Eureka!

Doubtless most people do not find my life to be one of amazing accomplishments. Of course, I agree. While I would not consider myself a failure -- I certainly am not a stand-out in any area. In most things of importance I am a proficient at best. However, I have long been searching for the perfect hoagie. Call it a sub, grinder, whatever. I have tried and eaten many sandwiches in my pursuit to find the perfect one. In Philadelphia -- home to the original hoagie, I actually found a near perfect meal. The place, Primo hoagies, was just a 10 minute walk from our Center City digs. They only made sandwiches from 10 AM until they were out of bread. But, the most amazing sandwiches came out of that little hole in the wall. My favorite was the Pasquale. Mmmm...delicious. It was one of those sandwiches where you had to order just a small to medium size because it was so good that to eat too much of it might make you feel sick and you'd never want to associate "that" feeling with that sandwich. But, since moving from Philly, I just haven't found anything close to the Primo hoagie experience. I've been to quite a few Italian delis, and even though the sandwiches are good -- it's not the same, not quite right. The bread is always too hard and crusty, or the cheese is too strong...always something. I'd pretty much given up -- thinking that I'd just keep the Primo hoagie memory as the only happy thought from the Philadelphia years. (Read: that's why Denise was such a fatty.)

But then, just the other day, I was working at SmartNoise and needed to grab a quick lunch because I could see I just wasn't going to get time to go home. I grabbed Caroline's hand and threw Eliza in the Bjorn and headed across No. Barry to a relatively new deli called Guy's. I saw that they made an Italian special -- so I thought, "What the hey?" I ordered. In no time, Guy had my sandwich wrapped in white paper and the girls and I were back across the street greeting the next wave of clients. An hour later I remembered my sandwich. Having been disappointed many times by the contents of similarly wrapped packages but feeling the hunger pangs that only other nursing mothers understand, I unwrapped my "Italian." I bit into the soft but aromatic bread. Oh yeah! It was soooo good. Just the right combination of meats and cheeses. No weird spreads, mustards, or mayonnaises to muddle with the flavors. Just a little vinegar and oil. And to think...right across the street from my own business. The only thing that could make it any better would be if I could get them to give me a neighbor's discount! Now THAT would be an accomplishment.