PB&J

I guess also most of us non-Americans have heard about the infamous thing called peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, even if we haven't tried them out personally. And why would we? Isn't it only Americans who eats such weird compositions? Surf and turf (lobster with steak, hello?), apple pie with american cheese on top (excuse me?), and a sandwich with peanut butter and jam, eaten in one go? You've got to be kidding me.. 

I had always thought such nonsense belonged to Americans and Americans alone and I had never ever had the intention to try that sort of sandwich out whatsoever. But that was only until the day that I actually saw somebody (read: our friend that we live with) preparing such a meal (yes, people eat these things as a substitute for lunch or even dinner from what I understood). And since it was there before my eyes, I figured why not give it a chance, how disgusting could it be on a scale from one to ten. My motto is anyway that one should always try everything out at least once so one knows what one's talking about. That goes for almost everything in life I would say, also things involving peanut butter (but maybe not apple pie with cheese-burger cheese, eh?).

So anyways, I started with one small bite and as I moved the weirdness to my lips I was totally sure it was both my first and last bite of this filthy American invention. And I truly wish, for whatever vain reason, that I could say it tasted as horrible as I had always imagined, but it didn't. It didn't taste bad at all. In fact, it tasted very good. Now, it has probably something to do with the quality of the only three ingredients. Would it have been a pb&j sandwich made with white toast bread which is a totally useless product in itself, and a corn-syrup filled sugar bomb to jam - my first ever experience with this phenomenon would probably have been a lot worse, and I wouldn't have to crave these things ever again. But the particular sandwich that I got introduced to was made with the best homemade wholewheat bread straight from the oven, natural organic peanut butter, and a favorite French strawberry preservative with zero corn-syrup and only natural ingredients. All three elements brilliant by themselves, but who knew they'd be that compatible in a threesome. 

I probably shouldn't be eating this stuff too often, but I can admit my prejudice and that I had judged without any first hand experience. Sorry America, once again you've surprised me. 

Two lessons learned: 1. Never judge someone or something before you actually know what you're talking about. 2. Quality and presentation is everything.  I'll leave the final words to Albert Einstein: 

“The mind that opens to a new idea, never returns to its original size.”