On the perfection of the ham sandwich

Some might write ham sandwiches off as mundane, but I find the ham sandwich perfect for a summer lunch. The ham sandwich is easy to make, cost-effective, portable and tasty. To make a ham sandwich worthy of lunch, it is necessary to choose ingredients carefully. First, the ham should be French ham or another ham of similar quality. I prefer the boiled or baked variety and don't care for smoked hams in this sandwich (though they are certainly useful in other culinary pursuits.) Next, the bread should be a French baguette with enough crunch to be interesting, but not so much as to become as hard as a brick over a day. Finally, I like to use salted butter or mayonnaise as a spread. The assembly is simple: slice the baguette in half, pile the ham on the bread, spread one half of the baguette with either butter or mayonnaise, sprinkle some freshly ground pepper on top of the ham, close the sandwich, and slice the baguette (I usually cut 3-inch pieces). For variation, one can add cornichon to a ham sandwich spread with butter. To make banh mi jambon, choose the ham sandwich with mayonnaise, and stuff it with cilantro, sliced jalapeno, and pickled carrots and daikon radish.