jeanie

It is now the time for love

Stella Martinez and the sandwitch

Contemporary sociologists speak about the phenomena of the baby boomers being sandwiched between the generations. On the top slice we find the parents shuffling into their senior years, oblivious if they are rye, sourdough, or whole wheat. The bottom slice is the children of the boomers, often accompanied with their own children. These genetic reenactments, who still expect to be served their sandwich, play with their food, rolling it into balls to fling at one another or choke on. As a baby boomer sandwich, I think it is important to identify what kind of sandwich we are being likened to.

I have friends who are definitely in the club sandwich genera. They have so many layers of life crammed between the slices that they have to dismantle whole portions to get a satisfying bite. Those little toothpicks with the colorful frilly tops....they play an important role in keeping everything together while they turn their back for a moment. Then there are those who are the Rubens. Hearty pastrami folk smothered in sauerkraut and dressing, their lives oozing out with every bite, forever wiping the chins of their parents, children and grandchildren. Some friends I notice are more fortunate, they live a petit-forte sandwich life.... tidy, the edges trimmed uniformly, the parents respectfully dead and buried, children and grandchildren well mannered, dressed in white spotless dresses and shirt fronts.

Me? I believe I am of the grilled cheese variety.... not the all American Cheese pasteurized ersatz kind...think Tillamook Cheddar.... My bread gets buttered on both sides, I melt easily but must be tended for fear of burning. The top side is my mother, heated to a toasty golden amber. Delightful and eye catching...savory. The bottom side is a different flavor. Depending on my resiliency at the moment, it can represent my frustration with children, Tomas, the upstairs toilet, the tire collection out back...then this side of my life sandwich smolders on the griddle to the point of near combustion and the smoke alarm screams. Regardless of the situation, though, presentation is key to being any sandwich... thus Teflon and parsley are staples. Scrape off the carbon, place it face down on the plate, add the parsley sprig and no will ever know the difference until the first bite. And by then, we're on to a new recipe.