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The Sub Trend
Sunday, November 27, 2005

When the local area sprouted chain sub sandwich shops, I was quite skeptical. For years, I had been conditioned by the media and life in general to frequent fast food restaurants. I'm a product of my generation: some of the first people to grow up with fast food restaurants readily available all my life. And fast food restaurants make hamburgers! They don't dabble in subs. They don't serve salads, and they don't sport baked potatoes or soups. Fast food is supposed to be fast, but I also take for granted that it is also bad for you. These were the places that deep fried virtually everything and shoveled greasy burgers across the counter. Nothing about fast food could intersect with healthy food.

And when the sub shops first made their appearance, I didn't like them very much. They served up things that I could easily (and quickly) make at home. Meat choices were limited to salami, bologna, and ham. The bread was white. The cheese was some bland yellow contrivance that tasted as much like a sheet of plastic instead of cheese. Why, I asked myself, should I spend my hard-earned cash to have someone else fix me a cold-cut sandwich that I didn't really like all that well in the name of eating out? I couldn't think of very many reasons, and I stayed out of the sub restaurants for many years.

Then my children came along, and they gave me no choice. They drug me, kicking and screaming, into one sub restaurant after another. I was dismayed. These children who turned their noses up at lunchmeat sandwiches at home would beg to buy them when we were out. The family started heading to the sub places more often than I wanted to admit.

However, I was glad in the end. The sub restaurants have broadened their menus considerably. Instead of offering just the lowly sliced meat sandwiches on white buns, suddenly the sub restaurant serves a variety of breads, plain or toasted. The meat selection has broadened considerably to reflect the tastes of the American population. The toppings and condiments available seem to be more plentiful and have increased variety. Instead of a plain ham and cheese sandwich on a white bun, I now can enjoy a spicy roasted chicken affair on a honeyed whole grain bun. It's dripping with fresh lettuce and tomatoes, and I don't have to have any dressing on it at all if I'm trying to lose weight.

Moreover, there is now variety in the available side dishes. Instead of the overused chips made soggy in spots with the juice of the unwanted dill pickle, I can now indulge in an array of soups, sandwiches, and baked potatoes. It's turned the sub sandwich back into a quick meal that's fun to eat. Moreover, new chains have come to town. Sub sandwiches at these specialty shops bear little resemblance to the ham and cheese or bologna and ketchup creations of my childhood. There are meatball sandwiches, subs with chicken and bacon, and turkey, chicken and egg salad available.

The subs are making their way quickly into the list of fast food favorites. And what's more, many of the sub restaurants offer healthier alternatives than their hamburger cousins. The subs can easily be made low fat, and many restaurants are now offering low carb options as well. People have been freed from the tyranny of the plain sub sandwich and can now choose exactly what they want on their sandwich. It's a winning concept.

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