41 - The World's Worst Sandwich

There are few things more universally loved than a good sandwich.

We as humans love the simplicity and deliciousness of having something to hold all of our favourite fillings together.

But there was a time in our history when the venerable sandwich was used not for sustenance, or delight in a tasty meal, but rather as a loophole with which to get around some rather limiting laws.

-------------------

Thank you to Athletic Greens for being a sponsor for this episode.

To make it easy, Athletic Greens will give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit www.athleticgreens.com/EMERGING to take ownership of your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance!

-------------------

Thank you also to Heal Nourish Grow: A podcast that provides practical keto tips and tricks that you can use to improve your keto experience.

-------------------

Please support me on Patreon for just $2 a month : https://www.patreon.com/foodhistorypod

-------------------

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raines_law
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/raines-sandwich?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b6ba86c80f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_09_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f36db9c480-b6ba86c80f-74451350&mc_cid=b6ba86c80f&mc_eid=3a82d4ea19

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fantastic-history-of-food--3591729/support.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
There are a few things more universallyloved than a good sandwich. There are
just so many options available to you, and countless amounts of regional speciality sandwiches
almost anywhere in the world that youtravel. If you strip it down to
the basics of simply any sort offilling between two pieces of baked dough,
you could even open up the conversationto include burghers, hot dogs, schwarmers,

(00:23):
raps, tortillas, possibly even cullzones at a stretch, and the
list goes on and on. Weas humans love the simplicity and deliciousness of
having something to hold all of ourfavorite fillings together. But there was a
time in our history when the venerablesandwich was used not for sustenance or delight

(00:44):
in a tasty meal, but ratheras a loophole with which to get around
some rather limiting laws. These arethe bizarre but true stories from history that
in some way involved food. I'mNick Charlie Key, and this is the

(01:08):
fantastic history of food. One oftoday's sponsors is Athletic Greens. So what
is athletic greens? Well, withone delicious scoop of athletic greens, you're
absorbing seventy five high quality vitamins,minerals, whole food sourced superfoods, probiotics,

(01:34):
and adaptogens to help you start yourday right. This special blend of
ingredients supports your gut health, yournervous system, your immune system, your
energy, your recovery, your focusand aging. And best of all,
it's lifestyle friendly. So whether youfollow a quito, paleo, vegan,
dairy free, or gluten free diet, Athletic Greens fits into all of them.

(01:57):
It costs less than three dollars aday, and for every purchase,
Athletic Greens donates to organizations helping toget nutritious food to kids in need,
including No Kid Hungry in the US. In twenty twenty Alane, Athletic Greens
donated over one point two million mealsto kids. Right now, it's time
to reclaim your health and arm yourimmune system with a convelient daily nutrition.

(02:21):
It's just one scoop in a cupof water every day. That's it.
No need for a million different pearlsand supplements to look out for your health.
To make it easy, Athletic Greensis going to give you a free
one year supply of immune supporting VitaminD and five free travel packs. With
your first purchase, all you haveto do is visit Athletic Greens dot com

(02:42):
slash emerging again. That's Athletic Greensdot com slash em R G I n
G to take ownership over your healthand pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance.
Modern day sandwiches using slices of breadon either side of a tasty filling

(03:06):
can arguably be traced back to asrecently as eighteenth century Europe, but we
know that bread or similar baked goodshave been placed under over or sometimes both
meat and vegetable fillings for centuries,if not millennia. Evidence of bread being
used to scoop up leftovers or wrapfood in has been found in numerous ancient

(03:27):
cultures worldwide. The softer versions ofthe Jewish unleavened flat bread matsa has for
ages been used during Passover in thesame way as we would use a modern
day rap. There are accounts ofthe ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder using
this method to wrap up some meatfrom the sacrificial passover lamb, alongside some
bitter herbs. Similar accounts are foundanywhere from Morocco to Ethiopia and India,

(03:54):
where the predominant method of baking breadwas to bake it into a flat round,
differing significantly from the traditional European methodof baking bread in loaves. During
the European Middle Ages, bread wascut into thick slabs called trenches, and
essentially used as a plate upon whichto pile your other food. Once the

(04:15):
meal was done, the thick breadslices, now soaked with food juices and
covered with food remnants, were squashedtogether and then given to beggars. While
we all know the saying beggars can'tbe choosers, it is worth noting that,
as generous of an act as thismay seem, the reason the diners
didn't usually eat this themselves is thatthe thick slabs of bread were usually so

(04:36):
stale as to almost be inedible.One of the more recent precursors to the
so called official creation of the sandwichcould be found in the Netherlands in the
late seventeenth century. To be exact, in many taverns across the land,
thick slabs of beef would hang fromthe rafters, and when a patron was
hungry, the barkeep maidservant or someoneof that ilk would carve thin slices of

(05:00):
meat off the main slab and giveit to the hungry patron atop a piece
of buttered bread. Essentially, thiswas the Dutch version of an open faced
sandwich, but it was one thathad not yet reached England. The sandwich
as we have come to know itto day is said to have its origins
amongst gambling men. It began appearingin the uppercrusted elements of society as simple

(05:24):
late night snack whilst they were engagedin some or other activity. It is,
however, formerly named after John Montague, the fourth Earl of Sandwich,
who used to enjoy playing long sessionsof card games late into the night.
His particular favorite was cribbage, andhe would frequently attend games at the local
public gambling houses. Having no desireto leave the table simply to eat a

(05:48):
meal, he would call for hisman servant to bring him salted beef between
two pieces of toasted bread. Itwas seen as ingenious and revolutionary by his
peers, as it allowed him tokeep on gambling with one hand while eating
with the other. He didn't needto stop to use a knife or a
fork, and the toasted bread stoppedhis fingers from making the cards greasy after

(06:10):
eating meat with his bare hands.This new method of eating exploded in popularity
in London, and the earl ofsandwich's name became forever etched into history.
It would not stay merely the secretof the UK elite, but it would
spread rapidly across Spain and England's workingclasses as the rise of industrialization meant workers

(06:30):
working long, grueling hours needed fast, portable, and relatively cheap meals.
By eighteen fifty, it is saidthat at least seventy street vendors were selling
ham sandwiches daily just in London alone. The Dutch, having initially figured out

(06:56):
half a sandwich, closed the loop, so to say, and with this
new fangled idea of two pieces ofbread. However, they also chose to
predominantly serve liver and salt beef sandwichesin their rapidly expanding network of sandwich bars.
The United States initially took a differentstance from Europe, styling the sandwich
as a gourmet luxury meal, stuffedwith decad and fillings and usually only consumed

(07:21):
at dinner times. However, theycould not hold out for long. As
the twentieth century rolled around and breadbecame more and more of a household staple.
The sandwich then took on the sameeasy, cheap persona as it had
done across the Mediterranean, and itwas here in the United States and New
York, to be specific, thatthe sandwich would evolve yet again into something

(07:45):
else entirely. Stick around after thebreak, we're going to find out just
how our beloved sandwich would become abartender's loophole to get around something known as
the Rain's Law. Many of youmay not know this about me, but

(08:09):
before I was a podcaster, Iwas a cookbook author, and specifically one
that focused on low carb and ketorecipes. You see, I was diagnosed
with metabolic syndrome almost a decade ago, and my personal experience of keto was
amazing. I know it's not everyone'scup of team, but it's always good
to know more about what's out thereand what your options are. And I

(08:30):
can't think of a better place tostart if you're wanting to learn more about
living a low carb lifestyle than listeningto the Heel Nourish Grow podcast. It
provides practical keto tips and tricks thatyou can use to improve your keto experience.
It's hosted by Cheryl McColgan, andthe podcast shares interviews with people that
have been living a low carb lifestylewhile experiencing improved health and weight loss.

(08:54):
Most of the guests have had healthproblems like myself, or a history that
has led them to eating lower carbthan the standard America and diet. For
some, this means they talk aboutkeito on the podcast, but other types
of eating are also discussed. Theseinterviews with keito experts, doctors and physicians,
and a whole lot more when itcomes to health and wellness related information
that supports the keto lifestyle. Soyou can listen today on Heel Nourished Grow

(09:18):
dot com or on whichever podcast platformyou usually listen to. Near the end
of the nineteenth century, in eighteenninety six, to be exact, something

(09:39):
known as the Rain's Law was enactedon the first of April, and unfortunately
for those affected, this was noApril Fool's prank. At the time,
New York City was home to morethan eight thousand bars. In his book
Island of Vice, Richard Zach's writesthe worst of them were seedy, dimly
lit, all smelling, rickety chaired, stale beard dives, catering to vagrants,

(10:05):
shipless sailors, incompetent thieves, andaging prostitutes. Now that has to
be one of the greatest burns ofall time. The rains Law, however,
was designed almost entirely to put thesesorts of establishments out of business.
This law didn't just appear out ofnowhere, however, and it was a
part of a larger moral movement aimedat cleaning up the city. Public drunkenness

(10:28):
was at an all time high,and the city's existing Sabbath laws banning the
sale of alcohol on Sundays were hardly, if at all, enforced. The
Republican Party was not a major forcein the largely Democratic constituency of New York,
but they did have a young,up and coming star named Theodore Roosevelt,

(10:48):
who at this time was serving asthe President of the Police Commission.
He was one of the new rainsLaw's staunchest supporters and said that it would
solve whatever remained of the problem ofbars not closing on Sunday Day. The
Reigns Law became a conflict of culturesand class that spread to national proportions.
Protestants and middle class families were generallyin favor of the new law and saw

(11:11):
it as a step in the rightdirection for the overall improvement of society.
They were, however, met withfierce opposition from the city's German and Irish
immigrants, who saw it as aspiteful act of repression in a time when
workers still predominantly worked Monday to Saturday. This meant that the average laborer was
now being limited as to how theythemselves could spend their one day off per

(11:33):
week. In a somewhat surprising turnof events, the city's large Jewish population
was also up in arms about thenew law, being that they in fact
celebrated their Sabbath the day before onSaturdays. Unsurprisingly, lower income residents cried

(11:58):
foul when a loop hole designed almostexplicitly it seems to placate the rich meant
that the taverns and bars frequented bythe working class were disproportionately affected because this
loophole allowed any establishment with ten ormore rooms for rent to serve alcohol on
Sundays as long as it was accompaniedby a meal, and in the world's
least surprising twist, It just sohappened that wealthy New Yorkers tended to dine

(12:24):
out at the city's fanciest hotels whenevery Sunday, because this was also the
one day a week that their livein servants had off. By contrast,
it was the working class taverns thattook the greatest hit. Not only were
they now prohibited from opening on Sundays, usually their busiest day of the week,
but the annual liquor license went upfrom eighty dollars a year to over

(12:46):
eight hundred. It also stipulated thatbars could not open within two hundred feet
of a school or a church,and the drinking age and look, I'll
probably give this one to them wasraised from sixteen to eighteen in a somewhat
comical manner. It also forbade barsfrom closing their blinds on the Sunday,
just in case they might sneak ina customer or two pass the now watchful

(13:09):
eye of any patrolling policeman. Andwhile it seemingly left an overtly wide loophole
for the rich, it didn't accountfor the resourcefulness of the common bar owner.
As previously mentioned, Sundays were theirbest trading days, and bar owners
weren't going to give up without afight. Within a week of the law
being enacted, owners all across thecity were cheerfully testing the laws new limits.

(13:33):
A suspicious number of so called privateclubs began opening up, and bars
began handing out membership cards to allof their regulars. On top of that,
any spare spaces in a bar's buildingwere hastily converted into the requisite number
of rooms meant to meet the lawsrequirements. Attics, basements, even large

(13:54):
broom closets now became bespoke rooms forrent should their clientele so desired. For
those establishments with little to no roomto spare, they would cut deals with
neighboring lodging houses to combine forces.Being that the law stipulated that alcohol could
only be served alongside a meal,tablecloths were now thrown over pool tables to

(14:15):
create a de facto dining room table. And lastly, and for us most
importantly of all, they started servingcustomers the easiest, cheapest, and dare
I say most reusable of all meals, the rains sandwich. You see,
law enforcement itself had clearly stipulated whatthey believed constituted a meal, saying,

(14:35):
we would not say that a crackeritself is a complete meal, but we
would consider that a sandwich would be. With this knowledge in hand, bar
owners set to work. Whenever acustomer would order an ale or a whiskey,
the waiter or the bartender would bringit with the now famous rains sandwich.
They might be wondering what was onit. Surely it couldn't be worse

(14:58):
than the Dutch favorite of liver andbeef. Right well, in a sense,
yes and no. You see,the rain sandwich was the bar owner's
humorous loophole to get them around thelaw. Most taverns didn't even have a
kitchen space to even prepare sandwiches,and so a workaround would have to be
developed, and in no time atall it was. You see, the

(15:20):
law stipulated that alcohol had to beserved alongside a meal, which we know
the law says can be something assimple as a sandwich. What the law
didn't specify, however, was thatthe customer had to eat that meal,
and so with each alcoholic beverage served, the rain sandwich would make its way
to customer after customer. More oftenthan not, the sandwich was barely even

(15:43):
edible, and if it was stilltechnically edible, it definitely wouldn't have been
very good for whoever consumed it.Some were described as a desiccated ruin of
dust laden bread accompanied by mummified hamor cheese. For these establishments, less
concerned with pretense, they would servepatrons a chunk of rubber between two old
slices of bread, and it wouldbe hurriedly taken back seconds after it arrived

(16:07):
to be paired with the next beverageorder and taken to another customer's table.
It wasn't long, however, beforethe reformers caught wind of what was going
on and challenged this behavior in acourt of law. In what must have
been one of the truly great judgmentsof all time. The practice was upheld.
You see, the law itself wassound. The bar owners were now

(16:29):
doing nothing technically illegal. The policeand the initial court ruling had created a
laughable situation ripe for bending the law. It seems Governor Rains and his allies
had seriously underestimated just how far NewYorkers would go for a drink. When
word of the ruling being upheld cameto the people, it became a clear
turning point in the saga. Asa whole, so called rains hotels began

(16:53):
popping up everywhere, and within ayear more than one thousand and five hundred
of them had opened, and inNew York City alone. In Brooklyn,
which was still considered a separate municipalityat the time, they went from having
just thirteen registered hotels to over eighthundred in the space of just six months.
Not to mention the rapid expansion ofthe so called social clubs. In

(17:17):
what would become a decidedly unwelcome consequencefor the reformers in all of this was
that drinking actually increased among the populationnow that soft beds were just a few
feet away in every establishment. Laborerscould now drink to excess and not have
to worry about making it home.And while the Rain's Law struggle continued into
the twentieth century, it eventually beganto peter out as more and more people

(17:40):
took advantage of the loopholes. Butit was this unfortunate failure of a scheme
to curb drinking that would lead toits much harsher, stricter, an entirely
teetotaling successor. When in nineteen nineteen, full blown prohibition became the law of
the land, and with this newreality, the knee for the rain sandwich
no longer existed. So the nexttime you're buttering your bread, preparing your

(18:07):
feelings and salivating at the delight thatis to come, just be grateful that
it's not simplear chunk of rubber nestledbetween two slices stale, moldy bread.
This show is made entirely by me, Nick Charlie Key, with our theme
music having been made by the enigmathat is the mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder. If

(18:37):
you'd like to support the show,the simplest way to do that is over
on our Patreon account. There's justone option, so for just two bucks
a month, you'll help me keepproducing the show, and in return,
you'll get your name forever etched ontoour supporters Wall of Fame over on our
website. No, and then maybelisten out for your name in an upcoming
episode. So until next time,bonapati wow yum.