Day 2: Taking it to the Streets
April 2nd, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments »Just as it’s sure as hell not Always Sunny in Philadelphia it’s also sure as hell not Always Sunny in California. At 5 P.M. on Friday I was about to call off the small horde of friends who wanted in on some possible cheese action before heading into the city when sunlight and a little hope broke through in Berkeley. Granted this microclimate BS that goes on in the bay area means you can make no correct judgements of weather further than 3 miles away from you with accuracy, we still decided to venture forth.
A part of me (the wine part) was already pretty OK with the idea of skipping out, heading north, and beginning the winefest weekend we had planned. Needless to say, detailed preparations were lacking. The necessaries were all grabbed and we headed out to the corner that has become the little food vending valley of the art mur mur. We arrived late but it appeared the rain had scared off many of the other vendors and I took the usual spot my buddy comes to sell his own food creation. Once we created a station and were ready to fire it up I came to the realization I had brought the wrong propane tank. While my friends helped me out by heading back I had to take on the sad role of turning down some ready and waiting patrons because of my err. The best was a man who was skeptical of my delcaration that it was National Grilled Cheese month. Once we had quipped back and forth a bit he decided he wanted one no matter what month it may be and then I informed him of the news. The reply I received was an immediate backing up and walking away followed by a “well…..i guess you probably wish it was……(semi-long pause)….National Gas Month.” I immediately wanted to reply that no, I probably still would want it to be National Grilled Cheese month for the whole selling thing. I understand the concept he was trying to create with his snide remark but I doubt many people would be carrying around propane just b/c its National Gas Month. I didn’t see anybody carrying a grilled cheese proudly either, to be fair.
Alas, once the propane had arrived and we began cooking I have to admit I was absolutely humbled by the response I received for my grilled cheese sandwich. This was a little harder and rawer than the Grilled Cheese Invitational because here I had people that had not just paid for a bunch of people to hawk their grilled cheese wars at them, they had just paid for mine. (not to mention I had the trophy proudly standing) The most memorable moment from my sold out evening of grilled cheesing was four girls who hesitated at first and then went for it. One girl said she was truly amazed that there could be so much complexity and unique taste to a grilled cheese sandwich and another said she had not tasted something like it years and ended with a round of applause. There was a lot of skepticism here and there that always ended with truly shocked and happy face which made me feel good about my recipe and my method of my missionary. Although, to any of you that may have been at the opening to my food selling at the art mur mur (Good Guys. Bad Guys.), I will admit that the sandwich you had did have two substitutes for the evening. The understudy for the Wisconsin Sharp cheddar used at the GCI 2009 was replaced by Tillamook sharp cheddar (the new sponsor). The Cheeseboard cow’s milk mozzarella came from another wonderful C store…..Costco. (as did Tillamook). I apologize for the replacement but if it worked for my post-competition cooking at the GCI I figured it would work for my street fans. Overall, due to the overwhelmingly popular response I got, I will definitely be returning each month if I can.
Of course the next time I get a chance I will already either be the fallen champion or the two time winner of the Grilled Cheese Invitational. Is the SOLD OUT show seen on the streets of Oakland a fair indication of what will happen this year? I would like to think so. Or could it possibly be a fluke? A cause of brown-bagged PBRs, pot smoking, art in the art, and a general happier hipster lifestyle that pervades the scene of the mur mur more than it did in L.A? Probably. This is why I have to keep going and make sure these sandwiches are for everyone. I must continue taking it to the streets!
