The Hoosier sandwich

Ah, such perfect symmetry in nature. We want to have more biofuels plants, which will require the production of more corn, which will mean more corn byproducts to use as pig feed, which means more pig production, which means a steady supply of breaded tenderloins, a sandwich other states try but only Indiana gets right.

One of the first things new Indiana residents notice isn't our corn production — they expected that — or our flat topography. They knew that too.

It's breaded tenderloin sandwiches. Their eyes grow nearly to the size of the platter of meat placed before them. Native Hoosiers take those manhole cover-sized portions for granted.

To be considered for the hall of fame, a breaded tenderloin has to hang out so far that you're not even hungry anymore by the time you get to the bun. I've had many good ones in Indiana, including in a bowling alley, of all places, in Michigan City, Ind. One of the best continues to be at our own Acme Bar. The sandwich, as many of you probably know, is said to have been invented in 1904 by Nick Frienstein in Huntington, Ind., who started selling them at his Nick's Kitchen four years later. Oh, and here's some tutorials and a recipe, in case you want to make your own breaded tenderloins.