I was at work a bit late on Wednesday (10/23) when our Vice President & Marketing Manager for Hubbard Radio, Dan Seeman, who is based in Minneapolis, walked into the back door of our building in Baxter wearing a business suit and carrying a greasy bag of, what I thought were burgers. He passed a bunch of us who were working in our cubicles and announced “there are Maid-Rite sandwiches in the break room… help yourselves!” Not knowing what a “Maid-Rite sandwich” was, I wandered over to get a peek when another co-worker said, “these sandwiches from The Barn Restaurant are the best!” Other co-workers came flocking to get a sandwich saying much the same thing. Okay… They smelled good… I just thought they were hamburgers. Big whoop.
As my co worker opened one, over his shoulder I saw ground beef that had fallen from the bun and said, “oh, so they are more like Sloppy Joe’s without sauce.” He said, “they are better than Sloppy Joe’s… you should try one.” I have never had one and seeing that I was not all that hungry at the time, I said I would take one and eat it “on the go.” My co-worker laughed and said, “don’t even try to eat it in your car while driving. It is IMPOSSIBLE, not to mention distracting.” So I wrapped the already-wrapped-greasy-paper-covered sandwich in a bunch of paper towels and took it home.
When I got there, not only did my car smell awesome, but I was now basically drooling. The smell of this “Maid-Rite sandwich” had really tempted me to pull over and take a dang bite! But no, I fought the urge until I got home.
So there it was. This “Maid-Rite Sandwich” from The Barn. I finally opened the sandwich, and just like the one I saw being opened at work, a bunch of ground beef crumbles fell out onto the paper. I grabbed a spoon and took a bite of just the loose meat. Tasty! VERY Tasty. I picked up the top bun and took a look… what? No ketchup? No mustard? No cheese? I mean, the meat was delicious, but I didn’t quite get “they hype.”
Then, I picked up the still-warm, delicious-smelling sandwich and took a bite.
As the kids used to say, O.M.G!
It was amazing! I found LOVE in that sandwich! I had NOT seen, prior to the bite, that there was mustard, pickles, and onions ON THE BOTTOM BUN under the stack of meat and it was a FANTASTIC SURPRISE! It was delicious! NOW I understood the hype! Even though I am not a fan of raw onions, it did not even phase me (don’t tell my husband)! I admit, I picked a few big ones off but it was not that big of a deal…that Maid-Rite Sandwich was MADE RIGHT! I found a new indulgence for when the day needs one. Thank you, Mr. Seeman, for lunch and for opening my world up just a bit more when it comes to our great restaurants here in Brainerd! And yes, I ate THE. WHOLE. THING.
