And what the heck is a chop suey sandwich, anyway?
Get two, they’re small.
Last Monday, I flew to Washington DC to appear on NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show to discuss The Lace Reader. The show is an hour long, and it is live, so I was a bit nervous. I didn’t sleep much the night before. Instead, I sat in the dark, making mental lists of all the ways I could mess up. Of course, I knew better. If you’re going to make mental lists, make them of all the ways you can be successful, right? But middle of the night list-making often yields darker results, so, eventually, I turned on the light and started to read.
In the morning, when I walked into the studio, all of my apprehension faded. What a great group of people! They are gracious, smart, and funny. They had me laughing within about a minute. Diane is such a good conversationalist that you get better just by being in her presence. The hour flew by. In the second half of the show, we fielded some very interesting questions from listeners.
The only thing we didn’t get to was the promised definition of chop suey sandwiches (CSS). So for those of you who were listening and for others who may be curious, here’s the dish. CSS are a popular treat in The Lace Reader and in the real city of Salem. When I moved back to town about a decade ago, they were the best value around (beating even McDonalds at sixty-five cents apiece, though the price has increased since by a dollar). They are sold at two different take-out Chinese places along the midway at Salem Willows Park. John Rafferty (the book’s fictional detective) eats at least one of them per day, partly because he really loves them, and partly because he has acquired a sense of New England frugality that would make the locals proud.
Basically, the sandwich is a scoop (some would say lump) of very traditional chop suey, with soy sauce squirted on top, and sometimes a bit of chicken, all served on a hamburger bun. It’s not one of my favorite treats, though my brother swears by it. I swear by the popcorn that is sold two shops away and is (hands-down) the best on the North Shore. But that’s a story for another day. So, if you listened to the Diane Rehm show, you now know what a CSS is. If not, and you are interested, click here to listen to the show.
August 9th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I listened to that interview on NPR while making (many) trips to the dump cleaning out my garage. At one point I sat in my car near the recyling containers because I didn’t want to get out and miss any of it!
I called Borders and got the book that afternoon.
I have to say that it is my favorite book in those that I have read in the last five years. Only ‘Water for Elephants’ comes close. I read two to three a week so that is a lot of competition!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I have given it away to a friend to share my joy.
I think what I like most about it is that it is a true, hard core mystery wrapped in literary prose. So difficult to do….you rarely find a book that can rise to that level.
Now I just have to take a trip to Salem….
Again, thank you!
August 11th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Inspired by The Lace Reader and a journey to Salem, this summer brought me my first chop suey sandwich- I will say that it is edible and fun to talk about but I do think it is either an acquired taste or one of those local foods that are more traditional right than good eats. The chop suey sandwich is messy, the glop of juicy suey is served hot on a room temperture white hamburger bun all wrapped up in thin white paper. The wet chop suey juice seeps into the bun making it soggy and then into the paper that begins to disolve into your hand- so eat fast or toss half the sandwich- it is also a full generous overflowing portion that some around me were eating the contents with a folk. I asked the server through the take out sliding screened in window what typical diners dress the suey sandwich with and was told soy sauce, ketchup, mustard and on occation mayo. I took mine plain. I really thought less would be more. The Willows has seen better days and is run down into a seedy, dirty locale full of shady character but at once has a sea side North Shore charm that make it worth the trip- I would agree that the popcorn is fresh and good, they also serve home made ice cream including rocky road. The people are nice, two brave souls in line with me had come from Boston for this special treat that they have enjoyed every summer since childhood. As a fisrt time taster, I’ll stick to the clams.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Hi Brunonia. I’m a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest magazine. We’d like to feature a profile of you in an upcoming issue. Would you please contact me at: jordansmuse(at)gmail(dot)com.
Best,
Jordan E. Rosenfeld
Writer’s Digest magazine
August 14th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Just finished the last page about an hour ago. (and put a blurb on my site
) Lovely work. My only disappointment was that when I first heard of the sale of the book to a major publisher, I thought it was about knitted lace… and boy do I love knitting lace). But your story is magical AND true on so many levels. I’ve stayed at the Hawthorne (St. Patrick’s day, not Halloween), missed the CSS’s but would proabably give one a try. Look forward to your continued presence in the book world.