Italian Hot Sausage Sandwich

Not to divulge my age but I do qualify for senior discounts. They stopped carding me..oh, I have forgotten when. Does that give you a hint? That reminds me of something that happened when I turned twenty one, a long, long time ago. Strange how I can remember events of years past but at times do not recall what I did last week? Believe me this quirk of memory occasionally has its' benefits.



You see, where I lived my early life, and the period I am talking about; drinking establishments, yes watering holes, were not as closely scrutinized for under age drinking as they are today. I am sure there was a reason for that oversight:-)



At the age of eighteen or nineteen my favorite hangout was one of those under-supervised dens. It was a family owned local bar where yes, I'll say it; "everybody knew your name" Besides the bar there was a small kitchen, dance floor and a stage to accommodate entertainment. The only food item on the menu was a not so asked for; Italian hot sausage sandwich.



One of the owners, named Tony knew me very well and never questioned my age even though I still had not started shaving! He prepared the sausage sandwiches while still working the bar. which was located in a section apart from the kitchen. This became an annoying problem and led to my being asked if I wanted to work the kitchen. I had a daytime job but accepted because the kitchen was open only in the evening and also it would help pay my bar bill.



The sausage sandwiches at that time were a low volume business item. It was merely a throw-in for a few regulars with low expectations. The sausage, homemade and exceptional, unfortunately was getting a bad rap. Sadly, the sandwich was not in demand. Of course, as the cook I would occasionally sample the product. It did not take me long to realize something was missing. I thought about Mom's homemade bread and how much better the taste if I had her bread to go with it. In order to keep costs at a minimum Tony purchased inexpensive buns from a nearby store. This I could not understand because the family also owned a bakery.



I took the matter to the boss and asked him to try their own baked bread for awhile to see if it made a difference in the sales, I knew it would. He agreed and the rest of the story, you guessed it, sales soared. This also was accompanied by increased liquor and beer volume. The Italian hot sausage sandwich became the talk of the neighborhood! The real secret was the bread which to this day is well known.



Then it happened, as George Carlin would say; "I turned twenty one!" Most of my friends had the great idea to have a birthday party at the place I worked and sipped. The owner of course bought the idea because all he could think of was a full house. It also helped that Cappy knew many musicians who would entertain just for a chance to blow (jazz talk for that era). Not once was there any curiosity about my age?



During the festivities, and it was packed, everyone started shouting; twenty one, twenty one, how does it feel Cappy now that you can start drinking legally?



I do not for once think that my boss was so naive enough not to know my real age all this time but he did make an effort to show surprise and consternation. He approached me, looked me in the eye, and with a stern face blurted; "I have been serving you all these years while you were under age, you could have cost me my license!" He had the nerve to say this to me fully aware of the risk of all the questionable activities going on in his thriving business! I answered "Yeah Tony; but you have to admit I do fry up one helluva good sausage sandwich!" Soon:-)