The Genius of the Gyro

It occurred to me one day a while back that the idea behind the Gyro, or doner kebab as it's called in some parts, was quite brilliant. I had always considered it as some kind of mystery meat, tasty mystery meat, but still mystery meat. Lately though, I've noticed that the higher quality ones show definite signs of being actual meat.

But I'm starting to drift from my main point: That shaving off thin slices from the outside as it rotates allows the part to soon be eaten to be cooked just before it is eaten. But more than that, every slice that is taken off is like the outside of a roast. It's like a regular roast except every slice you get has a large portion of the tasty outside crust. Now I guess that isn't always the case, it depends on the fire, how fast the gyros are selling, and last but not least the skill of the carver, but still it has that potential. And as regards the skill of the carver, in that sense Gyro meat slicing could be compared favorably to other great carving arts. The pride with which ham is sliced by "Los Cortadores" on the Iberian peninsula comes to mind, a tradition which Americans could learn a lot from, as anyone who has been to a deli lately can attest.