Any good scientific theory requires a good amount of research to prove its validity. The proposed theory- that Bay State Bakery in Worcester, Massachusetts has the best shawarma in the universe- is itself untestable, as there is no way to taste all the shawarma in the universe. Who knows what types of delicious innovations are being wrapped up on planet Melmac?
Instead, I have begun working on a corollary- that Bay State Bakery's shawarma is better than any shawarma available in the greater Boston area, and thus worth the drive out the the middle of the state. Now, this is no small task. There seem to be at least two shawarma places in every part of Cambridge alone, not to mention migrant trucks offering similar menus. I also hate paying for and eating bad food. Luckily, I am a natural opitmist, and I'd rather not drive an hour just to eat lunch, so I am very much expexting to be proven wrong... any day now.
As a quick recap, Bay State Bakery's shawarma is perfectly spiced. It has cinnamon and allspice and stuff I can't identify but can taste right now even though I haven't eaten it in weeks. It is shaved to order, which means there is a bit of a wait for your sandwich, but guarantees the meat has an evenly, slightly crispy, juicy texture, and no gristly, oily bits. The sandwich is wrapped up in freshly baked pita layered with hummus, tomatoes, sliced onion and crunchy Lebanese pickles. The final touch is a generous dressing of the best tahini you will get anywhere and a decent stand in a sandwich press to crisp the outer layer of pita. In short, it is warm, flavorful and perfect, whether you order the beef or the chicken version (one of each is highly recommended).
With these high standards in mind, I started my mission at Fordees in Watertown, in the heart of what I lovingly refer to as Armenia land. There, beef shawarma runs about $8.75 each, at face value affording about one and a half times as much food as you'll get at Bay State (where you pay $4.99). The main difference is the size of the pita bread- Fordees uses a larger loaf. Once you dig in, however, you'll realize that bigger is not only not better, it is merely an illusion. Ounce for ounce, there might mave even been less meat in the Fordees sandwich than what Bay State stuffs into their little piece of pita. To fill the remainder of space, Fordees uses an assortment of leafy lettuce, tomato, onions and pickled turnips, lightly coated by a watery, overly lemony tahini. To accent this were some seasoned been strips. There was no meat spit in site. This was the biggest shock of all. I didn't actually think it was possible to order shawarma and not get shaved meat. The fact that the beef tasted too much of cumin is besides the point. This was definitely not shawarma. It was some bizarre take on middle-eastern inspired health food. If I had wanted a salad rolled up in flat bread with a hint of dressing, I would have ordered that.
On top of all the gustatory disappointment was the fact that the pita was cold. It is possible that hot pressing the sandwich is a Lebanese thing, but it was like zero degrees outside, and an at least lightly warmed sandwich seemed like common sense. Maybe they didn't want to wilt the lettuce.
Instead, I have begun working on a corollary- that Bay State Bakery's shawarma is better than any shawarma available in the greater Boston area, and thus worth the drive out the the middle of the state. Now, this is no small task. There seem to be at least two shawarma places in every part of Cambridge alone, not to mention migrant trucks offering similar menus. I also hate paying for and eating bad food. Luckily, I am a natural opitmist, and I'd rather not drive an hour just to eat lunch, so I am very much expexting to be proven wrong... any day now.
As a quick recap, Bay State Bakery's shawarma is perfectly spiced. It has cinnamon and allspice and stuff I can't identify but can taste right now even though I haven't eaten it in weeks. It is shaved to order, which means there is a bit of a wait for your sandwich, but guarantees the meat has an evenly, slightly crispy, juicy texture, and no gristly, oily bits. The sandwich is wrapped up in freshly baked pita layered with hummus, tomatoes, sliced onion and crunchy Lebanese pickles. The final touch is a generous dressing of the best tahini you will get anywhere and a decent stand in a sandwich press to crisp the outer layer of pita. In short, it is warm, flavorful and perfect, whether you order the beef or the chicken version (one of each is highly recommended).
With these high standards in mind, I started my mission at Fordees in Watertown, in the heart of what I lovingly refer to as Armenia land. There, beef shawarma runs about $8.75 each, at face value affording about one and a half times as much food as you'll get at Bay State (where you pay $4.99). The main difference is the size of the pita bread- Fordees uses a larger loaf. Once you dig in, however, you'll realize that bigger is not only not better, it is merely an illusion. Ounce for ounce, there might mave even been less meat in the Fordees sandwich than what Bay State stuffs into their little piece of pita. To fill the remainder of space, Fordees uses an assortment of leafy lettuce, tomato, onions and pickled turnips, lightly coated by a watery, overly lemony tahini. To accent this were some seasoned been strips. There was no meat spit in site. This was the biggest shock of all. I didn't actually think it was possible to order shawarma and not get shaved meat. The fact that the beef tasted too much of cumin is besides the point. This was definitely not shawarma. It was some bizarre take on middle-eastern inspired health food. If I had wanted a salad rolled up in flat bread with a hint of dressing, I would have ordered that.
On top of all the gustatory disappointment was the fact that the pita was cold. It is possible that hot pressing the sandwich is a Lebanese thing, but it was like zero degrees outside, and an at least lightly warmed sandwich seemed like common sense. Maybe they didn't want to wilt the lettuce.
to be continued.....
