Egg and Cress Sandwich

Brand: Tesco

Cost: £1

Found at: Tesco

There has been nothing more wonderful during this time of quarantine than eating a sandwich that I did not make. I know that I am being ungrateful – I love to cook and I love that I now have time to cook. Like so many others, I’ve been making stews and stir-fries and sugary treats and I have learned to take great pride in doing so. But there came a point after the weeks and months when I got tired of my own cooking. Like listening to the sound of my own voice, it just got old.

And so, with food in the fridge, I went out and bought an egg and cress sandwich. And it was amazing. The industrial bread, the fresh leafy greens, the liberal application of mayonnaise – it was food made, not with love, but on an industrial scale – and it was everything I wanted. I had not realized how much I missed the boring, everyday experience of a supermarket sandwich. For the first time in such a long time, I did not know what was in the food in front of me. I did not know how it had been made. I did not know who made it. I didn’t even know how long it had been sitting in the refrigerated cabinet. I just shoved it in my face and savored the eggy goodness. And I was so, blissfully happy.

Perhaps the pandemic has taught me to appreciate the simple things. Perhaps I’m so desperate for normalcy that I will grasp at every little scrap of pre-lockdown life. Or perhaps, this is just a very decent egg and cress sandwich. At this point, I don’t really care one way or the other, I’ll just sit back and enjoy it while it lasts – and maybe get one for tomorrow.