Though it pains me to say it, Ben has grown pickier with the passage of time and the influence of others. Still, there are some favorites that never get old. After eating steak five days in a row due to some crafty restaurant ordering and leftover maximization, Ben declared that he was not yet “steaked out” in hopes of snagging a sixth meal. No dice.
Another food he will never say no to is BLTs. He starts lobbying for them as soon as the heat moves in to stay. Tonight his ship came in. But what constitutes a perfect BLT? Obviously, there are exactly 5 ingredients (bread, mayo, bacon, lettuce, and tomato) but there are infinite ways to go wrong! If your tomato is pale or mealy, or simply does not smell like a tomato, don’t bother. If you don’t have the right kind of bread or it is stale, what are you even doing? Bread, in fact, is the most controversial BLT ingredient in our house. We usually make them on baguettes, or sometimes on fancy $9 a loaf sourdough, but this time we picked up some soft white potato bread.
The resulting sandwich took me right back to my first BLT (in my memory, at least) circa 1972 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a beautiful, sunny but not crazy hot day and my parents had been working hard all morning on some rental properties. We kids were undoubtedly monkeying around and generally getting in the way. In my memory, my dad was grouchy because his ne’re-do-well co-investor was a lousy lay-about, though my memory could be flawed. My mom had packed a picnic lunch that included BLTs, chips, and cookies. Such luxury! I couldn’t believe my luck – bacon, chips, and cookies on the same day! One bite into that delightful contrast of squishy, white bread, crispy bacon, juicy tomato, and tangy mayo, at a picnic table with the sun on my face, and I was in love.
I don’t think Ben remembers his first BLT, and he probably barely remembers the two he just wolfed down, but on one thing he will remain very clear. BLTs are magical.
Would love one… can’t have bacon!