Month: October 2006

What is the quintessential American sandwich? I can think of a few candidates..

Bologna and American cheese on white bread with yellow mustard and mayonnaise. Mayo optional. For bonus points use Oscar Meyer Bologna, Kraft Singles, Wonderbread, Frenches mustard and Miracle Whip. Substitute Gouldens mustard if you’re feeling “spicy.” Just about everyone I know grew up eating this sandwich in their school lunchbox. It’s simple and easy to make, so it’s the perfect food to make for your kids.

Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff on white bread. Another American lunchbox classic, but many parents won’t feed it to their kids regularly because of the high amount of sugar. But the sugar count does scream, “American!”

Philly cheese steak. You can find this sandwich just about every place that makes sandwiches, but there are many variations (the real one is made from cheese whiz). Might be slightly too “regional” to be all-American tho.

Dynavax is set to release a hay fever injection that will give hay fever sufferers 2 years of protection against the allergen. From the article: “Dina said that based on the current hay fever market, which is worth about $10 billion, the company expects a successful vaccine to be a blockbuster.”

Here’s some food for thought about the grass industry (in Oregon).. “In 1999 the “farm gate” value [of grass seed] was nearly $350 million. Grass seed companies added about 33% or $100 million in research, production and marketing services bringing the total value to over $450 million…” “Approximately 3,500 people are employed directly on Oregon’s grass seed farms. The industry is directly responsible for an additional 6,500 non-farm jobs.”

I know it’s not fair to compare Oregon to the rest of the nation, but Oregon is the largest producer of grass seed. $450 million vs. $10 billion is something to think about.. And how many hay fever sufferers are there for every person employed by the grass seed industry?

I’m just glad I don’t live in the valley any more..