September 6, 2018

If you grew up in this country, you may not realize that ordering food here is a complex process that takes many years to master. Why? Because Americans LOVE feelin’ the freedom to choose whatever the hell they want. So, the restaurants are used to offering a million different ways to customize the orders, just so that their patrons can feel empowered.

owever, of course, in the vast majority of cases, chefs can make better choices for customers (because, after all, they are professionals), but that does not matter for Americans. The enjoyment of freedom is more important than how the food tastes.

n this sense, sandwich is the most American of all foods. For each component—bread, meat, vegetable, cheese, and condiment—there are countless choices. To be able to order one competently, you’d have to know what all the choices mean. Then toasted or cold. Cut in half or not. Etc... After arriving to New York, it took me at least a year to be able to order a sandwich. Before that, I would fail the interrogation at some point and leave the store feeling defeated because the clerk behind the counter would yell “Next!” while I’m trying to figure out how to answer his last question.

In Japan where freedom does not have religious significance, pretty much everything is grab-n-go or point-n-get. No need to talk to anyone. People respect the expertise and the artistry of the chefs, hence no custom options.

Even here in America, the chefs who know what they are doing do not offer custom options. At BYGGYZ, you just point your finger at the menu and you are done ordering. No freedom for freedom’s sake.

sandwich #americanfood #freedom #nycfood #nycfoodie #nyceats