Can you have a tomato sandwich without mayo?

Let's debate.

Substack is full of tomato sandwiches right now. Open faced and closed. Sometimes sprinkled simply with salt. Sometimes with a dash of pepper. Always with mayo.

Two that caught my eye recently:

• Devan Grimsrud’s tomato gochujang slaw sandwiches

• Alexis deBoschnek’s tomato sandwich in Notes

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I have a bit of an issue with mayo. It’s why I have a recipe for mayo-free potato salad in Mayo is the literal worst and why I even have a second post on the topic. I dislike it so much that sometimes I wonder…what happened to me in my childhood that makes me so repulsed by it? Is there some repressed memory in there? But I’ve had enough therapy to know that’s not the case.

And the thing is I understand why mayo and tomatoes make such a good pair, objectively. A luscious, creamy, fatty schmear softens the acid without hindering the tomato’s natural sweetness. I hear you all, I really do. But I just can’t eat it.

IYKYK

So the question remains: Can you ha…