August is National Sandwich Month!

Image via WikipediaSandwiches became part of the national cuisine in 1840 when Elizabeth Leslie Cook included a sandwich recipe in her cookbook that it appeared in the local cuisine of the United States.

Since then it has become a fact that "the average U.S. citizen eats about 200 sandwiches a year and the average child will consume an estimated 1,500 peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches before graduating high school."

I suppose August is as good a time as any to eat a sandwich, maybe at the beach, or in the car while taking a road trip.  Speaking of road trips, you might want to bring along Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. The first fourth of the book focuses on a petroleum-based sandwich, ordered at a drive-in and eaten in the car.

Meanwhile, some toothy quotes:

• "I have made it a rule never to eat more than one sandwich at a time." -- Mark Twain
• "A sandwich eaten is a sandwich earned." -- Ben Franklin
• "No man ever consumes the same sandwich twice, for it's not the same sandwich and he's not the same man." -- Heraclitus
• "Two pieces of bread, or not two pieces of bread: that is the question" - Shakespeare

Here's a recap of my sandwich reviews for restaurants in Portland, Oregon:

• Laurelhurst Market: Steak Sandwich, Fried Chicken Sandwich
• Bunk Sandwiches: Pork Cubano Sandwich, Sub Sandwich
• Madison's Grill: Reuben Sandwich
• Taqueria Los Gorditos: Tortas
• Kenny & Zuke's: Pastrami Sandwich
• Michael's Italian Beef: Italian Beef Sandwich, Meatball Sandwich
• Crime and Condiments: Assorted sandwich-related news items