Not all food is expensive. Some food is quite cheap and tasty. Lunch for under $5 is not an easy thing to pull off. Really, it is a challenge. There are some options and I am going to find them any place I can from S.F. to Santa Cruz and back. OK, sometimes I will need to spend a bit more than $5 for lunch, but there is no way this will be elevated beyond the budget breaking $10 lunch. Sometimes these lunches will need to forgo a beverage or a side order. There will, most likely, never be anything for dessert. Sorry, but if you are looking for a cheap lunch you do not get to order the crème brule and an espresso. Nope. Sorry, this is all about getting a decent mid-day meal for as little as possible. Yes, if only this article were based on the street foods of Hanoi. Yes, I know you can get multiple courses and dessert. I know. If we were in Tokyo we’d simple eat onigiri or bento box snacks and get some incredibly sweet canned coffee… Or, for that matter we could get a bowl of udon noodles at just about any major (and some minor) train stations… Sadly we are not in Japan or Vietnam. We are in California and, so help, me there are lunches out there for under $5. Good ones.
So, I am in Boulder Creek., The Santa Cruz Mountain town, with not terribly many dining options. There are, however, some good options for the cheap lunch. The photo is of a deli sandwich from Johnny’s Supermarket. Yes, this fine meal did in fact cost a bit more that $5, but still at $5.49 with tax this is a fine meal. In fact, I have found you can even split one of these and still feel quite satisfied that you’ve had a decent meal. (and you will still have a bit left over in the collective budget for an Arizona Ice Tea (tall can’s are .99 cents) and a bag of BBQ chips (another .99 cents)
The sandwich of choice at Johnny’s is a smoked turkey with provolone cheese and the works. I like everything on these but NO mayo. Pickles, mustard, peppers…. Also, a very nice touch is to ask for bacon as an additional meat treat. Gives a perfect crunchy feel to what otherwise might be soft bites of turkey and bread. Always best to get this one on sour dough bread. Not sure why this works so well to accompany the yellow mustard, but it is a perfect fit. Do not stray from this regimen…
So, if you are in Boulder Creek (en route to Santa Cruz on the scenic redwood highway) be sure to pop into Johnny’s for a sandwich. Yes, I know it’ll cost a bit more than $5, but it is unquestionably one of the tasty meal options around here and you can, and should, take your sandwich down to the river and marvel at the jade green waters and towering trees. Ahh… so, nice to have a meal with a view. You can’t beat it. Hop in your car and make it happen!
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