Sitting on a bench in front of the 700 building, I felt the duality of a Californian winter slowly turning over. The wind, much calmer than even just a week ago, washed over my face while the sun warmed it.
The image of a beach came to mind, of waves crashing on rugged coves, then receding with no sense of urgency at all.
My lunch was a “Kano” sandwich, consisting of turkey, lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, red cabbage, red onion, avocado, mustard, and, most notably, “house spread”, on buttered and toasted white bread.
“Is Kano supposed to be Hawaiian?” I asked myself. I didn’t give myself time to ponder the name before unwrapping my sandwich.
Besides the house spread, you could assume, based on my description, that this sandwich is really very unremarkable, just a humble turkey sandwich. However, when accounting for the spread, my lunch became a lot more intriguing.
Spread onto the top piece of toasted white bread was the esteemed condiment, making contact with the provolone, just above the turkey. It had a suspiciously purple, grape-jelly-esque color and translucency. It was sweet, it was sticky, and it was confusing.
I want to be clear that this sandwich is not bad nor disgusting, but it left me with so many unanswered questions. Was this an attempt towards tropicality? Is it even actually “housemade”? What the hell is even in this spread? What if I were allergic to it?
Partly because I hadn’t eaten breakfast before leaving the house, and because the sandwich cost me $10.75, I finished it.
Looking back on the sandwich, I see now that it was perfectly and entirely mediocre. I cannot recall a bad thing about it (besides the thicker cut of the avocado), as the only thing that comes to mind is the “house spread.”
I wish I could discuss the flavor of the other components, but there’s just no way. Partly because of the ordinary nature of all the other ingredients, and partly because I was too preoccupied trying to decipher what the mystery ingredient was.
I recommend trying this sandwich. Having experienced too much uncertainty in my choice, I don’t see myself buying it again.
5/10 in taste
5/10 in structure
8/10 in originality
Total score of 18/30.
