Jan-Feb-2016_Final-1-4-16-attempt2

the Around the World issue

Breaking Bread

Francesinha, Portugal This Portuguese sandwich — the Little Frenchie — is similar to France’s Croque Monsieur. Sausage or steak can be substituted for ham, and a tomato and beer sauce is added on top. Bosna, Austria A brat served on grilled white bread with onions and mustard. Bánh mì, Vietnam A classic bánh mì features Vietnamese cold cuts, liver pâté, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, cucumber and radish slices on a small baguette spread with thick mayo. It’s the Vietnamese version of a po-boy (or maybe our po-boy is a version of their bánh mì). Hot Chicken Sandwich, Quebec, Canada A shredded chicken breast sandwich topped with a massive amount of gravy, eaten with boiled peas and French fries. Döner Kebab, Turkey Beef, chicken, lamb or veal cooked on a vertical spit, sliced and served in pita bread and topped with onions, pickled cucumber, tomatoes and lettuce. Gyro, Greece

Croque Monsieurs and Madames, France “A few years ago, some friends and I went on a trip to Europe. One of our stops was Paris, which I visited briefly on a family trip when I was just out of high school. I was excited to spend a little more time there this go-round, especially being a little older and wiser (appreciating culture was not always high on my travel to-do lists at 17!) While in Paris, we tried to eat at more offbeat places that didn’t seem to be catering to tourists. That meant a lot of guessing at menus that didn’t have English translations. (I took Spanish in school and so have very limited French language skills, but I listened to podcast French lessons in my car for a few months before we traveled!) At lunch one day I ordered a croque monsieur only knowing that “monsieur” meant “sir,” so I was not overly sure what I was ordering. What came out was a very nice looking ham and cheese sandwich, which I was pleased with (I would definitely be able to eat it!) but a little underwhelmed by. At least until I took a bite. Oh my goodness! Who knew a ham sandwich could be so good? With buttery bread and some extra cheese sprinkled on top, there’s just something special about a croque monsieur. I was hooked! I ordered another a few days later at lunch. And then my mind wandered ... what about Monsieur’s counterpart, Madame? The next day I ordered one; she came out with an egg on top — icing on the cake! We returned from Europe, and one day, when I was making my usual turkey sandwich on wheat bread, I found myself so disappointed by how ordinary it seemed. Where was the thick, rich ham? Where was the buttery bread? It dawned on me that I had to try to make an easy lunchtime version of the croque monsieur. I ordered ham from Rouses cold cuts counter thicker than usual, pulled out my panini press, spread some Brummel and Brown on my bread and made myself an admittedly low-rent version of a croque monsieur. It was a little bit of Paris on my lunch-break.” —Ali Rouse Royster, 3 rd Generation

“The best sandwich I ever had was a lamb gyro from a hole-in-the-wall place on Santorini that was smaller than my office. Gyros are made with meat (beef, pork, lamb or chicken), cooked on a tall vertical rotisserie. The meat is shaved and rolled in a pita with tomatoes, onions, French Fries and tzatziki, a yogurt-based sauce.” —Tim, Rouses Marketing Director Bauru, Brazil The classic Bauru is a hollowed-out French bread roll with roast beef, melted mozzarella cheese and sliced tomato. Pickles are optional. Torta and Cemita, Mexico Bread is themaindifferencebetween these twosandwiches. A torta is sliced avocado, meat, white cheese, onions, herbs and salsa roja served on a crusty roll; a cemita is essentially the same ingredients served on a sesame-seeded bread or roll. Add Rouses olive salad for a Cemita-Muffaletta. Pepito, Costa Rica I did a study program in Coasta Rica when I was an undergraduate at Nicholls State University. I’m a grocery geek, so I made sure to visit the mercado (market), and Feria Verde (Green Farmers Market). Wewere college students on a budget, sowe ate a lot of rice and beans, and pepitos, which are sandwiches made with seasoned beef, mashed avocado, lettuce, tomato, carrots, cabbage and a pink sauce, salsa rosada (a combination of mayonnaise and ketchup). —Blake Richard, 3 rd Generation

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2016