A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi . . .

Back when I did a post on the perfect tomato sandwich,  a few days later, Vagabonde emailed me to say that she had been inspired to create her own special sandwich with the wonderful heirloom tomatoes that are available just now. 

I've tried it (twice now) and can say that Vagabonde's creation is a winner.
It's nothing more than pimento cheese on toasted bread (Vagabonde used whole wheat; I used a ciabatta,) some mayo,, slices of a really good tomato (these are red and green zebra tomatoes -- the green are ripe, believe it or not,) and some fresh basil leaves for what Vagabonde calls "that certain je ne sais quoi..."
Don't omit the basil! Truly, it lifts a simple sandwich into the realm of cuisine. 
Vagabonde used a gourmet four-cheese pimento cheese from the deli. I make my own  --pimentos, grated sharp cheddar, mayo, minced onion, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and a bit of Sriracha hot sauce. Heavenly! A wonderful lunch or supper.

The Dragon in the Sea, on the other hand, wasn't at all my cup of tea. I loved Frank Herbert's Dune but was less fond of those that followed. This is one of Herbert's early efforts, from 1956, which was probably re-published to take advantage of Dune's continuing popularity.  

The book's about four guys in a tiny nuclear submarine at some time in the future. The world is at war and oil as the ultimate prize (sound familiar?)  There are only four guys and it looks like one is a traitor. . .

While it was interesting to see what an early Herbert novel was like, the novelty quickly palled and I did not finish. Way too much technical info for my taste -- what I'd characterize as a 'guy book.' I guess it just lacked that certain je ne sais quoi. . .

I did finish the sandwich, however.