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Published Saturday, July 11, 2009 in Opinion

Time for a tomato sandwich

A lazy Sunday afternoon after a weekend trip was highlighted by a couple of tomato sandwiches. A robust red tomato, white-wheat bread, mayonnaise and a cold Diet Coke -- can you think of anything better?

The screen porch with a whirring ceiling fan was the perfect setting for the ultimate snack. As the seasons progress, there is always something to look forward to. The heat of summer is ameliorated by a tasty delight like a tomato sandwich.

Ah, the heat! Could we not endure the heat without good produce? Everywhere you go there is a farmers market or a street market offering fresh vegetables for sale. I can't recall traveling anywhere and not finding a street market on Saturday, which is why I have always had great affection for those who till the soil and produce healthy vegetables.

Summer is when you appreciate a buffet the most. Find a restaurant that serves assorted vegetables for lunch, and you come close to finding what Ponce de Leon never found. I believe what I read -- that those who eat fruits and vegetables live longer.

After enjoying a tomato sandwich, I got curious and went searching for the origin of the tomato. A funny thing happened on the way to learning where it came from. While I was at it, I also checked out the origins of corn and the potato.

Growing up, potatoes were seldom referred to as anything other than "Irish potatoes." Naturally, I thought the potato came from Ireland, and that notion probably existed right on through the historical reference to the potato famine, which lasted six years, killed over a million people and caused another million to flee the country.

Apparently, a Spanish explorer discovered the potato in Peru. He took it home. Then the French got the potato and considered it an ornamental plant. The way the Irish got the potato was from the wreckage of the Spanish Armada. Some of those Irish emigrants brought the potato to America.

Corn is grown all over the world. Archaeologists say it was cultivated in the Americas over 5,600 years ago. The tomato is believed to also be native to the Americas. The early Aztecs were probably the first to enjoy a tomato sandwich.

For all its good, the tomato, historically, was quite controversial. Rich people in England thought the tomato to be poisonous. The high lead content of their pewter plates leached out into their food when it came in contact with foods, like the tomato, which were high in acid. Poor people, who ate off wooden plates, didn't have that problem, which is why the poor, especially the Italians, ate a lot of tomatoes. How could pizza have become popular without the tomato?

The biggest controversy involving the tomato had to do with its classification -- is it a fruit or vegetable? For a long time, according to the Internet, it was classified as a fruit to avoid taxation, but a Supreme Court ruled that the tomato is a vegetable.

At that point, I stopped researching. I didn't have the urge to learn if it was a food scientist or the Supreme Court who determines what constitutes the difference between a fruit and a vegetable. I decided to get another tomato sandwich.

While eating, I did consider how it is that we can find a way to create controversy over a simple plant that produces such tasty delights.

My conclusion was that if I had nothing to eat but corn on the cob, potatoes and tomato sandwiches, I would always be happy at mealtime.

I'll bet Andy Rooney would agree with me.

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