Remember when I wrote about a D2T2 project revolving around trying to replicate a Paseo Cuban Sandwich? Remember how much I looooooooooved that Paseo sammie? And if you’ve ever been to Paseo in Seattle, remember how much you loved it?
Grab a hankie, friend, for I bear sad news: Paseo is no more. My Seattle buddies sent me a link for a short news bulletin, alerting folks to the shop’s closing. When I read it, my heart sank. Not only did I not enjoy learning of possible abuse of employees, I also ached to think I’ll never stand in line and be rewarded for my patience with the most succulent amalgam of ingredients ever to call itself a Cuban Sandwich. (You can read a Seattle Times piece about the saga here.)
Food memories are important. They have the power to transport us through space and time. Think about it. Is there some particular food from your childhood – a food made only by someone no longer with us – that you remember so clearly as to lead you to believe you can smell it right now? And where do you see yourself eating it? In your mind – didn’t you just go there?
As I write this, my body is in Los Angeles. But my soul is sitting at our dear friends’ inviting table in Seattle. Their kids are running around, happy as clams, and the grown-ups are unwrapping gi-normous gifts of juicy pork, soft bread, pickled jalapenos, sauteed onions and a sauce so mesmerizing and mysterious we can hardly believe it. Almost too big to hold, we take our first magical bites…
The food world will never be the same.