Steve preferred to call the "meat boat") versus the more-recent "hinge cut".

The comments thread developed a certain authority when it was joined by Thom McGrath, who is a long-time manager of several Subway shops and was able to give out many definitive answers to questions that many didn't know they had long wondered about, including the reasons behind the switch from "u-gouge" to "hinge cut" — not to mention that they even had names. He also, by the way, revealed at his own blog (The Flak Trap) the change coming to Subway that we won't like.

Briefly, the myth that all the meat at Subway was turkey-based flared, but it was quickly squelched. Only some of it is. A number of people complained about the small amounts of meat on their sandwiches for the prices, but if it's really as little as they claimed it was against company policy. As for the prices, well…. And for all those people complaining about how little meat there is on a typical sub, may I suggest trying a meatball sub? It's guaranteed to make you feel full and bloated, but with a certain attendant satisfaction.

I was always a fan of the "u-gouge" myself, thinking that it was different and that certainly it would let the sandwich hold more without disgorging its contents. True, it was no doubt harder to master than the "hinge cut", but surely striving for perfection is one of the joys of being a sandwich artist? Now I'm told that the "hinge cut" bread can actually hold more when it's done properly.

A few years ago, I seemed to lose my taste for subway sandwiches — it's as though I can't remember what vegetables I had put on to make them taste the right way, and I haven't been able to re-discover the formula since. It may just be my middle-aged tastes changing.

Besides, what I really long for is the taste of the eggplant grinders that I used to get at a particular sub and pizza shop in Middletown, Connecticut when I was in graduate school there. "Grinder", of course, is the peculiarly New-England-y term used to mean "subs" (or "hoagies", at least in Pennsylvania); I found it rather difficult to order a "grinder" for some time after I moved there because it sounded so silly to say it.

Anyway, at this shop they took thick, breaded slices of eggplant and deep-fried them. These they put on sub rolls with quarters of sweet, green peppers, over which they laid thick slices of cheese. The whole thing went into the pizza oven until is was bubbly and toasty. Oh my, but they were good. I might consider making the trek to the old place but for the fear that the memory may be better than the real thing.

Posted on August 24, 2005 at 23.23 by jns · Permalink
In: All, Reflections, The Art of Conversation

2 Responses

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  1. Written by Pmansi
    on Sunday, 30 October 2005 at 08.34
    Permalink

    I was in Subway last night and saw a poster saying 'How does your hinge cut measure up?' so i posed the question to the happy looking girl behind the counter who subsequently looked at me like i'd slapped her in the face with my schlong before aggressivly asking me if i wanted cheese

  2. Written by Jonnie Smyth
    on Tuesday, 8 November 2005 at 20.03
    Permalink

    U gouges rock. While I was managing a Subway store on a military base in Germay, I got soooo many complaints when we changed over. Turns out the troops hadnt been home in so long they didnt understand that the change had happened in the States. WEird

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