You know when you grow up speaking a certain language or celebrating a certain holiday, and you think that everyone in the world lives the same way you do?  Until you go to grade school (or college, even) and find out you were wrong?

For me, it was the Gondola sandwich.  These are a staple to any Bloomington-Normal child’s diet, but are mysteriously absent from anywhere outside of central Illinois.  There is something very specific about an Avanti’s or La Gondola sandwich that is much different from any average sub sandwich, and I am pretty sure you can’t find it anywhere but here.  That’s not to say they are spectacular by any means, and most people who haven’t been eating them their whole lives probably think they are kind of gross or bland.

Anyway, the Gondola will always hold a special place in my heart.  Much more so than Blo-No’s other claims to fame, such as Beer Nuts, State Farm, and David Davis.  (Who is that? Exactly.)