PB&J: An American classic
Originally uploaded by dynamist.
Here’s something I’ve eaten a lot of since I’ve been in Cincinnati: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. (If you’re British, you probably just shuddered and went quite cold.)
When I was a kid, our PB&J came on what Nigella Lawson refers to as ‘plastic’ white bread. Wonder Bread was our brand of choice; it supposedly came from the Hostess ‘bakery,’ which I suspect was rather more industrial than the name suggests. Know what, though? I’d eat my PB&J on white Wonder Bread today if not for the fact that I am trying to lose weight.
Back then, the jelly was loaded with sugar and so was the peanut butter (Jif – no not the cleaning fluid – and Skippy were my favorite brands).
Now, I make my PB&J on wholegrain bread, with all-natural (peanuts and salt only) peanut butter and sugar-free strawberry preserves. It really is the perfect food, one I could eat three meals a day. This is part of the American gastronomic legacy, too, and I think I’m supposed to be ashamed of it, but I’m not. It’s just too good not to embrace.