Squashed Blueberry Sandwich

When I was a little girl, my father introduced me to a sandwich. Yes, a sandwich. I remember sitting at my grandmother's kitchen table in Vienna, Austria, watching my father grab some ingredients and telling me he was going to make me the best sandwich I've ever tasted. It was sandwich he ate as a little boy in Poland. I was skeptical, but I went along with it. He took a warm, crusty roll and slathered it with butter. Then he added some sugar and topped it off with beautiful, juicy, blueberries. He wrapped it in a cloth and handed it to me, "sit on it" he said.

"What? Why would I sit on my sandwich?" I replied.

"It's part of making the sandwich. Just sit on it." he insisted as he put his wrapped sandwich on the bench and sat down.

I reluctantly sat on my sandwich, thinking my father is the craziest person alive. After a little while he told me to get up and he put the sandwiches on the table. He slowly unwrapped them and proudly showed me our work. Two flat rolls, oozing with blueberry juice. I took one bite and WHAM!, I was hooked. It was the most amazing thing I had ever tasted. It was warm, sweet, crunchy and just plain delicious. Every time we visited Vienna after that, my father made me a squashed blueberry sandwich. I looked forward to the time spent with my dad making this culinary delight.

Years later, in fact, just yesterday, I was at my parent's house and my father said he had something for me. My daughter J was playing in the other room and he hands me a sandwich wrapped in a paper towel.

"Just sit on it," he told me.

I laughed and sat on it. A few moments later I jumped up, fearing the blueberry juice would be all over my pants. Crises averted. I had lept up in time to avoid the juice oozing through the paper towel. I unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. It is usually difficult to relive a memory. The butter, rolls and blueberries in California today are not the same as Europe 30 years ago. My grandmother has long passed and age has made me a bit more cynical. But, for a moment, I was transported to a time when everything was a possibility, adventure existed in the little things and I wasn't worried about getting blueberry juice on my pants. It still tasted good, and when I offered a bite to J, she just looked at it and said, "No thank you, later in the afternoon" and she bounded off. When she is a little older, I will introduce her properly to the squashed blueberry sandwich. Until then, it belongs to my dad and I.

SQUASHED BLUEBERRY SANDWICH RECIPE

1 Roll (crusty, French roll works the best)
Butter (as much as you enjoy)
Sugar (enough for a thin layer)
Blueberries (as many as you can pile on one side of the roll)

Slice open roll.
Heat if desired.
Spread butter on one half.
Add a layer of sugar on butter.
Top with blueberries (just enough so they don't roll out).
Cover with other half of roll.
Wrap in a paper towel, napkin or cloth.
Squash. The preferred method is to sit on it.
Unwrap and enjoy!