Earl has the same eating habits as Elvis Presley had: a penchant for anything laden with sauce or butter. This includes Southern-style food like ribs, comfort food like macaroni and cheese, and soul food like greens cooked in bacon grease. But the strangest thing is grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Last month I met my son Keith in Memphis, Tennessee, for a long weekend. We toured Elvis’s home, Graceland, and got a bite to eat at a cafй decorated to resemble a diner from the nineteen fifties. The menu was fifties as well; and, sure enough, it included a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. In honor of Earl, I ordered one while Keith took the saner route of a hot dog. When the food arrived, we both snatched our cameras and took a picture of my sandwich to prove to Earl I actually ordered it. Here it is.
There is no picture of my eating this sandwich, however, as one bite was all I needed to determine that I’ll never order another. It’s strange, as I like peanut butter very much. I like bananas too, and I’m fond of a grilled sandwich every now and then. But putting these ingredients together tasted smarmy. The banana was overly ripe; the peanut butter didn’t go to the edge of the bread and the bread itself was nothing special. I’d venture to say it was from the fifties too.
When I returned home and showed Earl the photo, he nodded with pleasure and reached into his memories to extol the virtues of the sandwich. I should have let it go at that; but I didn’t. Instead I reached into my memory and described my revulsion in no uncertain terms. Poor Earl.
The only thing I can say is that he is in good company. We own a copy of Fit for a King: The Elvis Presley Cookbook; and on page 166 there is a recipe for peanut butter and banana sandwiches. The commentary suggests Elvis ate them five at a time. Maybe one reason Earl and Elvis love them is because both men have their family roots in Tennessee. Me? I’m from Idaho.
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