The Infamous Peanut Butter and Mayo Sandwich

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Recently I shared a post on Facebook about mayo and penaut butter sandwiches, and several people (some myLotters as well) commented on it. Most of them saying that not only have they eaten the sandwich in question but they actually liked it. To me, it sounds completely disgusting. And I know a bit about disgusting food. I wrote several discussions last year about culinary fails (bad, odd and just weird recipes from the seventies and eightes) and I watch a lot of videos on YouTube about odd food, strange combos and the like, but a ton of people actually love this sandwich. This got me wondering about the orgins of this sandwich and how it got started. All I knew about it prior to looking it up was that it was southern. The south sure does like mayo, yall. Another fan favorite to several people that I know from the south love mayo and banana sandwiches, but that's a post for another time. Anyway, here's what I found out. Two staples that were kept in households during the Great Depression, andthe years that followed were peanut butter and mayo. In 1931 a man by the name of JD Holland was in Statesville, North Carolina and while he was inside a cafe eating dinner he was robbed. When he took inventory of what was taken and what was left, he was surprised to see that more valuable items were left behind and the thief took peanut butter and mayo from Holland's possesions. A lot of people who grew up in the south,not only in the great depression but just in general remember their mothers and grandmothers making this sandwich for them. They are so popular that they are often found being served in the food stalls at southern farmers markets. Some advertisements from the thirties tell the consumer to "moisten the peanut butter" before smearing it onto a bacon sandwich for a protein packed sandwich. There was also a popular recipie during the early 1940's that called for enough mayo to thin the peanut butter making it easier to spread and then mixing that with shredded American Cheese, then spreading that whole mixture on bread. Other recipes involving peanut butter and mayo include one that adds deviled ham to the mixture, or another that has diced pickles mixed in with the peanut butter and mayo concoction. While those variations on the peanut butter and mayo involve a few extra ingredients, the truth behind the pb&m is that it was a sandwich used as way to survive and make the groceries last longer. There are plenty of stories from people who remember hearing about their grandfathers packing these sandwiches while logging in the south. They kept them full, and lasted longer. Chef Nathan Thurston remembers growing up in the south and taking banana, mayo and peanut butter sandwiches every day to school. So, there's actually quite a bit of a story behind this sandwich. Are you one of the one's that likes this odd combo? Or are you one that would pass?