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The BLT: What's not to like?

What a sandwich. Every component is crunchy, assuming the bacon was cooked enough and the tomatoes aren't too ripe. It's only one of two sandwiches where bacon is the star, the other being the bacon sandwich (A breakfast sandwich, popular in the Headrick household during the 80s and 90s, comprised of bacon and hot buttered toast. Apparently, Brits call this a "bacon butty.").

It's the only sandwich I can think of that's an acronym, and allows for fun variations, such as the BLAT, which adds avocado, from New Mexico's Owl Cafe. If I could think of appetizing ingredients starting with U and R, I would invent a BLURT sandwich.

The inclusion of lettuce and tomato in the title is an anomaly that I've given some thought to. Perhaps it's a way of showing some love to a pair of sandy fillings that are too-often taken for granted. I mean, there's a ham and cheese, but no HCLT, even though a ham and cheese often includes lettuce and tomato.

I think the name is likelier a clever way of making an unhealthy sandwich sound good for you. Essentially, this is a bacon delivery vehicle, with toast and mayo for bonus carb and fat points. But the bacon aspect is downplayed by the vegetables. Sure, it's got bacon in it, but that's only one third of the equation. I'm getting fiber and vitamins, too! And whatever the hell anti-oxidants are! Of course, the bacon remains out front as the sandy's big draw. I suspect whoever named the BLT was brilliant. It's a name that has it both ways — healthy and tasty — in the same manner as a taco salad.

It's cheap, too. Often, a BLT costs less than say, a turkey sandwich.

Wikipedia is accurate 99.999% of the time, but its BLT entry contains an error, saying toasting the bread is optional. This is incorrect; toasting is a must.

A BLT from Friends on The Boulevard of Death was my lunch today, as it is many days. It's convenient, but I know better BLTs are out there. Anyone know where?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Yay! A post! I thought I might have to find some way to get through the entire month of September without any insightful sandwich news, and the idea wasn't sitting too well with me, let me tell ya!

BLTs+Avocado (BLATs, as you call them) are insanely popular in Texas as well, particularly with my mom. heh. She doesn't like the idea of a BLT sans avocado. It's delicious.

Anyway, glad to see you post again. You were missed.
SkyWriter said…
My fav - BLT - finally gets some love on It's What's Between. Bonus points for the Friends mention!
Alex Headrick said…
Vanessa - Interesting. I was led, perhaps naively, to believe the BLAT was unique to a particular restaurant in Albuquerque. We even made a point of getting a BLAT there on our biannual ABQ trips. Today a certain "Shelley P" mentioned having had a BLAT recently, so I guess it really is a Texas thing. Your mom is very wise.

SkyWriter - Today I tried Hot Bially's BLT and I've gotta say it stands up to Friends'. Friends still wins for reasons I may or may not blog about, but HBs is not to be overlooked, despite being at least a block further away.
Awesome post. And delicious. So what about Guac instead of mayo and avacado? That sounds delicious. mmmmmm they could call it the GLBT. With or Without political affiliation...
Alex Headrick said…
TFD - I am so down with replacing mayo with guac, pretty much in every circumstance. The GLBT sandwich you just invented is a stroke of genius. Equality and deliciousness in a sandy.

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