By Tim Mountain and Kevin O’Malley
Welcome to the first edition of Is It Better Than Good Will Hunting?, the new, weekly culture review column where Kevin O’Malley and Tim Mountain compare food, media, experiences and more against the world of art that produced Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting.
For our first edition, we have decided to compare a Fordham favorite: Ram’s Deli Plus’ “Hashtag.”
Some background info: Good Will Hunting is a 1997 coming-of-age drama starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck and Minnie Driver. It was directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Damon and Affleck.
The film takes place in Boston and Cambridge, Mass., where Damon’s character, 21-year-old Will Hunting, works as a janitor at MIT.
When it is discovered that he has mathematical abilities that rival those of any MIT professor, he begins a journey, during which he confronts the fact that his enemies are not external, but rather are rooted internally in his troubled past.
Good Will Hunting (GWH) was nominated for nine Oscars, winning two: Best Supporting Actor (Williams) and Best Original Screenplay (Damon and Affleck). It is now considered to be one of the finest films of all time, and currently holds a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The “Hashtag” is a sandwich at Ram’s Deli Plus (RDP) on Fordham Rd. and is priced at $6.50. It is — usually — served on a round roll and has bacon, egg, cheese, chicken cutlet and hash browns.
Kevin: Well Tim, I’m excited to get started here with this column and, particularly, to talk about two of my favorite things!
Tim: Kevin, I have to say, I’m probably even more excited than you are. GWH has been one of our favorite films for years, and I’m glad to finally have a forum where we write about it.
K: Definitely. I don’t want to waste time beating around the bush here, so let’s sink our teeth into this “Hashtag” discussion!
T: Let’s get to it. The “Hashtag” is one of RDP’s marquee sandwiches. It’s no mystery why. Served hot, quickly and on a soft poppy seed roll, the “Hashtag” is a friend to early-morning carb-fiends and late-night munchers alike.
K: As a late-night muncher and breakfast sandwich connoisseur, I have to say, I think the “Hashtag” does it right. Even though it keeps with the classic bacon, egg and cheese combination, RDP takes it to the next level by incorporating breaded chicken cutlet and the bonus hash browns to top it off.
T: And take it to the next level it does. Chicken, bacon and egg, the stars of this sandwich, are immediately evident, and their performances are Oscar-worthy themselves. The chicken cutlet is made of the juiciest white meat, the eggs are scrambled and seasoned to perfection and the bacon is crispy for that all-too-necessary crunch. The cheese and hash brown, in their supporting roles — or should I say, rolls — perform excellently as well, bringing out the vibrancy of the other flavors.
K: While the “Hashtag” is stacked with several ingredients, I will say the sandwich lacks in flavor diversity. If ordering, I would suggest adding ketchup, but even then, you’re probably in store for a bite that leaves the separate pieces of this sandwich almost indistinguishable from one another.
T: I have to agree. This sandwich is delicious, filling and cheap, but lacks the “flavor diversity” that you mentioned. It’s also not very healthy, as it’s pretty saturated with oils and sodium. The “Hashtag” won’t make you feel good about yourself, but it’s delicious as a once-in-a-while treat.
K: GWH, on the other hand, is a one-time, expiration-free purchase that can bring you endless joy, without the negative health benefits.
T: I’m inclined to agree, Kev. The values and lessons derived from GWH last a lifetime. While the Hashtag is filling, it certainly won’t give you an insightful look into a young man’s coming to terms with his past misfortunes and trust issues, set against the backdrop of class struggle between blue-collar South Boston and MIT’s and Harvard’s academic elite.
K: And sure, while GWH won’t satisfy your belly, it will certainly fill holes in your heart that no sandwich ever could. The way you feel when Williams’ character, Sean Maguire, touches on the difference between learning about love and truly experiencing it, could hardly be matched by an egg-based meal. Tim, I think I’m going to pick Good Will Hunting here.
T: I think we’re on the same side this time, my close, good friend Kevin O’Malley. If I were to give the “Hashtag” a Rotten Tomatoes score, it’d probably be a 73%. Not too bad, but certainly not GWH caliber.
K: Let’s just say that if you plan on ordering the “Hashtag” at Ram’s Deli Plus, I strongly recommend getting ketchup, or an Oscar-winning performance by Robin Williams, with your sandwich.
