About Club Sandwich Reviews dot Com
Who am I?
My name is Evan Saunders and I love experiencing the evolution of the club sandwich throughout the world.
How did this all begin?
I travel. A lot. And while I’m constantly in a new environment thriving off its surroundings, sometimes I just need something that allows comfort to wash over me in an awesome wave, and for me that has always been the club sandwich. Before I started this blog, I found myself trying club sandwiches nearly everywhere; from airports, to cafes, to restaurants, to hotels, to pools, and everywhere in-between. I began to start comparing and contrasting these club sandwiches and realized each was unique. It was incredible that such a sandwich could be called the same thing around-the-world yet change dramatically at each location. How was this possible? Who let this happen? Out of this, ClubSandwichReviews.com was born. While I wish I could go back and review the 1000s of club sandwiches I’ve eaten world-wide, those will have to remain memories. From now on, however, each club sandwich I eat goes down in history and brings me one step closer to understanding the evolution of the club sandwich as a world-wide phenomenon.
How do club sandwiches differ?
While one might think the club sandwich has a distinct set of ingredients, club sandwiches are not created equal; they are a clear reflection of the creator’s favorite ingredients. I’ve often heard people declare “but there has to be a slice of bread in the center” or “a club sandwich doesn’t come with an egg” and while this might be accurate about the establishments these people visit, these are simply not universal standards. So how do they all differ? There’s no simple answer for that.
Alright then, what is a club sandwich?
After reading reviews on this site, it’s easy to see how club sandwiches differ so much. There might be a “traditional” version written about in the early 1900s, but one actually rarely gets exposed to this traditional version, and as such, referring to it as a true club sandwich loses credibility in our global marketplace.
So then, what really defines a club sandwich? How do I know I’m not just getting a turkey BLT (bacon, lettuce, and tomato)? This answer is a bit more confusing than the simple explanation Wikipedia offers. In the 21st century, there is simply no universal standard adopted by the masses.
The club sandwich is truly one of the only meals in this world that has no standard – in the world of food and cuisine, it is the ultimate contrarian truth: most people believe they know exactly what a club sandwich is, but I believe most people would find it hard to procure the club sandwich they describe as true.
So where did the club sandwich originate?
It’s hard to say exactly where the club originated, however many people have said it was created in the 1890’s at The Saratoga Club House, a private gentlemen only gambling club in New York. While there doesn’t seem to be hard evidence for this, it is clear over the 20th century that the sandwich gained popularity throughout private and/or country clubs.
Since the origin is a bit under debate, the recipe has transformed over the years (with little uproar) as the sandwich crossed the world and ended up in cafes, restaurants, hotels, and airports literally everywhere.
