I Will NEVER Eat A Sandwich From Walgreens
I’ve been made fun of a lot in the comments since I decided to not eat one of those terrible looking, shrink wrapped sandwiches from the Walgreens in Times Square. For any of you who may have missed it, I’ll briefly recap: awhile back, I posted that if there was something you were afraid to try in Midtown you could “dare” me to eat it, and I would be happy to oblige. Whether it was banana sushi from a generic deli, or steak from Tad’s, or a beef liver sandwich from a cart, the idea was that I would be more than willing to try something that a Midtown Lunch’er was curious about, but didn’t want to eat themselves.
I was dared to eat a sandwich from the new Walgreens in Times Square- and fully intended to eat it, until I got there and discovered that the sandwiches were actually pre-processed and shipped from Massachusetts. It was like being dared to eat a Lean Cuisine or a Stouffer’s Pizza, and I thought it went against the spirit of the original “service” I agreed to provide. I put my foot down and decided not to eat it.
Most of the abuse and jokes about my not eating the sandwich are easily laughed off (I’m a big boy, and this is the life I’ve chosen), but yesterday one comment really bugged me:
“Zach, it’s just a damn sandwich! : ) All right. I’m going to get on my soapbox now. (Violins playing in background) I get the whole thing of not eating anything that’s less than delicious. But there is something a wee bit spoiled about refusing to eat something that’s probably not super yummy because it’s shrink-wrapped and it won’t be as heavenly as Panda Express (which still stumps me). Maybe it’s because I’ve been to a lot of third-world countries where a lot of the people don’t have this privilege of choosing what and where to eat. At the end of the day, it’s just nourishment. We’re lucky enough to be in a position where we can make choices. End soapbox. So, Zach, I really think you shouldn’t have chickened out on the bet. –Boo”
Really? That’s where you want to go with this? Midtown Lunch is more of a fun site, and doesn’t really ever get serious (mostly because I don’t think anybody wants to hear about my political or social views about anything, you just want to read about places to eat lunch), but this one I had to respond to.
The comment I posted in response to “Boo” is after the jump…
Are you freaking joking? This is your defense of a shrink wrapped, pre-processed sandwich sold by a Times Square drugstore? I should eat this because we’re lucky to live in the one of the richest countries in the world? That is just stupid. By that rationale, I shouldn’t say anything tastes bad on this website. I should just be happy we have access to it?
Panda Express is one of my guilty pleasures… I admit it. And there’s no defending it. But at least it tastes good. I didn’t eat Walgreens because I knew it wouldn’t taste good. Make a fresh sandwich in your drug store, and wrap it in shrink wrap and I’ll eat it. Pump something full of preservatives and ship it across country to be eaten two weeks after it was assembled? No thanks. You want to find something to be pissed off about in this country, there it is.
I agree with you that we should be incredibly happy living in the USA… and I have done plenty of food traveling to countries much poorer than this one, that has made me very appreciative of what we have access to. But eating a sandwich from Walgreens doesn’t support that thinking in any way. Personally I would rather eat at the carts and restaurants run by people who came from these third world countries (and send money back to their families there), then buy a shrink wrapped sandwich from Walgreens.
He then responded with this:
@ Zach — Unless I’m mistaken, didn’t you agree to eat a Walgreens sandwich during a bet? I’m not saying you should eat the sandwich of your own free will when you have lots of other great things to choose from. But to go back on your words because you don’t want to eat a shrink-wrapped processed sandwich is kind of lame. It’s not like we’re asking you to eat what Andrew Zimmern ate on Bizarre Foods last night. To be perfectly honest, your vehemence of your disapproval of the Walgreen sandwich sounds a bit petty. Then again, that’s my opinion, and it’s your site and your body and you will choose what to do. But I think there are a lot of people on this site who would love to see you eat the sandwich and give feedback.
Boo – I would *gladly* eat every single thing that Andrew Zimmern has eaten on Bizarre Foods, over eating the Walgreens Sandwich. (And that includes the blood milkshake he ate on Wednesday night.)
I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it again… if they made the sandwiches fresh in the Walgreens- (or even somewhere in New York state!!!) I would gladly give them a chance. But why would I try a sandwich that was made in Boston two weeks ago, shrink wrapped and shipped to Times Square? In what bizzarro world would that be something that *anybody* would ever want to eat? Blondie and Brownie and Wined and Dined both tried the sandwiches and agreed they would never go back. I think that is plenty of “feedback” for anybody who is truly interested…
I considered going and eating [the sandwich] to shut everybody up, but now- you know what. I’m taking a stand. I’m NEVER eating that sandwich. It’s not about being worried that I’ll get sick (I’m sure I won’t) or even caring whether or not it tastes good or not. It’s about knowing- without even trying it- that it is nothing that any self respecting Midtown Lunch’er would ever want to eat.
And that’s the end of that. Now back to your regularly scheduled, Midtown Lunch frivolity.
(There was more nonsense about “By your logic, Treats Truck shouldn’t be on this site either” because they bake their cookies outside of Midtown, but it’s not even worth reprinting. If you’re interested you can just read it yourself in the comments.)
Posted by Zach Brooks at 10:15 am, April 16th, 2009 under Airing of Grievances, Dare.
55 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
55 Comments
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This is Boo, the one that “bugged” Zack. For the most part, Midtown Lunch is supposed to be a “fun” site. Yeah, by who’s account? By all the people who mercilessly attack the profiled people on Tuesday? By becoming so angry at a restaurant like Free Foods because you think it’s so expensive?. It’s clear that you don’t understand the economics behind serving food that is organic quality ingredients. They probably make a lot less money than Baja Fresh. Bigger and cheaper doesn’t mean better. But isn’t that the American way?
And what the hell is this what a Midtown lunch is and how a Walgreens sandwich doesn’t qualify? If you think Midtown lunch is supposed to be about cheap, tasty food from independent restaurants, there is absolutely no room for that dreck that Baja Fresh and Panda Express serves. McDonalds is foul. Why should Baja Fresh and Panda Express be any different? Because they’re not mainstream in NYC? Please! It’s the same crap. There are MUCH, MUCH tastier options out there than that. But Midtown Lunch is about reporting all the different options in Midtown so people have a CHOICE. So as long as you can find it in Midtown, whether it’s a national chain, local mom and pop, underground lunch in an apartment, or your street cart, that’s what a Midtown lunch is.
I do find the spoiled attitude toward food (and other things) to be a really sad commentary about how entitled a lot of people think they are. People need to keep things in perspective. At the end of the day, it’s just food. Zach had to eat a sandwich on a dare to which he AGREED to. Nobody put a gun to his head. Then to rescind his words because he thought it wasn’t good enough for him? I’ll bet that there are a lot of hungry folks out there (whether it would be in NYC or in Haiti) would LOVE to eat that Walgreen’s sandwich. Hunger is a really serious problem, and I find it disgusting that people can be so cavalier about their attitudes toward food. Sorry if I burst a lot of your rose-colored glass outlook about your next meal.
I wouldn’t have been upset by Zach’s actions if he decided to go to Walgreens on his own, looked at the sandwich and said no. But to say no after he agreed to do it on a dare because of the whole shrink-wrapped nonsense? Does that make Zach a person with principles? Does that make him a hero in your eyes because he has standards? If you really think about it for a long time, it shows a lack of maturity. It’s not the inaction of eating the sandwich that bothers me as much as the principles behind driving the decision. Maybe it’s because I’m much older than Zach and the general ML audience that my views are really different. The attitude that I see displayed here is not congruous to my own views on life. It’s obvious that I’m not a good fit for this site. Does that mean I won’t ever read this site nor comment on it? No. There’s some useful information I have garnered coming here. Not coming here because I don’t agree with Zach and his comrades just hurts myself.
And I know you are all cheering out there, but I will say nothing more on this matter as I don’t have the energy to waste on this issue.
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Oh god, if it helps, I take back the dare. It was really a joke to begin with, because who the hell wants to eat a generic sandwich from a pharmacy unless they were starving to death?! And clearly, no one in Midtown is starving… except maybe the girls over at Conde.
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don’t you start hating on treats truck or it will be ON! and i’ll only eat another bite of that crap if you paid me enough to treat myself and several friends to a night out.
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Hey Boo, DocChuck, Peter Lusk and Angela are waiting to give you a warm welcome over in the bottomless pit of self-righteous Midtown Lunch commenters
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I agree with Zach regarding the out-of-state Walgreen’s Sandwich.
While ML’s mission is to recommend lunches under $10 within specific
boundaries “Koreatown to Central Park & 3rd Ave. to 8th Ave.” I
believe that there are a couple more parameters that are implied:1) Zach does not need to be Zimmern, a circus side-show, eat cookies
off the sidewalk or eat 2-week old food that probably belongs in a
homeless outreach program.2) The food should be good, or at least something that a Midtown
worker would want to eat for lunch, possibly each week. Clearly
“good” is a very subjective concept but I think it can be broken down
into a few components:-Unexpectedly cheap (and difficult?) (e.g. free food lineups, or taking
a long lunch to get 6/$1.25 dumplings in Chinatown)-Very tasty (e.g. your favorite hangover food or fine French restaurant)
-Very fast or easy (e.g. the deli in the lobby of your building)
-Super-healthy lunch
As far as I can tell the dreaded Walgreen’s Sandwich meets none of the above criteria for 99.9% of all ML’ers. Let’s let Zach save his valuable (albeit ample :-) stomach real-estate for reviewing something that is worthy of eating on a (semi-) regular basis for lunch.
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Boo get a fucking life and take that fucking pickle out of your ass.
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Even though I promised not to say anything more, I’ve got one thing to say to Mamacita.
I have never used that type of language with anybody on this site.
Mamacita, may I suggest you grow up?
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Nope. The internets is serious stuff.
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“For the most part, Midtown Lunch is supposed to be a “fun” site. Yeah, by who’s account?”
Boo,
It’s Zach site. It’s not a democracy. Anytime Zach wants, he can hit the delete key. Consider yourself lucky your comments are still here.
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……jesus mary & the gay guy…war & peace over a bloody butty.
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Know Walgreen’s Sandwich, Know Peace!
No Walgreen’s Sandwich, no Peace!
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This is incredible. Its so much better than working. I think I ultimately agree, with a few points brought up: 1. we all know how this is going to turn out. The sandwich is gross. I’m sure we all know that. 2. A dare, yes, is a sacred pact entered into by adolescents, however. using that credo Bionicgrrrl has issued backsies so its off! right? and lastly 3. I think this should remain an ML inside joke. Which is why I’m going as a Walgreens Sandwich for Halloween.
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Sarah, you are one hysterical commenter. The ‘sorry you died’ response to klaus k yesterday had me rolling
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I propose that Zach takes some of the ML advertising revenues (those infomercial “Big City Slider Station” people have to be paying ML the big bucks) and buy every single Beantown sandwich at the Times Square Walgreen’s and donate them to a homeless shelter or send them to a third world country….and then lets put this effen baby to bed!
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Wait, I’m confused. First you say that Panda Express and the like is dreck. Then you say we’re food snobs and that some guy in Haiti would be happy to have a Walgreen’s sandwich. You can’t have it both ways, man.
Also, it’s so ML to go somewhere and make a CHOICE to eat or not to eat somewhere. Totally in keeping with the ML spirit, I say.
Dude! Why don’t YOU eat the sandwich?
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Unfortunately. Boo clearly isn’t listening. This person keeps making the same point over and over and it is moot. The dare was to try a different aspect of midtown eats, but when Zach realized it wasn’t a midtown eat at all, he shut the deal down. It was just some shipped in, prepackaged food. Boo doesn’t want to listen, so it all seems pretty pointless talking to somebody so self-righteous…
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@Boo:
How about you put your food where mouth is and send us some pics of you enjoying such sandwiches? That way you can do your part for society? It is just food anways right?
Also, while you are at it, why not try that new brand of prepackaged food that’s popped up in Duane Reade while you are at it. It’s looks better than the stuff @ Walgreens.
Until you do that, you should try to refrain from criticizing Zach’s decisions not to nasty food that doesn’t even support the Midtown food industry. =)
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Mamcita said “Nope. The internets is serious stuff.” u made my day with that comment like an angry stubborn 8 year old
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Internet, Serious Business…
I have decided to stock up on these sandwiches to give out as Christmas presents to some of my internet “friends”.
I’m sure they’ll be as fresh in December as on the day that I buy them. I’ll keep them in the root cellar of my townhouse.
Zach,
Can we consider this case “closed?”
More importantly, I hope you are at least consistant from now on in showing an improved degree of caution when tempted by “street meat,” so-called, of unknown origin. There really is no difference — healthwise — from the Walgreesn sandwich and unsanitary food from germ-laden carts.