Every now and then, I grab a sub at Subway. And on the wall at Subway, they have pictures of the various subs along with a brief description of the sandwich and a number. And like most places, you can order your meal by just asking for a number. But not so with Subway or at least the Subways that I have visited.

When I go into a Subway, I study the menu selection on the wall. Then, when I decide on a sandwich, I ask for it by number.

The other day I went into a subway and after studying the menu, I walked up to the counter to place my order. “What’ll ya have?” “A number 4” I said. “What kind of bread do you want?” Fair question. After all, Subway does offer a variety of breads to choose from so I opted for wheat.

Then came the killer questions. “What kind of meat do you want on that?” Now I’m confused. A number 4 is supposed to come with turkey breast so I am not sure what he is asking. Thinking that maybe I can have the turkey warmed if I want, I respond by saying “Cold.”

I got a blank look from the man and he repeated the question. So I said “What are my options?” Rather annoyed the man said “Turkey, ham or roast beef.”

“Wait a minute, if I order roast beef, wouldn’t that make my sandwich a number 6?” “No” the man replied, “It would still be a number 4.” So I asked, “What is the difference between a number 4 and a number 6?” “They are the same”, the man said, “except that the number 6 is made with roast beef instead of turkey.” Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere fast, I opted for the turkey, just like in the picture.

Next, he asked me what kind of cheese I wanted on the sandwich. Not wanting to repeat the previous conversation I answered, “What ever cheese comes with a number 4.” To which the man responded, “You have the choice of provolone, cheddar, swiss or pepper jack.” “Pepper jack” I said.

Next came the veggies but I won’t even into detail on that.   In the end, I ended up with what looked like an number 8 but who knows. It made me wonder why they even bother putting up pictures of the sandwiches and the numbers as ultimately, you build your own sub.