It’s National Sandwich Day! That means it’s the 293rd birthday of John Montagu, or as he is more popularly known, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. His legacy is creating the glorious food item (food group, really), in which we stuff many things betwixt two slices of bread. This would later become bastardized by the invention of Hot Pockets and other sloth-friendly grub. In honor of this great day, we give you our ode to pop culture sandwiches past the break. Leave us your favorites — or favorite sandwich fixins so we can all consider new things to stuff our maws with, Liz Lemon style — below.
Friends’ “The One with Ross’s Sandwich”
Ross has a mental breakdown when his boss “accidentally” eats his Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich. Dubbed the “moist maker,” because of its delightful extra slice of gravy-soaked bread in the middle, Ross loses his grip over the mishap and is forced to see a psychiatrist for anger management therapy.
The Simpsons’ “Selma’s Choice”
“Marge, I’d like to be alone with the sandwich for a moment.”
Homer is no stranger to sandwiches, and in “Selma’s Choice” he brought home a 10-foot hoagie that took him several days to eat. The thing gets moldy and disgusting and at one point Marge finds it stored behind the radiator. That’s dedication! Watch part of the episode in German for extra existential sandwich angst.
The Elvis
Behold, the King’s favorite sandwich: fried peanut butter and banana. For years, people have debated whether or not Elvis included bacon in the mix — about as much as people have debated whether he’s still alive and hiding in a Walmart somewhere. Here’s one variation on the gooey recipe.
Blondie’s Dagwood Bumstead
How did Dagwood land a babe like Blondie? It must have been his insatiable appetite … for giant sandwiches. Life’s tough when you’re set to inherit the family fortune, but they disown you for marrying a flapper. Obscenely sized sandwiches cure what ails you. And your own sandwich shop chain.
The Cosby Show’s Cliff Huxtable
Sandwich connoisseur Cliff Hustable never met a hoagie he didn’t like. In “Cliff’s Nightmare,” the great doctor eats a sausage sandwich at 3am that doesn’t agree with him and induces some strange dreams.
30 Rock’s “Sandwich Day”
Don’t get between Liz Lemon and her sandwich. She will cut you. And eat the foil later.
The Golden Girls’ “Take Him, He’s Mine”
In another one of her awesome get rich quick schemes, everyone’s favorite feisty grandma Sophia goes into business with Rose selling sandwiches on the boardwalk. Her competition, who goes by the name of “Johnny No Thumbs,” doesn’t take too kindly to her bacon, lettuce and potato sandwiches mucking up his business.
Curb Your Enthusiasm’s “The Larry David Sandwich”
Larry’s deli names a sandwich after him, but he’s totally disgusted by it. The offending concoction consists of white fish, sable, capers, onions, and cream cheese — which really does sound like the perfect sandwich for the comedian. In typical Larry fashion, he thinks he can pass it off onto poor Ted Danson, whose sandwich is a “classic.”
I Love Lucy’s “Lucy Hires a Maid”
When Ricky hires Lucy a maid to help out after little Ricky is born, she has a hard time establishing herself as the boss. The domineering woman sets her own hours and rules — and even tries to control what kind of sandwich Lucy should be eating: a sloppy peanut butter mess. To try to convince the maid to quit, Lucy and pal Ethel trash the apartment and smear peanut butter all over the kitchen — but they don’t know that Ricky already fired her. Typical Lucy oops, but one of the classics.
Seinfeld’s “The Blood”
“So, she didn’t appreciate the erotic qualities of the salted cured meats?”
George persuades his girlfriend to incorporate food into their lovemaking after her vanilla-scented incense makes him hungry. A pastrami sandwich becomes the object of his arousal, which he tries to convince the missus is something used in Nine 1/2 Weeks. (Or maybe Ghostbusters.)