A Simple Tuna Sandwich

Today was the sunniest day that I've seen since last Monday. All week has been nothing but overcast skies and light to heavy downpours. Today was in a way comparable to a typical day inLas Cruces , N.M. — sunny with no clouds in the sky. However, here on the vineyard, there is a breeze. Since there are no natural barriers to the wind on the island, the breeze comes in cool as the water surround it. It was the third day of sun that I've seen since my arrival.

In the pursuit of a job during my stay on Martha's Vineyard, I had taken a visit to Aquinnah (for pure enjoyment, not job searching) to Vineyard Haven (for a bus transfer) to Oak Bluffs (dropped off a few resumes) to Edgartown (for a bus transfer) and back home, stirring up quite a growl in my belly. Nevertheless I knew that I was on a tight schedule. My friend had invited me to watch the prequel (I think) to the Da Vinci Code with her at 7:30 p.m. so I had just under a half an hour to get a bite to eat.

Provided I had a limited selection in the pantry (see Dinner for Days post below), I have limited options. I didn't have time to cook up a piece of chicken anything fancy like that. I had to eat something fairly substantial otherwise my growling stomach was going to get me kicked out of the theater. 

Thinking quickly, I went over my list of available products and I thought a tuna sandwich would be good. I may have titled this blog A Simple Tuna Sandwich, however, I had no can opener. I had a bottle opener or at least a fancy church key for that matter. So I had to force open my can of tuna in spring water with a bottle opener. By the time that I was done with it, it had looked like something that would have come out of a Tim Burton movie about food items that have come to life. It was looked a can of tuna with the teeth of a shark. 

I had been using my landlord's mayo for my sandwiches, so I used that as a binding agent. I cut up some parsley and added salt and pepper. For contrast in texture, I toasted my bread and used the spinach and tomatoes from the fridge. I had to slice the little grape tomatoes into three or four pieces to fit them in my sandwich and just added a layer of spinach on top. 

By the end, the sandwich was looking pretty good. I cut some extra grape tomatoes as a 'side' to my sandwich and seasoned them with salt and pepper and sprinkled the last of the parsley that clung to the plastic chopping board. It turned out pretty well. The parsley provided a peppery background to the tuna and there was just enough mayonnaise to taste but not to overwhelm. The tomatoes sweetened the sandwich just enough to sooth the bite of the parsley and the slightly bitter taste of the spinach was a nice note.  

I ate my sandwich a glass of milk and was out the door by 6:30 p.m. — just in time to meet her outside. I think my milk is going bad, it put a weird taste in my mouth. I'm going to have to check that out. Or maybe the peppery parsley was not a good match with the creaminess of the milk. Nevertheless, it was a deliciously, satisfying, simple tuna sandwich.