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Sandwich Day
Nov 3
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
“A man's social rank is determined by the amount of bread he eats in a sandwich.”
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned, 1922
Really? Well then, how about a sandwich made up of 2 reels sandwiching a strathspey for 5 individual dancers? Times have certainly changed since 1762, when the sandwich as we know it was first popularized in England by John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. The Earl, deeply immersed in his card games, once requested a meal he could eat without leaving the table, and thus, the modern sandwich was born. By the time of the Revolutionary War, the sandwich was widely enjoyed in England, yet it didn’t make its American cookbook debut until 1815.Since then, the sandwich’s social standing has risen and fallen—from a refined option for ladies’ luncheons in the 1890s to the hearty staple of a worker’s lunchbox by the 1920s. And if the type of bread isn’t already a matter of debate, the food industry’s “sandwich wars” add more complexity. While the dictionary defines a sandwich as “an item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other filling between them,” this definition isn’t so simple across states and tax codes. In California, a hot dog is indeed a sandwich, yet in Massachusetts, a burrito is “sandwich-like” but absolutely not a sandwich. New York even taxes some sandwiches but not others. Too confusing? Then simply just sandwich your strathspey, and don't forget to feed those hungry dancers! 😜 🥪 🥬 🧀 🍅
The Strathspey Sandwich
November 3rd is Sandwich Day!
The sandwich is the namesake food creation of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th century English aristocrat who allegedly ordered his valet to bring him meat tucked between two pieces of bread, and others began to order "the same as Sandwich!" It is commonly said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards, particularly cribbage, while eating, without using a fork, and without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands.
Lord Sandwich was a great supporter of Captain James Cook. As First Lord of the Admiralty, Sandwich approved funds for Cook’s second and third expeditions in the Pacific Ocean. In honour of Sandwich, Captain Cook named the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) after him, as well as Montague Island off the south east coast of Australia, the South Sandwich Islands in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, and Montague Island in the Gulf of Alaska.
Instead of a corresponding recipe, we have a visually stunning set of 50 favorite sandwiches, sumptuously titled, "THESE ARE THE 50 GREATEST SANDWICHES EVER KNOWN TO MAN." Click the portrait of the Earl of Sandwich to scroll through a stunning array of sandwich pictures. Your favorite is bound to be included.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
