Mom tells me that she was so poor as a student in Chicago that she could not afford to buy tomatoes all the time, especially in the winter. She would save up her money until she could and, because she had waited to get them, she would settle only for the very best--beefsteak tomatoes.
She would take those tomatoes (or maybe just one) back home and sandwiches made with good bread, thick slices of plump, juicy tomato, and LOTS of mayonnaise. To her, that must have been like manna from heaven.*
* I have actually eaten manna of the earthly variety on several occasions. Far from heavenly, the stuff I am talking about is made in Iraq and Iran from the resin of the tamarisk tree which is powdered, boiled in water, and turned into a paste into which are embedded pistachios, almonds, and other nuts. In Arabic the name of this confection is من السما "Heavenly Manna." I purchased the first batch from Baghdad International Airport in 2006.
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