Equipped with a mail coupon for a $7.99 Subway footlong, I set out to treat my mom to a sandwich she hadn’t enjoyed in years. I was a bit surprised when she asked for Subway fast food, but nostalgia can be a powerful craving, and she hadn’t had one in quite some time.
The closest Subway that accepted the coupon was on De Anza Boulevard, so I headed there, unsure of what Mom might be in the mood for. At the store, I tried reaching out to her using LINE, but she didn’t respond. Faced with the daunting task of choosing a sandwich on my own, I decided to go with a footlong Tuna. Back in the day, when $5 footlongs were a staple of our lunch options, Tuna was our go-to choice. It seemed like a safe bet, given our history with it.
Upon returning home, I presented the sandwich to Mom, expecting a warm, nostalgic reception. Instead, I was met with disappointment. She was unimpressed with my choice of tuna salad, deeming it a cheap option she could easily whip up from supermarket ingredients. She made it clear that she would have preferred something like Black Forest Ham, Turkey & Ham, or Oven-Roasted Turkey.
Despite her initial displeasure, Mom eventually took pity on her hapless son. She accepted half of the sandwich and graciously left the other half for me. However, her disdain for tuna seemed strong — she finished less than half of her portion. Later, as I sat down to eat my half, I realized why.
In an attempt to make the sandwich GERD-friendly, I had omitted all onions and garlic (and other interesting sauces), rendering it bland and lackluster. The absence of these key ingredients stripped the sandwich of the zest and flavor that could have made it enjoyable. What was meant to be a nostalgic treat turned into a culinary disappointment.
