My son requested for a sandwich for lunch. In the land of noodles and rice, a sandwich is an uncommon request. I asked Trex what he wants inside, he said, "Prosciutto." He can't think of anything else to put inside. Where we come from, sandwiches are extremely simple, like just as cheese spread. Then I remembered a wonderful sandwich I tasted 22 years ago, that came with an act of kindness. When I was an intern in McCann Erickson, there was one night all interns had to work overtime until very late for our thesis deliberation. An art director went out for dinner, and came back with a sandwich for me. He wasn't one of the agency stars who drew the crowd with interesting stories or funny jokes; but he was the only one who's shown empathy. He figured that interns couldn't afford anything in that swanky area, nor had the foresight to know how long we're going to work. He was the only one who cared for a nobody. I shared the sandwich with the others and we didn't starve.
Bless him, I cannot remember his name, but I remember two life lessons from his act. Be kind to juniors even when you don't need to. Second, a sandwich can have sliced apples and everything you can think of.
Flash forward to today, I asked my son if he wanted sliced apples in his sandwich. No, he cannot fathom it too. So I encouraged him to "Think the Thinks you can Think" in a sandwich; which is timely since we just read Dr. Seuss. We made a sandwich based on everything he thought of adding.
TREX THINK THE THINK YOU CAN THINK SANDWICH
Prosciutto
Leftover stir fried cabbage (He didn't want veggies but the cool thing about being a mom to a 6 year old, whatever you say is fact, as long as you say it with confidence. I told him sandwiches must have veggies. The stir-fry was pushing it but It actually tasted good!)
Egg
Butter
Ketchup (he wanted tomatoes but we ran out, he said to substitute with ketchup)
Mayonnaise
Cheddar Cheese
Saint Albray soft cheese
2 slices of bread
1. Cut a hole on a slice of bread.
2. Melt butter in a pan, put the bread. Drop the cheddar cheese on the hole so it will melt and get crispy. Drop the egg on the hole until it's fried.
3. Grill the second bread slice, add mayo, soft cheese, veggies, prosciutto.
4. Put them together and press down with a griddle to make the edges crispy. Slice into small pieces so it is easier to hold.
The verdict: He said, "Mama, your sandwich is better than in restaurants. " After a few more bites, he said, "Are you a chef, mama?"
Bliss.