Lisa’s Sandwiches are So Good and Oh Boy I Can’t Wait to Finally Come Back and Have Another One
It’s currently 2:48 AM here in Florence and I can’t sleep. I’m lying in bed next to Giovanni, arguably the most handsome man in my class, but still feel so unsatisfied despite our moonlit, passionate tryst. There was only one thing on my mind the whole time, and I feel that if I don’t address it now it’s just going to keep eating me up inside. I need to let everyone know how I feel about this blessing that the gods have bestowed upon Northwestern’s campus -- this light in my life that keeps me going when all else goes awry which is usually most of the time if I’m being honest.
THE SANDWICHES FROM LISA’S ARE THE BEST THINGS TO EVER MEET MY LIPS. Seriously. If there’s one thing I could always count on without fail, it’s Lisa’s perfect, unchanging sandwich menu being there to gift me with a warm, delicious sandwich made with love and the mayonnaise I never asked for but got anyway. All I do in Italian class is fantasize about the tangy yet sweet honey mustard that highlights the flavors of my perfectly peppered chicken and the way it drips ever so slightly from the corners of my mouth as I take the first succulent bite that still makes me quiver every single time. And all I do is think about the day I will finally be reunited with that reliable, everlasting menu.
My craving for Lisa’s sandwiches is so strong that they’re all I can ever think about here in Italy. Last weekend I went on a date with Lorenzo from my pasta-making class, who insisted he treats me to the three-star Michelin restaurant in the piazza. Thinking it would distract me from the emptiness I’ve been feeling inside without my beloved late-night sandwiches, I hesitantly agreed. When I got there, I saw no Savory Chicken and Cheddar sandwich on the menu and immediately collapsed as I wept. Couples around us looked at me and said something along the lines of “Chiudi il becco, puttana,” which I didn’t understand but assumed were words of empathy and felt somewhat comforted, but I still missed my sandwiches. The next day, Leonardo invited me to one of the best nightclubs in the city to cheer me up. Still upset, I said no and came to terms with the fact that the only Italian I wanted was the one on Lisa’s menu, with extra salami and provolone cheese.
It is only Day 21 out of the 90 that I have left here abroad. That means only 1,656 hours left until I can FINALLY return to Northwestern and walk into the Lisa’s I know so well, and experience the familiar flavors that somehow fill my mouth with delight as if it were the very first time that I tasted them.
I’m struggling here without my sandwiches, but I know the long wait will be worth it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and though I’ve been gone, I know my sandwiches will be right there for me when I return.
In a life as unpredictable as mine is at the moment, I know I can always depend on Lisa’s sandwich menu to always be there as my source of stability even when I’m halfway across the world. I’m on the cusp of a mental breakdown, but knowing that Lisa’s sandwich menu will remain untouched and never tainted by something unthinkable (like wannabe Mexican food! Ha!) is literally the only thing keeping me sane here. A presto, miei panini!
