My Club sandwich

Went to a roadfood type place today, not too far from here. Ordered a Turkey Club sandwich, it came out quickly, looked very good, MY BIG PROBLEM, was NO BACON on it. I called the waitress over and said, where is the bacon?? She said we don't put bacon on Turkey Clubs, I said, I've been eating these kinds of sandwiches all my life, I've never heard of that. I told her no bacon, no way. She got me 3 measly slices, no charge, was nice about it, as was I. My question to you all is, have you ever seen a Turkey Club with no bacon?

No.
 
Bacon is as definitional part of a Club Sandwich as the extra piece of bread, the quarter cut, and the toothpicks holding the thing together.

Was there a detailed listing on the menu?  If so, was bacon mentioned/not mentioned?  No bacon on a club sandwich is a first for me, too.  
About a year ago I had ordered a Patty Melt at a burger place in NYC and they used rye bread (which I feel is the right and only way to go) but the cheese was American, not Swiss and there weren't any grilled onions on it.  Those last two completely flummoxed me!
 
The most egregious error that I ever experienced was about 16 years ago when I ordered a Reuben sandwich to go at a sandwich shop in my hometown of Rome, NY.  Granted, CNY is not, nor will ever be known as a bastion of Jewish deli food, I figured that if it was on the menu then they had some idea how to make one.  
 
They put the clamshell container on the counter and when I slid it towards me I noticed it felt, well, somewhat light.  Upon opening it and surveying the contents here is what I found: 1 slice of rye bread, 1 slice of corned beef, 1 slice of Swiss cheese and 1 slice of rye bread.  I asked them what it was and they replied that it was a Reuben to which I replied that it barely qualified as a sandwich let alone a Reuben!  Where's the Russian dressing?  Where's the coleslaw or sauerkraut?  And to only put 1 slice of meat and cheese?  Seriously?  What sandwich shop owner would think they could slide by with such minimal effort?  
 
I refused to pay and walked out still hungry, never to return.  That place became one of those "Bermuda Triangles of retail" that always seemed to change hands and nothing could ever stay in business there for more than a year.  Rant over!

MetroplexJim


No.

Bacon is as definitional part of a Club Sandwich as the extra piece of bread, the quarter cut, and the toothpicks holding the thing together.

What he said.

No bacon? Consider it God's punishment.

Michael Hoffman


No bacon? Consider it God's punishment.

Or maybe Allah's.

Some of the sub shops around here offer a "club"- ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo and american cheese. No way!!! The real club sandwiches of my youth are kinda disappearing around here-I can rarely find them on a menu anymore.

billyboy

 I ordered a Reuben sandwich to go at a sandwich shop in my hometown of Rome, NY.  Granted, CNY is not, nor will ever be known as a bastion of Jewish deli food, I figured that if it was on the menu then they had some idea how to make one.   

 
I could never think of a stack of meat with melted cheese as "Jewish deli food".  I know that the vast majority of delis are not Kosher (even the ones in NYC), to me, cheese and "deli" don't jibe.  
 
 

What about Reuben sandwiches?  Many of the non-Kosher Jewish delis in NYC offer them.  I've always thought that Jewish delis and Kosher delis could co-exist (though obviously NOT in the same space!)

billyboy


What about Reuben sandwiches?  Many of the non-Kosher Jewish delis in NYC offer them.  I've always thought that Jewish delis and Kosher delis could co-exist (though obviously NOT in the same space!)

In my mind, a Reuben is diner food.  As for delis, I associate Jewish Delis with my grandparents, who were ALL kosher.  Just the smell of smoked meat that hits you when I walk into a deli has me thinking "kosher"- and by that, I mean NO DAIRY- even if said deli is not Kosher (like Katz's).
 
I do not, have never and will never keep Kosher.  But some things are just ingrained in me- and one of them is milk with meat.  It actually repulses me.  Deep seeded Jewish guilt perhaps?  There are exceptions, of course, the biggest of which is cheeseburgers.  Yes, I understand that this makes absolutely NO sense, but very little of the human psyche does.  If that human is a New York Jew, then all bets are off. 

Bob's best friend is Kosher, and you will never see a Reuban in his life. While I love a good Reuban once in awhile, Steve has educated us on the simplicity of good, kosher pastrami and/or  corned beef on rye. Cheese, never.

I have many Jewish friends in NYC who feel that non-Kosher delis in NYC are not really Jewish delis yet they don't keep Kosher themselves.  I asked them if that meant they were not themselves truly Jewish.  They responded that there are different sects and levels of practice which was sort of the point I was trying to make.  Amazing the hold that our memories and nostalgia has on us!

chewingthefat


Went to a roadfood type place today, not too far from here. Ordered a Turkey Club sandwich, it came out quickly, looked very good, MY BIG PROBLEM, was NO BACON on it. I called the waitress over and said, where is the bacon?? She said we don't put bacon on Turkey Clubs, I said, I've been eating these kinds of sandwiches all my life, I've never heard of that. I told her no bacon, no way. She got me 3 measly slices, no charge, was nice about it, as was I. My question to you all is, have you ever seen a Turkey Club with no bacon?

As Groucho Marx once said............I wouldn't want to join a club that would have me as  a member...............and i don't want to eat a Turkey Club w/o Bacon