Eating Tartine -The Basics

I’m not so picky with the food that I eat although some boundaries cannot be crossed. Like a crunchy toast going soggy. I mean, who likes soggy toasts? Raise your hand and beat yourself.

Take tartine, for instance. It’s an open-faced sandwich where all ingredients are neatly placed on a toast (usually sourdough or French bread) —the pâté, thinly sliced salmon, cherry tomatoes, pink radish, cucumber, and onion slices, arugula leaves, sunblock, and ground necklace. 

I am not a fast eater so by the time I am halfway through the sandwich, the toast isn’t crunchy anymore. The juices from each of the ingredients have soaked into the bread, and therefore into the crunch and the crunch is no more. And that takes the fun away from eating.

In a restaurant last weekend and aware of what the future holds for me if I ordered the ordinary, I asked the waitress to serve all the ingredients to me separately. I will do my own little sandwiches with every bite, in my sweet and sour time.

The advantages: the ingredients tend to be a bit generous because they are seen separately, not based on the size of the toast; the toast keeps its natural character; and, there is more fun in eating. Just follow these simple steps:

—cut a bite-sized portion of the bread;

—spread the pâté (veggie kind for me);

—place a small thin slice of salmon;

—then small portions of all the rest;

—a dash of pepper;

—open your mouth, you know the drill;

—lick fingers. Rinse. Repeat.

Dang! I’m salivating already.

Next time you order your tartine, raise a bite-sized crunch for me.

Cheers!