The Georgia

This is a picture of the #18 Georgia Reuben at Zingerman's Delicatessen. It is one incredible sandwich and I regret I only discovered it less than a year ago. What else in the world can look this good and taste even better?

I want to take some time to write about the Georgia Reuben and why it is so significant in my life. But first, what is a georgia reuben? The georgia reuben is a modification of the reuben. A reuben consists of rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut or coleslaw, thousand island or russian dressing, swiss cheese. The sandwich is medium toasted, served warm with the cheese melted slightly and the rye bread having an irresistible crunch as your teeth sink into it. The georgia reuben replaces the corned beef with roasted turkey breast and typically uses coleslaw rather than sauerkraut.

I prefer the georgia compared to the regular reuben because the roasted turkey has more tenderness which is easier on the chew and less sweeter so that the full flavor of the sandwich has a more perfect balance. I also like the addition of crispy bacon strips which can be added at Zingerman's for slightly more cash, the bacon crunchiness completes the georgia reuben experience. When that first chew is rotating in my mouth, I cannot describe the experience, it's a piece of heaven; the melting of the sour rye bread, the fresh chopped cabbage coleslaw, the smoothness of the dressing smothered between the layers of warm, roasted, lightly sweetened all natural turkey breast slices, and the bursts of bacon crunches that slip in and out of the taste of the tongue...

Zingerman's is definitely not cheap but that is not why I cannot enjoy it every day. It is just too far to make a trip every day out to Kerrytown. So over the past month or two, I have tried the reuben selections around central campus. Here is what I have discovered starting with next best compared to Zingerman's cuz none can top Zingerman's.

1. Ashley's has the georgia reuben and it did not disappoint. I was surprisingly satisfied. But when I combine it with a New Holland Dragon's Milk, Zingerman's definitely has a standing competitor. But then again, it wouldn't be fair cuz Zingerman's doesn't sell beer. If Zingerman's sold beer, there would be world peace.

2. Amer's has a regular reuben, no georgia. For the price, I might consider getting it once in a while when I really crave a reuben, like I really crave a reuben. But it just does not match up to the reputation and taste of Zingerman's and to compare might be described as insulting. Let's leave it at that. Plus, it's like comparing apples to bricks, reubens are not georgia reubens. Totally different.

3. Grizzly Peaks has a pub reuben. Again, it's no georgia. I would say it ties for 2nd place with Amer's but Amer's is cheaper so it has the edge. There are better things to get at Grizzly Peaks than this reuben and what salvaged an unusually fatal dining experience at the Peaks was the dark beer, it was quite exquisite.

4. Pizza House sells a georgia reuben. And I found out this past weekend that that is simply unfortunate. I had higher expectations from Pizza House but I misplaced my trust in that restaurant. I should have known better that they make pizzas, not georgias. I made a better georgia reuben than what I tasted at Pizza House and I didn't even have all the right ingredients. At least now I know better.

So in conclusion, not all georgia reubens are created equal. As the old testament principle goes that the Israelites could not quite grasp, do not prostitute thyself to worthless foreign idols, worship the one true God. Same goes for georgia reubens.

So you may ask, what is so significant about the georgia reuben that it is worthy of a post?

I have a deep appreciation for non-east asian food these days. I have grown very tired of tofu based foods, sesame oil containing foods, anything remotely containing soy sauce, and most of all, I've made kimchi my mortal enemy. I know a lot of Koreans who think of Korean food as absolute truth as in they cannot live without Korean food. They parade around jars of kimchi like its their girlfriend.

I am not one of those Koreans. I can occasionally crave Korean food just like any other food but most of the time I don't crave it at all. I appreciate all different foods and I do not think some foods taste better than others. I have "preferences" as one brother described it to me and it just happens I have a preference for all foods non-east asian at this point in my life.

So in response to my deep preference for all non-east asian foods, I have been attracted to certain non-asian foods; in particular, sandwiches and all sorts of baked goods as well as dairy products such as anything with cheese. I have fallen in love with cheese, something that is not available in typical east asian foods.

So coincidentally, I stumbled upon georgia and we got married. It's been an awesome relationship so far. I miss a lot of other foods as well, awesome-mouth-stretching burgers, cheese-dripping-with-17-topping pizzas, flavor-bursting-mouth-flaming curry rice, guacamole-stuffed-sour-cream-smothered steak burritos, and darker-than-black-wholesome-tasting beer.

I'm so hungry right now. Why do I do this to myself...