And there we were, at the beach. Most likely, Jones Beach. Back then I lived on Long Island and it was the beach to which we usually went.
Summer. Probably 1970. My son was already walking, but in that funny way toddlers have. Half a stagger, a bit of lurch, a hint of trot, topped with a dollop of falling over. I was with friends who had brought their children, most of whom were my son’s age, more or less.
One friend had gone to the food kiosk and come back with big sandwiches for everyone. In New York, we call them subs (I think short for submarine, probably because of the general shape of the bread). These are given different name in different regions. Whatever you call them, they are big sandwiches on little loaves of bread. Filled with chicken Parmigiano, meatballs, or maybe roast beef or Italian cold cuts. Hogeys? Grinders? Feel free to fill in your own word.
We settled down on our blankets to enjoy the food.
My son had been told we were having sandwiches. He obligingly came over to see what was going on. He smiled brightly, then poured a handful of sand into my sandwich.
Toddler logic?
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Categories: Anecdote, Childhood, Humor
ALL GOD’S CHILDREN 
THE ICE RINK AND THE PANDEMIC – RICH PASCHALL 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
It’s the crunchy grittiness that really makes for a good sandywich. After all, the sand gets everywhere else after a day at the beach.
We call them “subs” too but generally only if they were actually bought at takeaway chain “Subway”.
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Good to know. I don’t suppose you call them torpedoes too? I know somewhere they are called that – I can’t remember where.
I had an English Setter who tried to eat a bucket of wet cement. He was definitely a sandywich connoisseur.
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No, I’ve never heard them called torpedoes 🙂
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Speaking of “toddler waddle” some scientist described the act of walking as “controlled falling.” You put a foot, leg attached, out in front and the imbalance causes you to fall forward being stopped by said leg. As if that’s not enough, you bravely try it again with the same result. Well you keep doing this until, DING, you realize you’ve moved from one position to another. It’s crude, but it does serve as transportation which is immediately available.
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When you watch a toddler walk, that’s exactly what you see. Which is why they actually DO run before they walk. Running is easier. Walking takes more control.
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Running creates faster recovery to the “controlled falling” thing. And guess what.., you discover that you’ve covered the same distance, but a whole lot sooner. Two important skills learned, by accident, in one lifetime. Or maybe the result of desperately, and quickly, preventing an accident. You know.., I fall down go boom.., and it hurts Waaaahhhh!
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I think honestly it’s just the only thing they can do in the beginning. Until they get control of those legs. By age two, they’ve pretty much got it and by three, they can run, jump, dance, and do pretty much anything a trained gymnast can do. Toddlers are also VERY strong. Much stronger than adults for their size.
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Yes, inch for inch they are stronger and really resilient. Then we get older, fetter, weaker, less balanced and begin to fall down.., go boom all over again. This time the excess mass plays a very negative roll. So much for trying to walk.., much less to run. Now, if we’re lucky it’s our wits we will rely on, see.., sure… 🙂
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Someone I know used to have sugar sandwiches as a child. She like the texture of the sugar. She claims that she decided to make her own sandwich one day,but she couldn’t reach the sugar, so she went outsside to the sandpit and sprinkled a heap of sand on instead. According to her, she enjoyed it every bit as much as her usual sugar sandwiches.
I’m not convinced 🙂
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Neither am I. Sand doesn’t taste ANYthing like sugar.
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Ah! some tasty sand!
Washed down with a bit ‘o seawater.
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I replaced it with a fresh hotdog. Sand is just a wee bit gritty.
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that’s funny- and not so funny I suppose-but makes sense! 🙂
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It was logical, for a 1-1/2 year old. Sand. Sandwich. 1 + 1 = 11.
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In Swiss German we can call them an “iklemmt” (something like that, Swiss German is not really a written languge). It means literally translated “clamped in”, which is one way of saying it.
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The kid just used toddler logic. He made sure I had a REAL sandwich 🙂 The subtleties of English were not yet within his grasp 🙂
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I think he wanted a sandwich for himself.
Leslie
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I think he felt I needed more sand. In my sandwich. Toddlers. They are not subtle.
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Maybe that’s why they call them “sandwiches”?
Leslie
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I believe that was what my young son assumed.
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Chuckle.
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Ah, SANDwich. It does make sense. Where are they called “heroes”? I’ve forgotten.
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I think New York, too. I think they were called a variety of things, in different boroughs. Where are they called torpedos?
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