John, Paul, George & Ringo, a "super-sandwich" at Heimerhaus Deli in Redwood City
From tangerine trees and marmalade skies to yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye, the lyrical language of the Beatles is laden with talk of food. In a humorous study called "Eat the Beatles!" conducted earlier this year, Beatles super-fan and humorist Martin Lewis discovered that the Fab Four "actually recorded more overt references to tea than drugs!"
In its heyday, the Beatles were extraordinary hawkers of food products. Mitch McGeary, proprietor of the RareBeatles.com website, lists a number of treats that the group endorsed by name and sometimes image. It would seem that the boys were quite fond of carbohydrates, lending their credibility to products like cereal, potato chips, crackers, bread, and cookies. Junk food giant Nabisco even named a package of fudge sandwich cookies Ringos.
Cafés and eateries with Beatles themes exist across Europe, and even the Bay Area has a piece of the action. At Heimerhaus (601 Main St. at Veterans Blvd., Redwood City), "John, Paul, George, Ringo' is a popular "super-sandwich," a creation that actually looks like three sandwiches stuck together with the aid of corned beef, roast beef, turkey, Swiss and American cheeses, cucumber, cranberry sauce, pickle, coleslaw, mayonnaise, and mustard on rye. It's a feat of construction that is both intimidating and fun to eat. Never mind the avowed vegetarianism of three-quarters of the group.