Vlog: Sandwich Month with Rhode Island Food Fights
March has come to an end, which, sadly, means that my month of excessive sandwich eating has, too. When I first embarked on my sandwich journey, naive and hungry, I knew I had to recruit the right partner — this was not a solo mission. Enter Sabrina Edelman ’20, the most avid sandwich lover I know. She passed my screening process with notable credentials of a 12-page creative nonfiction paper written entirely about sandwiches and a dog named Douglas Sandwich Edelman.
Our mission proved more challenging than we expected, as we were shocked to find that midterm season was not the most ideal time to jet around Rhode Island critiquing local sandwich shops. This only pushed us to work harder, though, and ultimately resulted in our visiting five sandwich shops over the span of just two days. We planned our routes meticulously, watched a few food vlogs in preparation, and went on our way.
Without further ado, the results of our first month as food critics:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoBbS9utk2Q[/embed] DAY 1
Stop 1: Providence Bagel
As born and bred New Yorkers, Sabrina and I hold bagels to a fairly high standard (although carbs are carbs, and we can both be found at BGO on any given day). So while Providence Bagel may not have been NY-level, its drive-through accessibility and good vibes made up for it. Would definitely go back.
Vibes: 10/10
Chillness of employees: 10/10
Size of bagels: 15/10
Stop 2: The Sandwich Hut
The line was long and the employees weren’t particularly happy with us, but both of those things were understandable. With only two options to pick from, we both had to step outside of our comfort zones, but we were ultimately pleasantly surprised by our sandwiches and would love to go back and try some others.
Our bravery: 12/10
Ease with which their sandwiches can be eaten on a bus: 2/10
Overall sandwich quality: 10/10 — we love all sandwiches and refuse to put any down.
DAY 2
Stop 1: Yoleni’s
Yoleni’s was great vibes all around. We may or may not have had a photoshoot while we were waiting for our food. The sandwiches were just an added bonus.
Instagrammability: 10/10
Stop 2: Ocean State Sandwich
Ocean State Sandwich was a magical place. The employees were incredibly friendly and let us pick from anything on the menu. The sandwiches were creative and high quality. Note: we did not film ourselves in the restaurant as we didn’t want our new best friends to judge us.
Kindness: 100000/10 — we wanted to stay forever and call this place home.
Sandwiches: 10/10 (this rating may have been skewed by employees' kindness)
Stop 3: Salted Slate
We couldn’t leave for spring break without using our voucher at Salted Slate first, this much we knew. So, after eating two sandwiches between the hours of 10:30 and 11:15 am, Sabrina and I were forklifted from downtown PVD up to Wayland Square, and could be found banging down the doors of Salted Slate before it opened. We held ourselves back from vlogging at this classier establishment, but rest assured we were critiquing the sandwiches as we ate them nonetheless.
Date spot: 10/10 — would definitely take my boyfriend who totally exists here.
Sandwiches: 10/10
Little pile of chips that came on the side: 1000/10
For information about future RI Food Fights events, check out their website here. Happy eating!
Images via Sophie Ulene '20 and Sabrina Edelman '20.