Central City Gazette                                               Crime Beat

Saturday, May 29th, 1993

Leslie Lawless

Chow Down served The Fourth and Ten until January of this year.

The Fourth and Ten, a sandwich named after a career defining play by Central City’s own Mayor Parnell Holmes, consisted of roast beef, turkey, pepperoni, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, mayo, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper on a whole wheat bun. According to legend and unconfirmed by city hall, this was the sandwich Mayor Holmes enjoyed before game days while playing at Central City State University. 

Chow Down, the eponymous sandwich shop of the notorious Jimmy Chow, opened at the same time Holmes graced the local gridiron. Both are part of Central City lore, arguably local institutions. Holmes won his seat at City Hall by being the hero of our mighty Mudville. Jimmy Chow won our hearts through his sandwich artistry and, according to a recent filing by the district attorney’s office, his wholesale distribution of mind-altering substances.

Jimmy Chow was arrested this past January but released the same day. Our civil servants required another four months to file charges against Mr. Chow. Skeptics among the city’s news core suggest that Mr. Chow was charged solely as an incentive to force his testimony against the criminals for whom he worked, criminals who did not feed our hungry students or name their sandwiches after our local heroes.

Although this paper would never offer such a suggestion concerning the motivations of the justice system, if our district attorney’s office did act in such a self-serving manner, the rest of us would like to be served as well. 

At The Central City Gazette, having feasted on homemade peanut butter and jelly since Mr. Chow’s arrest, we look forward to justice being served with a slice of pickle.