Cycle 4 – Item 186
10 (Wed) July 2013
Chicken & Bacon Ranch Sandwich
1.5
from Subway
in my office
-Woncheon, Yeongtong, Suwon, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-
solo
Suddenly, a couple weeks ago, I was seized by an inexplicable impulse to open my own sandwich shop. To the extent that I’ve given my future menu any thought, which I haven’t really, I’m envisioning specialty hot sandwiches along with the classics. At this point, 1% chance that I’ll do it.
I went to the Subway in front of school to size up the competition. There for lunch, but anticipating that I’d be stuck in the office until late, I got three 6-inch (15-cm) subs to go:,, and. Although I never ever order the hot items at Subway, knowing that they suck, I did so here in the name of market research.
As expected, the sandwiches all sucked. The main problem was that the central meat component in each – chicken / meatball / steak – were over-processed, making them feel squishy (like soy meat) and taste briny (like cheap ham). The sauces – ranch / marinara / galbi (on steak & cheese, really?) – were also crappy in an artificial way. And to make the entire package comprehensively lousy, the “Hearty Italian” bread was dusted with corn meal particles so big/sharp/hard that every bite was like chewing glass. So, I could outdo them on quality.
However, the prices will be difficult to beat. The chicken and steak from the “Premium” menu were 5,500 won each (7,200 won with drink and chips, 9,100 for a footlong (30-cm), 10,800 for a footlong set), while the meatball from the “Favorites” menu was 5,100 won (6,400 won with drink and chips, 8,300 for a footlong (30-cm), 10,000 for a footlong set). Irresistible bargains made possible by the use of cheap ingredients, mass produced and sold in volume, that’s how these chains stay in business.
(See also FAST FOOD)
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)
