This week, 68 years ago, one of TV's greatest and most influential sitcoms in history debuted on CBS. I'm, of course, talking about I Love Lucy, winner of five Emmy Awards and the black and white show (color TV still not a thing in 1951) you woke up to in the middle of the night because you forgot to put your sleep timer on. I Love Lucy centers on Lucy Ricardo (played by Lucille Ball) and her husband Ricky Ricardo (played by Desi Arnaz) and their best friends (who are also her landlords?) living in an apartment in New York City. I know, crazy plot, right? How could a couple afford to live in a multi-bedroom Upper East Side brownstone apartment on one income? (Oh I know, the rent for their apartment was $105 a month!) That wasn't the controversy that executives felt viewers wouldn't tolerate. Nope, not even close. Back in 1951, CBS executives initially balked at the idea of portraying a marriage between an all-American girl and a Latin man, even though Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were actually married. The marriage between Scottish American Lucy and Cuban American Ricky marked the first appearance of interracial marriage on American television. A little ridiculous to think that my current relationship would be considered interracial to early American TV viewers but I digress.
Ricky Ricardo: Roast Pork, Ham, Baby Swiss, Pickle, Spicy Mustard
As many American's first introductions to Cubans, it's only fitting that Taliercio's Ricky Ricardo sandwich be their version of a Cuban sandwich. The Cuban sandwich was developed in Florida, specifically Tampa and Miami, by laborers working in the cigar industry. The rivalry between the two cities over who has the best sandwich is heated but if I may, I would like to share my unbiased opinion. The best Cuban sandwiches are found in Hudson County, New Jersey and no it has nothing to do with the fact that that's where my family is from. This may not come as a surprise to any of you but I've had my fair share of Cuban sandwiches. (Not only in NJ) That's why judging this one is going to be tough for me. As Cuban sandwiches go, does this hold a candle to anything you'll find in Union City? No, for sure not. There's no Cuban bread here (arguably the best bread) and the roast pork didn't hit you with that Carribean flavor. However, as far as Taliercio's panini's go, this is still up there as one of my favorites. The combination of ham, swiss, spicy mustard and pickles is an all-time combination for me, you honestly could not screw it up. If you do screw it up, you don't deserve to make sandwiches. So, I'm going to give two scores here. One is a score based on other Taliercio's sandwiches and another is a Cuban sandwich score so you can see how it stacks up.
Taliercios: 8.9/10 (Still an all-time Taliercio's panini despite missing the Cuban bread and mojo seasoned pork.)
Cuban: 6.2/10 (It was missing the Cuban bread and mojo seasoned pork.)
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