Why would I dream about taking just one bite of a sandwich? And a Reuben sandwich at that!

Farmer Gary is not a fan of rhetorical questions. He just shrugged in response.

I so rarely remember my dreams that it was hard to let this one go.

Until yesterday, neither Gary nor I had ever tasted a Reuben sandwich. He’s a fan of sauerkraut, but served with pork. Ham hocks and sauerkraut were a treat growing up, he tells me. (I’ve cooked it for him exactly once. Now I feel guilty and will probably soon stink up the house with it again. He’s worth it.)

Reuben sandwich fandom goes a generation back.

Mom loved those things!

For many years, Mom and I would go out to lunch when I visited Connecticut with the boys. Dad would hang out with his grandsons.

Mom’s grading system for the restaurants in Madison, Guilford, and Clinton would concern the quality of their Reuben sandwich. The rye bread, the pastrami, the sauekraut. I could never bring myself to even nibble a tiny bite.

Did my dream somehow include a message from Mom? There’d been no other Reuben sandwich mentions in conversation, books, or the only movie I’ve watched on TV in many months (Pressure – highly recommended!).

Gary offered to pick up a Reuben sandwich for me from our local Arby’s. I made it clear to the dear fellow that I had no hankering for such a concoction. In fact, it was surprising to me that a fast-food chain could keep such an item on its permanent menu. Nevertheless, a coupon came in the mail that day, so Gary picked up a chicken sandwich when he was in town.

He reported that the person in line behind him ordered a Reuben sandwich.

Later that day, someone posted a photo of their Reuben sandwich on Bluesky. The positive comments were aplenty.

Thinking that we’d put the topic to rest, yet knowing my husband all too well, I wasn’t completely surprised when he returned from errands yesterday with a Reuben sandwich from a popular German restaurant in a neighboring town.

All right then, for once and for all, let’s settle this. We’ll each take a bite. Then you can finish it.

Gary nodded. My one bite was a brave one, as not a single one of the ingredients appealed to me. “This is for you, Mom” slipped from my lips before that one bite was bit.

Sidebar: Then there’s Reuben Chowder. It was served at a tourism luncheon I attended many years ago. It was so good, I asked for the recipe and served it the next time my folks visited us:

Reuben Chowder

3 cups milk
10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
16-ounce can sauerkraut, drained and snipped
3 Tablespoons butter
4-6 slices rye bread
1 teaspoon caraway seed
12-ounce can corned beef, chilled and diced

1. In a saucepan, stir milk into the celery soup and shredded cheese.
2. Add snipped sauerkraut; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Turn kitchen exhaust fan to high setting.
4. Meanwhile, spread the butter over both sides of the rye bread; sprinkle both sides with caraway seed.
5. Cut bread slices into triangles; place on baking sheet. Toast in 300° oven for 20 minutes.
6. Add diced corned beef to soup; heat through. Serve with toast triangles.
7. Serves 4 to 6.

Gary bravely consumed the rest of the Reuben sandwich last night. He enlightened me with the culinary fact that “corned” beef doesn’t mean corn-fed beef. “Corned” stands for the large salt kernels used in the curing process. (That’s what I get for mentioning the saltiness of the pastrami.)

By the way, my mother’s other favorite sandwich was the Lobster Roll. Now that’s a dream I can look forward to!

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