So I had a Reuben at Grendel’s in Cambridge, MA today. Not as good as Mike’s Deli in Brookline, but the sauerkraut was quite tangy.

“Too few people understand a really good sandwich.” — James Beard

A really good sandwich is a journey, not

A destination, a relentless pursuit of perfection,

Of smooth and rough, crispy and soft, of sweet

And salt and tangy. The sound your teeth make

When you chew, the way your eyes close,

Unintentionally, and just a hint of the drip, but

Never too much. The really good sandwich is

A golden rectangle, with one-half b on either side

Of the filling, a, whether tuna salad, say, with lettuce

And frozen peas, or roast beef, tomato, horseradish,

Carmelized onion… Myths of this ratio’s appeal

In nature, in the Parthenon, are overstated

Of course, if not completely fabricated, but what

Is a sandwich or any temple to the senses

But a fabrication? What separates humans from

Other animals? Our ability to measure and layer.