KOSOX 2-Tier Sushi Box #3

Salami, mortadella, and pepperoni on silicone baran leaves (to keep other stuff dry), garlic-herb breadsticks (barely visible), black olives, cucumber slices, yellow bell pepper strips, grape tomatoes, and a small cup of ricotta dip (recipe here).

Apparently, this imperfect box is growing on me. I needed something to fit the breadsticks, so I had to use my longest box. (As it was I nibbled off the ends to get them to fit.)

I'd never had mortadella and it was on sale, so I figured I'd give it a try. It's essentially Italian bologna with visible chunks of pork fat. (Is it right to call it "Italian bologna" or should we call ours "American bologna"? Mortadella is from Bologna, Italy, after all.) Sounds kind of dreadful, but it's actually pretty lovely--especially if you like bologna. (As a child, I was in love with bologna. I hardly ever have it now, but a taste of that super-processed loaf of pork is quite the heady sense memory!) Mortadella has an interesting history. It was banned in the United States from 1967 to 2000, so at the risk of showing my age, I could never have had it before I was a legal adult anyway.

I was really happy with this lunch. Italian is a nice change of pace.

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