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USF took me to a sandwich shop today called Which Wich? Maybe you’ve been there? It’s new to Houston, so this was our first trip.
The concept behind Which Wich? is that you design your own sandwich. You choose a bag based on the filling you want (meat, vegetarian) and then check off the other ingredients: type of bread, condiments, veggies, cheeses, etc. Then the cooks prepare your sandwich.
It’s not that different from Subway, but it feels like you have more choices because you can ponder all the selections on that bag and create something unique. Something your own. I bet there’s like a million different kinds of sandwiches you can create at Which Wich?
Coincidentally, yesterday we also attended a show about building and remodeling homes. USF loves to look at home plans. He can bring up any number of sites and go through a checklist to design a dream home: numbers of bathrooms, bedrooms, type of exterior, detached or attached garage, and more.
With the way everything is so custom designed nowadays, I started wondering if that would be a good way to choose a novel to read. Like what if you could go to Borders or Barnes & Noble or wherever and go down a checklist, hand it to the clerk, and get a book in return.
You could choose genre:
romance, horror, mystery, science fiction, literary, poetry
You could choose characters:
doctor hero, lawyer hero, sports hero, millionaire hero
You could choose setting:
Illinois, Paris, NY, London
There would be an overwhelming number of choices, but you get the idea, right? So what do you think? Would you like to custom order books or is it more fun to see what the author’s chosen for you?
Filed in: Jaunty Post
Jun 27th
2008
7:21 am
Emily McKay Said:
I guess I’d have to say … it depends. Every once in a while, I feel like I want to read a book that’s exactly what I want. “I want a hero who’s a twin and a lawyer. I want a heroine who’s a rich socialite. They hate each other but have to work together to save a little boy who has magical powers.” Or whatever. But that’s pretty rare.
Far more often I just pick up the books of authors I love and I trust that they’ll deliver a good book. I think the problem with the book idea is the same problem I had with Which Wich? (We just got one about 6 months ago).
I like Turkey and Provolone, usually on wheat. Sometimes with avocado. If I design my own sandwich, I’ll get some variation of that. And I’ll probably be satisfied with it. But I may miss out on a really great sandwich. There’s a new Italian deli that came in about the same time Which Wich? They have an amazing roasted vegie sandwich. It’s so good it’ll make you cry. But it’d never occur to me to put that combination of vegies on a sandwich. Which I think just proves sometimes it’s best to leave things up to the experts.
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Jun 27th
2008
9:49 am
Ingeborg Said:
I just have to agree with Emily…
When you just pick what they choose for you the suprise might be even better…
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Jun 27th
2008
12:06 pm
brownone Said:
That reminds me of the “choose your own adventure” books I read as a kid. There were literally hundreds of outcomes! But I think as far as romances are concerned, I prefer to see what path the author has in store.
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Jun 27th
2008
12:13 pm
Shirley Karr Said:
Self-serve, like designing your own sandwich or checking out your own groceries when you’re just getting milk, certainly has its benefits. But sometimes yes, it’s good to have someone else help you make decisions. A really good bookseller can help you find the type of story you’re looking for.
I’ve been searching for shoes with better heel cushions to relieve my foot pain. Turns out I was in need of arch supports, which I didn’t realize until I went to a specialty shoe store where the staff helps you figure out which shoes are best for your feet. Haven’t had a salesman slip a shoe on my foot in ages. Was kind of nice.
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Jun 27th
2008
1:07 pm
RobynDeHart Said:
I’m definitely an on-the-side kind of gal when it comes to restaurants so I rarely order anything as is. But when it comes to books I’d much rather go on the adventure of the author’s design. If I want a different kind of story, I can just write that one.
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