Oregon: Dungeness Crab

Sandwich served: August 7, 2013

The Internet is great for a lot of reasons. If one were hoping to educate a friend (who spent her formative years overseas) on the awesomeness that is the Crossfire commercial (the 90s Milton Bradley board game, not the CNN political program) or a compilation of goats who sound like humans, it can be done in a snap.

Some may believe that constant Internet access causes us to become more insular, but I think it's the opposite. My friends are always off on some new adventure to visit friends from high school, camp, college, or past jobs - trips they may not have taken if it weren't for social media. The World Wide Web recently allowed me to follow my friend Kathy around Oregon. My coworker Shawn and her husband Paul keep up with their Oregonian pal in the same way.

Experiencing new places digitally only increases my desire to see them in person. When Kyle and I finally do make it to Oregon, I know that Sarah (the only guest with any true claim to eating this sandwich) will be full of recommendations on beautiful sights to see and foods to devour.

While conducting my research on Oregonian foodstuffs, I found so many the state is known for - grapes, cranberries, huckleberries, Tillamook cheese. I landed on Dungeness crab because it's one of the few state-managed fisheries and Oregonians are proud of its commitment to sustainability. It's also the state crustacean! The sandwich is served hot with melty Tillamook cheddar on top. I washed mine down with a Twilight from Deschutes Brewery - a great summer ale for a splendid summer evening.

The making of sandwich #31: