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Epicurean Kentuckian: City Ham, Miracle Whip, lettuce on Kern's 2012-06-19 - Photo CM photo. Not Quite. A craving was brought on by memories of the ham sandwiches which used to be available at Brown Drug, the Corner Drug Store, or at the epitome of perfection, at Young's Rexall Drugs, where Avanell Burchett made them, sliced from a whole ham at the counter. In the 1950's they were an exciting downtown treat. The ham at Young's was the real thing. The bread was real, white or light bread, with a sweetness not that far from Angel Food Cake. It came from Honey Crust, Sunbeam Bakeries, or Kern's, I believe. The lettuce was torn fresh from the head of lettuce and always hung over the edges of the bread, and the Miracle Whip was generously slathered through, used as mortar to hold the sandwich together. The best drink to accompany it, was, if Avanell Burchett had made it, a vanilla milk shake, served with a glass and refilled from the metal shake cup; if not, the next best thing was whole Chappell's Dairy milk. The sandwich above only partially made it. The Miracle Whip was the same; the iceberg lettuce was the same; but the light bread wasn't as sturdy as I remember it from the bread box at 705 Jamestown Street. The ham: The taste was right. I took the advice of a local restaurant owner and bought Kentucky Legend ham, but my knife was too dull and the slice was three times too think, Still, it was a nostalgic treat, and brought back a little bit of the Square, 60 years ago. -EW Permalink | Comments?

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