On Pickles

A reader has written in, in response to my speculative piece on proper sandwich appreciation, to inquire about pickles—in particular pickles in relationship to sandwiches. It’s a fair question.

Here’s my answer:

Pickles in, or within a five yard radius of, a sandwich constitute a component of said sandwich, and their appreciation is subsumed by appreciation of the sandwich.

This is not to say I cannot amass considerable, even unwarranted, enthusiasm for pickles all on their lonesome—what Sartre, in a stunning passage elided from L’Être et le néant, referred to as pickles-in-themselves. In fact, in a move that often tickles me with its soft absurdity, I frequently purchase pickles pre-cut for sandwiches (pickle slices), and eat them on their own, with nary a sandwich in sight!