It’s not easy to open my mouth all the way. Even as the stiffening of the skin on my face has eased significantly over the past 40 years (indeed, I have plenty of wrinkles to prove it), I cannot open wide at visits to the dentist or the doctor. My dentist and hygienist and periodontist are all well-versed in managing the complications of working on my teeth. Still, those visits are never easy.
But there’s another aspect to this issue that’s less obvious. And that involves food. In particular, food in restaurants. Most particularly, any kind of fancy sandwich.
Portions are so overdone in most eateries that a panini or vegiburger can be three inches thick or more. And I simply cannot open wide enough to eat it without making a huge mess. (Holding it in my hands is another matter—as in trying not to get sauce or condiments on my bandages, which can infect my ulcers.)
My compromise, on those occasions when I’m hungering for something hearty in sandwich form, is to eat it with a knife and fork. Which works, for the most part, but it’s not the same as tasting all the ingredients together. And manipulating those utensils through thick breads with my hands is no picnic, either.
One trick I’ve learned: It’s easier to eat a sandwich cut on the diagonal than as two rectangles. That way, I can take smaller bites to start and work my way to the center.
But probably the best solution to the restaurant sandwich dilemma: a good, old-fashioned grilled-cheese-and-tomato sandwich. On our trip in December to the Connecticut shore, I had the pleasure of rediscovering this favorite from childhood. Not too thick, not too sloppy (if I wrap it in a napkin as I eat), and so satisfying.
Have any of you with this same scleroderma issue found other good options? Please share!
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
Image: Lefteris kallergis
I don’t have scleroderma–full disclosure–but I do have issues with overly thick restaurant sandwiches. They are hard to eat neatly even if you can open your mouth wide enough (and I suspect many cannot). In general, I do not order sandwiches in restaurants because I just don’t want to deal; but if tempted, I will order it open-faced. Then I have to slice through only one layer of bread to eat with a knife and fork. Sometimes I also ask for a steak knife.
Yes, I also will just take the top layer off a regular sandwich as opposed to ordering open-faced. The real question, underlying all this, is why do the sandwiches have to be so overstuffed in the first place?
I do have scleroderma and additional dental issues. When I eat out I usually will have half a sandwich and a cup or bowl of soup. I have been know to dunk my grilled cheese into my tomato soup which is a favorite!
Soup dipping seems to be a popular solution, here. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it. Thanks, Linda. And, yes, grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup sounds delicious!
Hi Evelyn – Kaitlin Pomerantz, here.
My mom had the same struggles. She became a huge fan of the bialy, relative of the bagel, for that reason. She would eat them toasted, open face, with butter or sometimes melted Muenster cheese. And sometimes dipped in soup! They are not too chewy, and light.
When I was spending my time in Mass last fall, I found an excellent bialy at Bagelsaurus on Mass Ave. And I also learned to bake them myself.
Sending my best from Philly. Thank you, as ever, for your writing!
KP
Hi Kaitlin! So nice to hear from you. Bialy, great suggestion. I’ll have to check out Bagelsaurus. Hope all is well in Philly. 🙂
Exactly the same here!! I’ve also given up on most restaurant sandwiches except grilled cheese. One “trick”that I use is to slice all sandwiches that I make at home on a diagonal and then slice each half again ending up with 4 triangles. I find it easier to bite into and also easier to control “spillage” of sandwich filling. Since I have very little strength, I use a serrated steak knife to hack away. I also use a knife and fork to eat pizza even though I’m not an Italian grandmother.
Great idea about four triangles instead of just two, Patricia. Thanks for that! I also use knife and fork for pizza, so you’re not alone with that one, either. 🙂