Food Politics

Sandwich Gaffes: Romney Orders a ‘Sub’ in the Heart of Hoagie Country [Updated]

No word on how Romney manages to fit both his foot and this burger in his mouth.
No word on how Romney manages to fit both his foot and this burger in his mouth. Photo: AP

This past weekend, while ordering a sandwich in Pennsylvania, Mitt Romney may have once and for all proven true the assertions that he’s out of touch with the majority of voters. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, his small-town bus tour was forced to abort a scheduled stop at a Wawa in beautifully bucolic Quakertown because more than 250 Democratic protesters led by former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell were there waiting for him. His staff quickly found another of the regional chain of convenience stores’ outposts a few miles away. There, Romney did the usual politician thing, shaking hands, kissing babies, and posing for photos. Then he stepped up to store’s deli counter and proceeded to order a sub. A sub! In the heart of hoagie country!

Quickly realizing that he had just made another of what seems like an endless stream of gaffes, he corrected himself, uttering the H-word for the store’s employees so they knew what he was talking about. But it wasn’t quick enough, and it hardly makes up for the fact he completely dissed one of Wawa’s proudest achievements, their prized specialty hoagies. Instead, he ordered a meatball sandwich. With pickles and sweet peppers. Ew.

Update: Mitt Romney was so impressed by Wawa (“Wawa’s,” as he calls it) that he regaled followers with the story at a campaign stop. He got the hoagie/sub nomenclature correct this time, but we don’t know if we can give the guy a pass for “touch tone keypad.” Here’s the video evidence.

Romney dodges Rendell rally [Inquirer]
Related: The Week We Learned Mitt Romney Is a Crappy Picnic Guest
Cook of Mormon: A Look at Mitt Romney’s Religious Diet

Sandwich Gaffes: Romney Orders a ‘Sub’ in the Heart of Hoagie