Souped-Up Sub

I had lunch at Subway today. I often do, since there's a Subway restaurant in the building where I work. It can get a bit boring after a while. But today I tried a different combination of sandwich toppings, and came up with something rather special.

My order was a chicken breast sandwich on Italian bread. (I didn't realize until today that Subway actually had whole grilled chicken breasts, rather than the ones cut into strips and soaked in a sauce.) I had the sandwich toasted with mozzarella cheese, until it came out all crisp and melty. Then, choosing from the other toppings on offer, I added spinach, chopped onion, sliced cucumber and tomato, shredded carrot, a sprinkling of oregano, and a goodly squirt of olive oil. That was it!

This was an unusual combination for me. Most times, by reflex, I top "whatever" with shredded lettuce, tomato, black olive, and mayo and/or mustard. I tend to avoid onions and peppers because I know people are going to smell it on my breath later; and I pass on the pickles because the type served by fast-food restaurants tastes rancid to me.

No matter how virtuous I try to feel, however, I must admit to myself that my usual recipe does not really contain any good, veggie nutrients, except maybe a few vitamins from the tomato. And the taste is a boring same-old, same-old. It's actually gross when this standard combo is served at meetings, when the bread has had time to get tough/soggy and the vegetables have begun to wilt. Today my taste buds were surprised by exceptional flavor, while my body got vitamins it has probably been missing for a while.