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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Eat (Sandwiches), Drink & Be Literary: Alison Bechdel

Illustration by Nathan Gelgud
Our sandwich series continues with author and cartoonist Alison Bechdel, who joins us tonight for Eat, Drink & Be Literary.

When it comes to sandwiches, she keeps it simple and French:
My favorite sandwich is ham and butter on a baguette. I had this for the first time on a high school trip to France, late one night in a bar. I’ve since learned that it’s called jambon beurre, and that it is the iconic French sandwich. I like its simplicity and purity. I get sandwich panic whenever I have to order a custom-made sandwich from a long list of ingredients. And ready-made sandwiches are no solution. I have stood in front of airport coolers full of complex gourmet assemblages, none of which is the exact combination I want, until my flight is called and I walk away hungry.

But of course it’s rare to find a decent jambon beurre in an airport or a sandwich shop. And though I have had many excellent ones over the years, none have quite lived up to that first one.

Le grand classique.

It's not quite the same, but Bittersweet by Fort Greene Park serves an excellent salami and butter sandwich. Feel free to share any leads on local jambon beurre purveyors in the comments!

1 comment:

  1. I just came back from this event. While Alison was interesting, I felt that the series would be better served with another moderator. Ben spent too much time talking, much more than the guest, and some of his questions bordered on the incoherent. It was amazing she could answer them. Interviewers should listen, and speak very little.

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