Of Cucumbers and Pickles

I stopped by Subway for lunch last week.  I ordered one of my standards: veggie sub, no cheese.  Ordering this sub can occasionally cause a little confusion on the line.  The empty bun making its way along the counter looks incomplete.  Usually, the next person in line double-checks the toaster - just in case there's some meat being heated.  Once, the guy looked at the empty bun and then at me.  His look of concern conveyed, "Is this the way you expected it would be?"  I gave him a reassuring nod and put in my order for toppings.  When I order the veggie I always tell them to put everything on it.  They always fill the bun quickly.  I think an empty bun makes them uneasy.

On this particular visit, my sandwich was handed off mid-fill.  In the exchange, one topping was left off.  I was aware of this oversight as it was happening and was watching to see if anyone would notice the omission.  It was mildly exciting.  No one noticed.  They thought they gave me a sandwich with everything but they actually gave me a sandwich with everything except pickles.  And I could not have been happier.

You see, I've been thinking for some time now that I might prefer my veggie sandwich this way.  There's something about eating fresh cucumbers and pickles together that feels odd to me.  I eat a cucumber and I think, "Ah, that's tasty."  Then I hit a pickle and I think, "Hmm, I wish you were still just a cucumber."  This is a little weird because I really like pickles - just not mixed with fresh cucumbers.  The way I see it, this pickle was once a cucumber that sacrificed its freshness and changed its very nature just so that it would still be edible when there were no fresh cucumbers.  By eating it with a fresh cucumber I feel like I'm saying, "Nice job with the whole pickle thing but it wasn't necessary.  I'm not saving you for later anyway."  It kind of cheapens the pickle's whole purpose for being.

So, I had my veggie sub with everything except the pickles.  As I suspected, I do prefer it this way.  I'll probably continue to ask for everything when I order a veggie sub, though.  I suppose I could start saying, "Everything, except pickles," but I don't think I will.  I liked the sub better without pickles but not enough to merit changing the simplicity of just saying "Everything."