Joy Sandwiches

Growing up, Saturdays and any day in the summer, would be spent outside, doing something, or nothing, with the neighborhood kids. A day interrupted only when someone’s mom would call one of us home for lunch.

There were five of us who hung out together most: Kevin, Mike, Chris, Tony and me. One afternoon, we were back in Kevin’s driveway after lunch. What’ve you got to eat? Mike’s answer was, “a joy sandwich.” We looked at Mike, and then each other.

“What’s a joy sandwich?”

“You know, peanut butter and jelly.”

A seven-year old’s out-of-breath pronunciation of his favorite midday meal. But, I kinda liked the sound of “joy sandwich.” Who doesn’t love a good PB&J?

According to the National Peanut Board, the average American will eat more than 3,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in their lifetime. Hopefully, with a glass of milk. Peanut butter and jelly can be a great source of protein, carbs, healthy fats and even some fruit.

Two slices of bread, peanut butter and grape jelly. A little salty, a little sweet. . . There are web pages, YouTube videos and TikToks devoted to the best way to make and eat them.

Starting with the bread.

The soft white bread from childhood would sometimes collapse under the knife, tearing or folding when trying to spread your peanut butter on it. You could toast it, which would strengthen the bread, but also make it dry and crumbly. Back in the 70s, if there was artisan bread, it hadn’t made it to our neighborhood. There was white, wheat (light brown) or rye (darker brown). And who ate PB&J on rye bread?

Today you have a lot more choices. Artisan and whole grain options that offer more nutritional value than the soft white bread in the polka dot bag from my childhood, with the added benefit of holding up to the application of peanut butter. Christopher’s Bakery and Mediterra Bakehouse offer some tasty options

Then the peanut butter…

Smooth or chunky? The peanut butter of choice at my house growing up was the A&P brand in the big glass jar. My mom reused them as cannisters for lots of items in her pantry. We ate a lot of peanut butter when I was kid.

In addition to smooth or chunky, these days you can opt for organic or small batch butters made in the store. Some brands add sugar, so it makes sense to read the labels. Irene Dever, Meister Foods and Rita’s at the West Side Market all  offer fresh, small batches of peanut butter in take home containers.

And the jelly….

This is where the arguments begin. At our house growing up, PB&J meant grape jelly. But some people prefer apple, or raspberry or strawberry. There are variations on the PB&J theme as well. My father was a big fan of fruit in place of jelly in his peanut butter sandwiches, usually bananas, raisins or both. Maybe apple slices? One of my cousins would add a slice of cheese. Elvis Presley was known to have enjoyed a peanut butter and banana sandwich fried in butter. And fluffernutter fans (marshmallow spread in place of the jelly) will point out the marshmallow fluff has less sugar than a lot of fruit spreads.

Then there is assembly technique. Do you put peanut butter on one slice of bread, and jelly on the other? Or do you put the peanut butter AND the jelly on one slice, then top it with the second piece of bread? Maybe you are a “peanut butter on both slices” fan, with a layer of jelly between them? I think the school cafeteria would mix apple jelly into the peanut butter first, then spread that on bread (that was always served with chili). Is the jelly a condiment, like the mustard on a bologna sandwich? Or is it a featured player, like the tomato in a BLT? Do you butter the bread first? Or toast it? Once assembled, do you slice it in half? Or on the diagonal?

And there is PB&J etiquette. Do you use the same knife to scoop out the peanut butter and the jelly? And if so, which jar do you open first? Do you use separate utensils, to avoid cross-contamination? Jelly in your peanut butter, or peanut butter in your jelly—which was worse? And, what about that bit of jelly (or peanut butter) that clung to the knife? Did you smear it on the top of the sandwich? Maybe you licked the knife before putting it in the sink? And, what if the peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth?

Peanut butter and jelly is always popular. Nowadays, there are many options offering convenience and variety. You can buy a jar of peanut butter and jelly (grape or strawberry) combined, or keep a package of Uncrustables in your freezer. You can step up your PB&J game with whole grain breads and fresh fruit, or try other nut butters, like almond or cashews. Nosh Butters in Cuyahoga Falls has lots of gourmet options. Grill it, toast it or break out the panini press. Make it plain or fancy, whatever brings joy to your sandwich, and your lunch, maybe even the rest of your afternoon.

And while you are enjoying your sandwich, please note that September is Hunger Action Month, an opportunity to raise awareness about food insecurity among older adults. Benjamin Rose, along with our community partners at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, invite you to join our efforts by volunteering, donating and advocating for support for anti-hunger programs. Because no one should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. And everyone should be able to know the simple pleasure of a good PB&J.