Between the Bread: Scanwiches

Jon Chonko’s had a lifelong love affair, and he’s not afraid to share it. By scan. Every day. For two and a half years, Chonko’s been sharing scans of his sandwiches on his Tumblr, Scanwiches. He’s taken the scans to print with his new book Scanwiches, a visual celebration of and education on the humble sandwich (to be released on November 3^rd, National Sandwich Day).  I sat down with Chonko to talk scanwich inspiration, food quests, the ultimate New York sandwiches and what he eats when Mom’s not looking.

What was the first sandwich that inspired you to scanwich?

It wasn’t one sandwich. What inspired me to scanwich was that I was bored. When I was working in Soho, I would get a sandwich every day for lunch. So my coworkers and I would do a little wordplay, cause it gets boring asking someone to get a sandwich everyday, so we’d say “sammich” or “sanwich” and then eventually the word “scanwich” came out. And I was like, “Oh! That could be something.”

What was your first scanwich?

It was a ham sandwich from Parisi’s in Little Italy in late February 2009. Another reason I started it is a respect for sandwiches. Back then, I wasn’t a picky eater, but I wasn’t particularly adventurous. One of the promises I made to myself when I started was that I would never scan the same sandwich from the same place twice. I had been the kind of guy who always got the same BLT from the same deli, and I put that rule up so I would try more sandwiches. It was great because I tried a lot of sandwiches I had never tried before, like I had my first bánh mì. I walked across Manhattan for sandwiches. I had my first NYC torta. It opened up this whole world of “food quests” I could send myself on.

Was the bánh mì your favorite discovery from scanwiching?

Yes. It’s this amazing thing – it’s the best example of the power of sandwiches to manifest cultural, historical or culinary moments. It’s this combination of French and Vietnamese cuisine that could only have come out of the way history put those two cultures together with the French colonization of Vietnam. It’s so cool that this thing came out of it. It’s such a perfect combination, with these crunchy, fresh flavors and these rich, savory flavors. Then it has the French bread, which totally makes the sandwich.  It’s like fusion cuisine before cuisine even existed.

Where’s the best bánh mì in the city?

There are a few in Manhattan’s Chinatown. A lot of these shops are great because you don’t remember where they are and have to stumble upon them again. My favorite, where I had my first, is Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich (369 Broome St.), which used to be Viet-Nam Bánh Mì So 1. They change the name a lot. There are a few right on Broome. Another good one is Banh Mi Saigon Bakery (198 Grand St.). There are also a few in Brooklyn I really like, like Hanco’s (85 Bergen St.; 350 7^th Ave).

You said BLT’s are your go-to. What’s your favorite BLT in the city?

My favorite BLT is probably in the West Village at M&O Market (124 Thompson St.), a great bodega with a deli in the back. They do themed days – like turkey days, pastrami days. That’s a great little hidden gem. The BLT I would actually get everyday is D&D Deli, a down and dirty corner store deli on Spring Street (67 Spring St.). They give you a free bag of chips with it. You find the best chicken salad in the bowls at places like that, when you’re not really sure about it.

Does the scanning get messy?

Oh, it gets messy. I’ll do tons of scans before I get one that looks right. Sometimes I’ll put a skewer way in the back so it doesn’t fall apart, but for the most part it’s just been trial and error. I don’t know if I could describe the little tricks I do. But it’s straight on the glass. When I first started I tried with Saran wrap.

When a sandwich is warm and smells good, isn’t it hard not to eat while scanning?

Oh, it gets real hard. There’s been times when I’m scanning hungry and pulling pieces off of it and by the time I’m done half the ingredients are gone. But that’s the good thing about scanning a half sandwich; I can take the good half I want to scan and eat the other one.

Have you tried every sandwich you scanned, like The Dagwood and the Sandwich Loaf?

Yes. I made pretty much every sandwich in the book. My girlfriend and I had sandwiches for about a month and a half for every meal. I did that for two reasons. First of all I wanted to eat the sandwiches. Second, I wanted to have control and make the best-looking sandwiches I could make.

Is there a certain sandwich that you think people will be angry you didn’t include in the book?

One sandwich I think people will ask for is the fried Spam sandwich. Spam has its own cult following, especially in Hawaii and the Philippines. It’s one of my favorite sandwiches actually. In the process of making this book, I’ve grown to love about every sandwich that people usually have a hard time with, like Marmite and fried baloney. I make Spam sandwiches every week now, which can’t be healthy. In retrospect, I would have liked to include the Spam sandwich. It being the ultimate underdog that it is, it’s even more fitting that it was an oversight.

I think maybe part of this love of processed foods may stem from a sort of rebellion. The sandwiches my mom would make me growing up were like nice veggie sandwiches, like lettuce, tomato and cheese. The sandwich today that I default to making myself at home is like a fried spam sandwich, so it’s kind of a 180.

I think you’re the first person who’s ever made me feel tempted to try Spam.

If you slice it about ¼ inch thick and fry it lightly so it’s brown on every side and do one or two slices per slice of bread, it can be really good. It’s really good with spicy hot sauce or sweet BBQ sauce.

If you had to choose one sandwich to give a foreign visitor a taste of NYC, which would it be?

Pastrami, hot smoked pastrami on rye with a little mustard. There’s just nothing like it. I get cravings for it. Intense cravings. Sometimes I’ll be out of state when they hit and nothing can be done to satisfy them. Like any other junkie I’m anxious to share that addiction with others.

If you could travel anywhere in the world to eat a sandwich in its birthplace, which sandwich would it be and where?

The Chivito in Uruguay. It’s an amazing sandwich, almost ridiculous in its proportions and toppings. There are a few places in the US I’ve come across it but going to the source would be awesome.

Images from Scanwiches by  powerHouse books.