The $1,500 sandwich-from-scratch guy: 'Now it's hard for me to waste any food'

Andy George spent six months and $1,500 assembling one sandwich from scratch, including making his own cheese and bread and killing a chicken – and credits the process with educating him about the global food supply chain

Minneapolis native and YouTuber Andy George took six months to create a sandwich and all its ingredients entirely from scratch; his video documenting the process has gone viral, with more than 1.4m views in the past two weeks.

Without the convenience of a supply chain, cheap labor, technological advancement, global food networks or even substitutes, it took George 16 steps to complete his meal and cost him a staggering $1,500 – for one simple sandwich.

George grew up in the suburbs, without an abundant amount of knowledge of farm life. He says it was pure curiosity that drew him to this experiment.

“The average person is less involved in the creation of their own food supply. And we do lose something by not having that connection,” he said. “It’s good to make your own garden and keep in touch and be aware of where your food actually comes from.”

Of all the meals in the world to make, why choose a sandwich?

A sandwich is a complete meal. I thought before of a few different things but I was really curious about making bread. Making a sandwich seems simple, but surprisingly it is super complex.

It wasn’t bad. The six months of my life were not bad.

What was your favorite part of the process?

I really enjoyed milking the cow. They were friendly and liked to be rubbed on the base of their tails, but it was also scary because the farmer was telling me that if spooked, they kick with what’s called the “death kick”.

What was your least favorite part of the process?

Probably the [killing of the] chicken, I definitely didn’t look forward to having to do that. it wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be, although I didn’t take much pleasure in having to kill to eat it.

Actually, a lot of people commenting on your video are saying you’re still better than Peta.

There were a lot a lot of comments about the chicken, and it’s understandable. Seeing an animal die is a little revolting to them. Then there are some people who don’t think it is right to kill animals and eat them – I respect that.

Did this experiment change the way you see our global food supply?

Before I was mostly ignorant. I never really thought about it. I knew cheese was fermented from milk. Then I put it all together and mentally made the connection – personally doing every step gives me a new respect. Now it’s hard for me to waste any food, I want to use it all.

What do you want viewers to take away and learn from your experiment?

An appreciation for the invisible side of the society we live in, and the stuff we use every day. Also to learn about things that go into our food that people take for granted.

You love to cook at home. What’s your specialty?

Lasagna – and I do not make that from scratch.