Dolly Parton’s life is a true rags-to-riches story: Raised in poverty in rural Tennessee, she beat the odds and rose to international stardom as a country musician, actress, producer, and philanthropist. Now, The New York Times reports that the Southern star’s down-home roots are the focus of an honors history course offered at the University of Tennessee’s main campus in Knoxville.

Called “Dolly’s America,” the seminar uses Parton’s personal journey as a lens through which to examine modern Appalachian culture. The singer grew up in Sevier County, about 30 miles outside of Knoxville, and the class looks at how a “‘hillbilly’ girl from Appalachia grew up to become an international one-word sensation,” according to the course description on the university’s website.

Materials include Dolly Parton’s 1994 autobiography, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, and books about Appalachia; movies, TV shows, and historic videos; and scholarly articles. Ranging from lighthearted to somber, they provide a framework for students to examine historic themes like child labor, regional poverty, and the federal-state committee formed by President Kennedy that’s known today as the President’s Appalachian Regional Commission.

“Dolly’s America” also tries to dispel deep-seated stereotypes about rural America: ”Reading about how hillbillies and feuds began as made-up characters and tropes in novels and cartoons to the rise of hillbilly music to Christian entertainment and the thread of tourism, students see the processes by which fiction often becomes fact, and how heritage is a blend of the real and the imagined,” the course description says.

“Dolly’s America” was taught for the first time last year, and will be taught again in Fall 2017. That said, admission is likely to be competitive, as the course recently received a Twitter endorsement by Parton herself:

From the girl voted in High School ‘least likely to succeed’ this sure is a blessing! https://t.co/3EnB8ixB4f

— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) April 10, 2017

[h/t The New York Times]

Kermit got it all wrong: It is easy being green. Going green doesn’t have to mean committing to a 10-mile walk to work or abiding by “if it’s yellow, let it mellow”—you can make a difference by making small adjustments that add up to big change. Here are 11 ideas to get you started.

1. USE YOUR DISHWASHER.

It may seem counterintuitive, but your dishwasher is way more energy- and water-efficient at washing dishes than you are, as long as you’re running a full dishwasher. According to one German study, dishwashers use half of the energy and a sixth of the water, not to mention less soap. So, don’t feel guilty about skipping the sink of sudsy water, or about not pre-rinsing before loading up the machine—you’re actually doing the environment a favor by firing up your dishwasher.

2. SWITCH TO ONLINE BILL PAY.

Not only is it convenient to pay all of your bills with a click or two, it’s also environmentally friendly. One study found that the average U.S. household receives 19 bills and statements from credit card companies, banks, and utilities every month. By switching to online statements and online bill pay, each American household could save 6.6 pounds of paper per year, save 0.08 trees, and not produce 171 pounds of greenhouse gasses. Not bad for simply clicking a few “receive online statements” boxes.

3. OPT OUT OF JUNK MAIL.

While you’re paring down the amount of stuff that arrives daily in your mailbox, visit Catalog Choice to opt out of various mailers you don’t want to receive. So far, the nonprofit organization says they have saved more than 500,000 trees, over one billion pounds of greenhouse gas, more than 400 million pounds of solid waste, and approximately 3.5 billion gallons of water.

4. PLANT A TREE OR TWO.

Planting trees is obviously great for the environment, but if you’re strategic about it, it can help you reduce your energy costs and use less fossil fuel. According to ArborDay.org, planting large deciduous trees on the east, west, and northwest sides of your house can shade and cool your home during the warmer months, even slashing your air conditioning costs by up to 35 percent.

5. TURN OFF THE TAP.

If you leave the tap running while you tend to your pearly whites, you’re wasting approximately 200 gallons of water a month. Just turn the tap on when you need to wet your brush or rinse, instead of letting H20 pour uselessly down the drain. The same goes for anyone who shaves with the water running.

6. GO THRIFTING.

Take some advice from your old pal Macklemore and hit up some thrift shops—and that goes for whether you’re getting rid of clutter or adding more to your home. Buying and donating to thrift stores and second-hand shops means you’re recycling, supporting your local economy, and saving money. In fact, by some estimates, every item of clothing donated reduces 27 pounds of carbon emissions.

7. GET A HOUSEPLANT.

And grab a little guy for your desk at work, too. House plants and desk plants have been proven to improve your mood and raise productivity, but they also purify the air by removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in homes and offices. They also absorb carbon dioxide and increase the humidity. Low-maintenance plants include pothos, spider plants, jade, various succulents, and peace lilies.

8. GET SCRAPPY.

Cut up paper that has only been used on one side and use it to scribble reminders, notes, grocery lists, etc. Or flip it over for any kids you know to color on. (You can color on it, too, if you want.)

9. PUT YOUR CAFFEINE TO WORK.

Your coffee likely traveled thousands of miles to arrive in your pantry, so get good use out of it. Use your grounds to mulch plants that love acidic soil, like roses, evergreens, and rhododendrons. If your garden problems tend to be less about the dirt and more about the things that live in it, certain garden denizens hate coffee—namely ants, slugs, and snails. Sprinkle grounds in problem areas to deter them.

10. ENLIGHTEN YOURSELF.

Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs—the spiral light bulbs) may cost more upfront, but they’ll save up to $57 over the life of the bulb. More importantly, they use 70 percent less energy than traditional bulbs and installing them is as easy as screwing in a light bulb. (Insert joke here.)

11. MAKE TRACKS.

You don’t have to cut out your daily driving entirely, but when you only have a few blocks, or perhaps just a mile or two to travel and don’t need to transport anything bulky, consider walking or hopping on your bike. Walking 1.5 miles generates less than a quarter of the greenhouse gasses that are emitted by driving the same distance.

All images via iStock.

David Lynch, the visionary director of surreal films such as Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead, has some perfectly offbeat hobbies. He records dance music. He designs night clubs. He makes furniture. He is a crusader for transcendental meditation. But weirdest of all just may be his predilection for weather reporting.

In the mid-2000s, Lynch enjoyed sitting at his desk at home in Los Angeles and describing the weather, and regularly put videos of his amateur meteorology online, as Vulture recently reminded us. Unlike his twisted films, his weather reports were (mostly) played very straight: he just talked about the sunshine, the blueness of the sky, and the current temperature. Their very existence was surreal enough.

Once, he even did one with his favorite muse, Laura Dern:

02/01/2005 🌤 A classic weather report from @DAVID_LYNCH and @LauraDern. pic.twitter.com/csCNRoG0Fs

— Eric Thirteen (@eric_x_thirteen) July 1, 2016

Please enjoy a few more of these gems:

Of course, it’s David Lynch, so sometimes things got weird:

The site where Lynch kept his archive of videos is no longer up, but we suggest going through YouTube’s search results for “David Lynch weather report” to see all the weird and wonderful reports yourself.

[h/t Vulture]

When doctors determine the best medication for a person with depression, they generally rely upon little more than guesswork and patient self-reports, due to insufficient medical evidence. Research out of UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSMC) previously suggested that such practices were insufficient, and a new study, published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, provides additional diagnostic information that may change the way depression is treated.

The research team drew upon a large body of research that links low levels of inflammation in the body with depression. They say a blood test for an inflammatory biomarker, known as C-reactive protein (CRP), can significantly improve the success rate of two common antidepressants for depressed patients.

Lead author Madhukar Trivedi, a professor of psychiatry at UTSMC and director of the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, says doctors typically pick an antidepressant for their patients in one of three ways: personal experience; matching the perceived benefits of one drug with a certain type of patient’s needs; or having the patient pick a drug by ruling out the unwanted side effects of other drugs. “There isn’t a strong evidence base to support one way [of choosing an antidepressant] over another,” he tells mental_floss.

Trivedi says that because many doctors are pressed for time and overloaded with patients, they don’t thoroughly address a depressed patient’s needs. “If you have diabetes, the doctor spends a lot of time explaining that it’s a serious illness—there are consequences for ignoring it, and there are treatments you need to do. In depression, that does not happen as much. Patient engagement is not that strong,” he says.

Trivedi led a landmark study more than a decade ago that revealed how serious the medication problem is: Up to one-third of depressed patients don’t see an improvement in their first month of medication, and approximately 40 percent of people who take antidepressants quit within the first three months.

This failure rate is exacerbated by the lingering social stigma accompanying the illness. “It is not fashionable to say, ‘I have depression,’ so people around you may put in their uninformed advice … ‘Just go for a walk,’ or ‘Why are you depressed?’” says Trivedi.

The CRP blood test is traditionally used as a measure of inflammation for such diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis, among others, where doctors are looking for high levels of C-reactive protein—approximately 3 to 5 milligrams per blood liter. In the new study, which Trivedi refers to as a “secondary analysis” of a study he led in 2011 (the Co-MED trial), he says, “Our hypothesis was that for depression there may be stress related inflammation in lower levels.”

Trivedi’s lab measured depression remission rates of 106 patients, culled from 440 patients involved in the 2011 study, each of whom had given blood samples. Fifty-one of them had been prescribed only escitalopram (Lexapro), while 55 of them had been prescribed escitalopram plus bupriopion (Wellbutrin), both commonly prescribed SSRI antidepressant drugs.

After analyzing blood samples, the researchers found that for patients whose CRP levels were less than 1 milligram per liter of blood, escitalopram alone was more effective—patients experienced a 57 percent remission rate of their depression versus 30 percent on the other drug. For patients with higher CRP levels, escitalopram plus bupropion was more effective. These patients experienced a 51 percent remission rate, compared to 33 percent on only escitalopram.

Not only do these SSRI antidepressant drugs promote higher levels of retention of the “feel good” neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, they trigger an immune response that blocks inflammatory molecules called cytokines.

“The magnitude of the effect was really thrilling,” Trivedi says. “The bottom line in depression is we have not had objective tests that help us with any component of diagnosis or treatment matching—and this is a very solid first step.”

His next step will be to do a clinical trial in which researchers will go to primary care practices and randomize patients, so that half of the participants will get “the best care the provider is willing to do,” he says, and the other half will do the blood test and then get matched with one of the two drug approaches. “We want to show that if you have the treatment matching based on the blood tests, that group of patients will have significantly better outcomes than those who do usual care.”

He hopes that other studies will use the CRP test with other antidepressant drugs, as well. “It’s not a perfect solution for 100 percent of patients, but it helps.”

A toddler’s sudden mobility can be frustrating for parents, but it’s an important step in a child’s mental development. Having the means to explore teaches problem-solving skills and helps little ones understand the world around them. Now, Engadget reports that two grad students have invented a device that brings this experience to kids with disabilities.

NYU Tandon School of Engineering students Tanaya Bhave and Gang Haiming came up with the Tot Bot after learning that toddlers with physical handicaps often develop lower IQs due to lack of stimulation [PDF]. One way to combat this is to give kids a way to move around.

Most motorized wheelchairs for adults are controlled with joysticks. For their chair, Bhave and Haiming swapped the complicated mechanic with one they knew toddlers could navigate.

According to a 2015 study, a third of babies can use smartphones before they learn to walk or talk. So a touchscreen seems like the perfect choice. After installing an app on their phone or tablet, parents attach their device to the front of the chair. The screen displays whatever’s directly in front of the phone’s camera, and children tap the object they’re interested in to roll towards it. When the chair senses it’s close enough, it stops and turns so the child can grab whatever caught their eye. And for parents concerned with safety, there’s also an option to limit the chair’s range to areas in the room tagged “safe.”

Prospective buyers may have to wait a while to purchase a chair: The students’ project is still in the development stages, and there’s no word on when, or if, it will be commercial-ready. For now, you can watch the video below to see the Tot Bot in action.

[h/t engadget]

On the very first Earth Day in 1970, Denis Hayes stood on a stage in Central Park, stunned by the number of people who’d come to honor the planet. Now 76 years old, Hayes remembers it was like looking at the ocean—“you couldn’t see where the sea of people ended.” Crowd estimates reached more than a million people.

For Hayes, who is now board chair of the international Earth Day Network, it was the culmination of a year’s worth of work. As an urban ecology graduate student at Harvard University, he’d volunteered to help organize a small initiative by Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson. Nelson was horrified by the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, and wanted to raise awareness about environmental issues by holding teaching events similar to those being held by civil rights and anti-war activists.

Senator Nelson saw a growing disconnect between the concept of progress and the idea of American well-being, Hayes tells mental_floss. “There was a sense that America was prosperous and getting better, but at the same time, the air in the country was similar to the air today in China, Mexico City, or New Delhi,” Hayes says. “Rivers were catching on fire. Lakes were unswimmable.”

Nelson’s plan for these environmental teach-ins was for speakers to educate college students about environmental issues. But he had no one to organize them. So Hayes, Nelson’s sole volunteer, took control on a national level, organizing teach-ins at Harvard first and then across the U.S. Initially, the response was tepid at best. “Rather rapidly it became clear that this wasn’t a hot issue at colleges and universities in 1969,” Hayes says. “We had a war raging, and civil rights were getting very emotional after the Nixon election.”

Still, both Hayes and Nelson noticed an influx of mail to the senator’s office from women with young families worried about the environment. So instead of focusing on colleges, the two decided to take a different tactic, creating events with community-based organizations across the country, Hayes says. They also decided that rather than a series of teach-ins, they’d hold a single, nationwide teach-in on the same day. They called it Earth Day, and set a date: April 22.

Hayes now had a team of young adults working for the cause, and he himself had dropped out of school to tackle it full time. Long before social media, the project began to spread virally. “It just resonated,” he says. Women and smaller environmental-advocacy groups really hooked onto the idea, and word spread by mouth and by information passing between members of the groups.

With the cooperation and participation of grassroots groups and volunteers across the country, and a few lawmakers who supported the initiative, Hayes’ efforts culminated in the event on April 22, 1970.

Hayes started the day in Washington, D.C., where he and the staff were based. There was a rally and protest on the National Mall, though by that point Hayes had flown to New York, where Mayor John Lindsay provided a stage in Central Park. Parts of Fifth Avenue were shut down for the events, which included Earth-oriented celebrations, protests, and speeches by celebrities. Some of those attending the event even attacked nearby cars for causing pollution. After the rally, Hayes flew to Chicago for a smaller event.

“We had a sense that it was going to be big, but when the day actually dawned, the crowds were so much bigger than anyone had experienced before,” Hayes said. The event drew grassroots activists working on a variety of issues—Agent Orange, lead paint in poor urban neighborhoods, saving the whales—and fostered a sense of unity among them.

“There were people worrying about these [environmental] issues before Earth Day, but they didn’t think they had anything in common with one another,” Hayes says. “We took all those individual strands and wove them together into the fabric of modern environmentalism.”

Hayes and his team spent the summer getting tear-gassed at protests against the American invasion of Cambodia, which President Nixon authorized just six days after Earth Day. But by fall, the team refocused on environmental issues—and elections. They targeted a “dirty dozen” members of Congress up for re-election who had terrible environmental records, and campaigned for candidates who championed environmental causes to run against them. They defeated seven out of 12.

“It was a very poorly funded but high-energy campaign,” Hayes says. “That sent the message to Congress that it wasn’t just a bunch of people out frolicking in the sunshine planting daisies and picking up litter. This actually had political chops.”

The early ’70s became a golden age for environmental issues; momentum from the Earth Day movement spawned the creation of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Environmental Education Act (which was initially passed in 1970 and revived in 1990), and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“We completely changed the framework within which America does business, more than any other period in history with the possible exception of the New Deal,” Hayes says. “But our little revolution was brought entirely from the grassroots up.”

In 1990, Hayes was at it again. He organized the first international Earth Day, with about 200 million participants across more than 140 countries. Since then it’s become a global phenomenon.

Despite its popularity, though, we still have a long way to go, even if the improvements Hayes fought for have made these issues feel more remote. Hayes noted that everything they were fighting in the ’70s was something tangible—something you could see, taste, smell, or touch. Climate change can seem much less real—and harder to combat—to the average person who isn’t yet faced with its effects.

Hayes also notes that people have become more skeptical of science. “Historically, that has not been a problem in the United States. But today science is under attack.”

He warns, “This [anti-science sentiment] is something that could impoverish the next 50 generations and create really long-term devastation—that harms not only American health, but also American business, American labor, and American prospects.”

As the story goes, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, popularized his eponymous lunchtime staple in the 18th century by asking his cook to create a snack he could eat without pausing a 24-hour gambling streak. The cook’s solution: meat served between two pieces of toast.

Since then, sandwich-making has become an art, with purveyors the world over seeking the perfect bread-filling-condiment combination. We’ve scoured customer and professional reviews from each state to settle upon these 50 sandwiches worth the trip.

1. ALABAMA // BBQ SANDWICH WITH WHITE SAUCE

Location: Homewood, Alabama

Ask a Texan and a South Carolinian what “barbecue” means to them and you’ll get two very different responses (and possibly a brawl). In Alabama, “barbecue” usually means a meaty sandwich slathered in a “white sauce” made from mayonnaise and vinegar. For a mouthwatering sample of the regional treat, head to Saw’s BBQ in Homewood, Alabama, and order the smoked chicken sandwich with white BBQ sauce.

2. ALASKA // HALIBUT BLT

Location: Seward, Alaska

Fresh fish is synonymous with Alaskan food. And if you’re looking for just-off-the-hook halibut, head to a town called Seward, a two-and-a-half-hour drive south of Anchorage. At Chinooks, located right on the Seward waterfront, you can find halibut cheeks, beer-battered halibut, and a halibut BLT—pan-roasted halibut topped with bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and red onion jam.

3. ARIZONA // ZOOKZ SANDWICHES NO. 60

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

The sandwiches at Zookz are so unique that they’re patented. Owner Carole Meyer, who grew up in North Africa, recreates the disc-shaped sandwiches her grandmother used to make by baking the bread in a custom-made, cylindrical Zookz press. Meyer got her start selling her own brand of sauces and dressings in markets, and each of her hot sandwiches comes with house-made condiments like sweet heat mustard and mild curry sauce. The sandwiches run the gamut from familiar favorites (the No. 60’s pulled pork and coleslaw) to pasta-stuffed specials—one recent offering involved ham, ricotta, Parmesan, and penne pasta all in one hand-held pocket of bread.

4. ARKANSAS // THE GARDEN SANDWICH

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

No matter your usual sandwich preferences, when you’re at Jimmy’s Serious Sandwiches, go for the vegetarian option. Sure, the Little Rock mainstay serves steak hoagies and turkey subs, but it’s most famous for The Garden, a mushroom, three cheese, and spinach-paté special on pumpernickel. It won the National Sandwich Contest in 1979, back when submitting a meat-free dish was almost unheard of. Jimmy used his award-winning recipe to launch his restaurant in 1984 and has been serving up seriously super sandwiches in the same location ever since.

5. CALIFORNIA // FRENCH DIP

Location: Los Angeles, California

Despite the name, there’s nothing French about the “French dip” sandwich—it was invented in Los Angeles. And though two competing restaurants claim to have created it first, the title is often awarded to Philippe the Original, a Chinatown lunch counter that first opened in 1908 (by, OK, a Frenchman). These days, the meaty sandwiches are virtually identical to their early 20th-century counterparts, according to one of the current owners, and the au jus that tops them is still prepared using the same proprietary, two-day process. At Philippe’s, French dip sandwiches aren’t limited to beef, though; you can choose between beef, pork, ham, pastrami, turkey, and lamb. Don’t forget to top it off with the restaurant’s spicy house mustard.

6. COLORADO // FOOL’S GOLD

Location: Golden, Colorado

In 1973, then 16-year-old Nick Andurlakis was working as a cook in a Denver-area restaurant when a hungry Elvis Presley showed up. Andurlakis whipped him up the Fool’s Gold, a sourdough loaf packed with a pound each of peanut butter, jelly, and bacon. Presley was so impressed by the sandwich he later flew in from Memphis on his private jet just to pick up some of the sweet-and-salty sandwiches. Andurlakis opened up his own restaurant in the ’80s, and Nick’s Café has been serving up the Fool’s Gold ever since. The whole thing clocks in at 5600 calories, but don’t worry—you probably can’t eat the whole loaf at once, anyway.

7. CONNECTICUT // HOT LOBSTER ROLL

Location: Clinton, Connecticut

Maine may be a better-known destination for lobster, but southern New England has its own claim to shellfish sandwiches. Unlike the traditional lobster roll that’s served cold with mayonnaise, Connecticut’s lobster rolls come hot and tossed in butter. For a truly authentic Connecticut lobster experience, head to Clinton’s waterfront seafood shack, Lobster Landing. Attached to a retail fish market, the seasonal restaurant is open from the spring to the fall each year (it opens in mid-April for 2017). There are only a handful of items on the menu, so all the focus is on those hot lobster rolls, each of which comes with exactly a quarter pound of hand-picked meat drizzled with butter and just a little splash of lemon.

8. DELAWARE // THE BOBBIE

Location: Wilmington, Delaware

While Capriotti’s is no longer headquartered in Delaware, the chain got its start in Wilmington’s Little Italy neighborhood back in 1976, and one of their signature sandwiches, The Bobbie, has become one of the most famous in the state. Named for the aunt of the restaurant’s founders, it’s a loaded post-Thanksgiving sandwich: turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayo, just like you’d make from leftovers—but better, and year-round. It’s been winning “best sandwich” awards around the country for decades [PDF].

9. FLORIDA // CUBANO

Location: Miami, Florida

Competition for Florida’s best Cuban sandwich is fierce. No two “best of” lists can agree on which restaurant serves up the absolute best Cubano in one particular city, much less the state. But you can’t go wrong at Versailles, a 46-year-old Miami institution. Its version involves slow-roasted pork, bolo ham glazed in pineapple juice, brown sugar, and cloves, imported Swiss cheese, and airy, fresh-baked bread.

10. GEORGIA // CHICKEN CONQUISTADOR

Location: Savannah, Georgia

Not only the best sandwich in its home state, the Chicken Conquistador at Zunzi’s in Savannah was named one of the Travel Channel’s Best Sandwiches in America. The Conquistador—named for its impressive size—is quite simple in its construction: a crusty baguette layered with baked chicken, fresh lettuce and tomato, and a generous slathering of Zunzi’s secret sauce.

11. HAWAII // KĀLUA PORK

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

A staple of luaus and picnics across the islands, kālua pork also makes an awesome sandwich. The tender, slow-cooked shreds of meat are a treat on their own but are even more delightful when paired with sweet pineapple salsa and a soft bun, as they are in Honolulu Burger Co.’s Kalua Pig Burger.

12. IDAHO // MEAT YOUR MAKER

Location: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

If your idea of heaven is a French roll piled high with sausage, pepperoni, steak, peppers, and onions, take a trip to the Best Sandwich Shack in Coeur d’Alene and prepare to Meat Your Maker. It may be the only sandwich on this list that comes marked with a pseudo-medical warning (“This one is over two pounds of sandwich—it may kill you”). As one reviewer said, the whopping, sizzling sandwich is “not for the faint of heart, but it’s DEFINITELY worth toughening up for.”

13. ILLINOIS // ITALIAN BEEF

Location: Chicago, Illinois

You’ll find no fancy sandwich names here. Chicago’s classic Italian beef sandwich is exactly what it sounds like: thinly sliced and seasoned beef served with peppers, gravy, and giardiniera (pickled vegetables). Many sandwich shops will boast that their beef is the best, but if you want the original, head to Al’s Italian Beef on Taylor Street.

14. INDIANA // HOOSIER SANDWICH

Location: Huntington, Indiana

In Germany they make it with veal and call it schnitzel; in Texas, it’s beef and chicken-fried steak. But Indiana natives will tell you that their Hoosier Sandwich—a thin, breaded, fried pork tenderloin nestled on a pillow-soft bun—could beat them all. Credit for the first Hoosier Sandwich goes to Nick’s Kitchen in Huntington, which has been selling the crispy, filling sandwiches since the 1900s.

15. IOWA // LOOSE MEAT

Location: Ottumwa, Iowa

Somewhere in between a free-form hamburger and a sloppy joe minus the sauce, the loose meat sandwich is as filling, tasty, and no-nonsense as it sounds. Locals bellying up to the counter at Ottumwa’s Canteen Lunch in the Alley know to order their sandwiches “wet” or “dry” (we’re talking about grease levels here), or with cheese, if they’re feeling wild.

16. KANSAS // BBQ PULLED PORK

Location: Kansas City, Kansas

Nothing says Kansas City like good barbecue. True aficionados know that the best barbecue sandwich (and their house-specialty pulled pork) can be found at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, a restaurant that started as a competitive meat-smoking team called Slaughterhouse Five. The team won and kept on winning, and today Joe’s has three locations around the city, all boasting great barbecue and a dose of good humor.

17. KENTUCKY // HOT BROWN

Location: Louisville, Kentucky

In 1926, Fred Schmidt, a chef at the historic Brown Hotel, became famous for inventing a unique sandwich he called the Hot Brown. Schmidt’s culinary creation was a variation on the traditional Welsh rarebit: an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon, smothered in Mornay sauce, and broiled until bubbly.

18. LOUISIANA // PO’ BOY

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

It’s hard to find a bad po’ boy in New Orleans, but foodies seeking the regional staple can’t go wrong with Parkway Bakery and Tavern. Opened in 1911, the local institution first began serving po’ boys in 1929; Parkway closed in 1993 but re-opened a decade later. Since then, they’ve served countless customers—including President Barack Obama in 2010—clamoring for their classic meat or fried seafood sandwiches, served on French bread.

19. MAINE // LOBSTER ROLL

Location: Wiscasset, Maine

Most people go to Maine to escape the crowds, but they’ll likely encounter a big one at Red’s Eats, a roadside take-out restaurant located on U.S. Route 1. Red’s Eats moved from Boothbay, Maine to its present-day location in 1954, and became known by locals and vacationers alike for its signature lobster rolls. They’re stuffed with more than an entire crustacean’s worth of meat, with a side of butter or mayo. The upside to Red’s infamously long lines? While waiting, you’ll work up the appetite to finish it.

20. MARYLAND // CRABCAKE SANDWICH

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

A visit to Maryland isn’t complete without a crab feast, and Faidley’s Seafood, a vendor in Baltimore’s historic Lexington Market, makes some of the state’s best crab cake sandwiches. A huge lump of fried crabmeat—mixed with a mustard-based sauce, crushed saltines, and Old Bay—sits atop chewy white bread, lettuce, and tomato.

21. MASSACHUSETTS // FLUFFERNUTTER

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Nobody quite knows who made the first sandwich with peanut butter and marshmallow crème filling, but that hasn’t stopped Massachusetts residents from claiming the snack as their own. They make their version with Marshmallow Fluff, a local brand of marshmallow spread produced by Durkee-Mower, Inc. in Lynn, Massachusetts.

During the 1960s, Durkee-Mower coined the name “Fluffernutter” to market the sandwich. Over the decades, it’s become such an intrinsic part of New England’s culinary culture that in 2006, the Massachusetts state legislature spent a week arguing whether or not the Fluffernutter should be named the official state sandwich. For a particularly decadent version, swing through Boston and try Local 149’s deep-fried Fluffernutter, served with warm Nutella.

22. MICHIGAN // REUBEN SANDWICH

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan may be the Midwest’s answer to New York City’s now-closed Carnegie Deli. The deli opened in 1982 and has grown into a local empire that now includes a sit-down restaurant, a café, a bakery, a coffee roasting shop, and a cheese and gelato producer.

Still, Zingerman’s remains most famous for its classic Reuben sandwich. According to deli officials, they make around 50,000 Reubens per year—but if you can’t make it to Michigan, don’t worry. They also offer “Reuben Kits,” containing ingredients to assemble your own Reuben at home.

23. MINNESOTA // FRIED WALLEYE SANDWICH

Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

Since the walleye is Minnesota’s state fish, locals have had plenty of practice figuring out the best ways of preparing it. If fried and served between bread slices is your choice, Tavern on Grand is reputed to be the best place to dig in. You can opt for grilled, blackened, or sizzling in oil, each one prepared using walleye fresh from Lake Manitoba.

24. MISSISSIPPI // PIG EAR SANDWICH

Location: Jackson, Mississippi

It might take a little courage, but bold eaters will be rewarded at Jackson’s Big Apple Inn, where fourth-generation operator Geno Lee serves pig ear sandwiches. Lee’s great-grandfather Juan Mora was the one who stumbled upon the idea in the 1930s after a local butcher offered him a deal on leftover lobes. With a crunchy bacon taste and a lasagna noodle blanket to add contrasting texture, the sandwiches are served with seasoning based on how much extra spice you can handle.

25. MISSOURI // THE GERBER

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

While you can get the state’s trademark open-faced ham and beef toasted sandwich at plenty of places, only Ruma’s Deli based in St. Louis offers them up under the “official” title of Gerber. Using proprietary braising techniques to make sure the meat juice drips down and onto the bread, Ruma’s goes through 66 pounds of roast a day to meet demand.

26. MONTANA // PORK CHOP SANDWICH

Location: Butte, Montana

Visitors to Montana will be tempted to sample the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made with the state’s pervasive huckleberry jam, but for a true one-of-a-kind experience, the lean, boneless, fried pork chop sandwiches made at Pork Chop John’s in Butte can’t be beaten. The eatery opened in 1932, with each successive owner maintaining the secret of its famous pork chop batter.

27. NEBRASKA // THE BLACKSTONE REUBEN

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

No one can say for certain, but it’s possible that the world-famous Reuben—corned beef topped with Swiss and sauerkraut—originated in Omaha. Whether that’s true or not, there’s not much argument that the state perfected it. The Blackstone, available at the Crescent Moon in Omaha, has been recognized as the standout sandwich in the state. Unlike most Reubens, it doesn’t squirt meat or dressing when you bite into it; the meat comes in chunks rather than slices because it’s too tender to cut too thin. Once it’s been assembled, the sandwich goes through a conveyor-belt-style pizza oven for toasting. If you’re lucky, the Crescent might even be in the mood to offer up a smoked corned beef version.

28. NEVADA // THE DIRKA DIRKA

Location: Reno, Nevada

Vegas is home to plenty of novelty foods, but the Full Belly Deli opts for taste over high-concept. Their Dirka Dirka is consistently cited by travelers and locals as a destination sandwich you won’t need to gamble on—corned beef, pastrami, and jalapeño coleslaw on blue cheese or cheddar bread.

29. NEW HAMPSHIRE // MOE’S ITALIAN SANDWICH

Location: Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Not all Italian subs are created equal. Moe’s, a Portsmouth staple since 1959, has perfected a hoagie that uses just the right amount of salami, provolone, dressing, and toppings. Their art is so dialed-in that Moe’s has successfully franchised throughout New England without registering any complaints about watering down a classic.

30. NEW JERSEY // PORK ROLL

Location: Shrewsbury, New Jersey

In 1856, state senator and businessman John Taylor created the smoky, processed pork that serves as the backbone of this savory breakfast sandwich. Delis and diners throughout the Garden State grill or fry the meat, top it with cheese and eggs, and throw it on a sturdy roll—Bagel Masters is a favorite on the Jersey Shore. The recipe is consistent throughout the state, though the name isn’t. Folks from north Jersey refer to it as a Taylor ham, while central and south Jerseyans adamantly maintain it’s a pork roll. Whatever you call it, it’s delicious.

31. NEW MEXICO // GREEN CHILE CHEESEBURGER

Location: San Antonio, New Mexico

New Mexicans love their green chiles. They put them on top of pizza, cook them in waffles, blend them into cocktails, and stir them into all sorts of stews and sauces. But the best use of the green chile might be green chile cheeseburger. Here, chiles get worked into the patty, cooked to spicy, meaty perfection, and topped with American cheese—try the one at Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio (that’s San Antonio, New Mexico), which piles on lettuce, onions, and other veggies.

32. NEW YORK // PASTRAMI ON RYE

Location: New York, New York

This Big Apple classic originated in the city’s kosher delis and was perfected over the decades by establishments like 2nd Avenue Deli, Carnegie Deli, and Katz’s. Sadly, most of the city’s kosher delis have gone out of business, but plenty of restaurants have carried on the tradition of serving tender, melt-in-your-mouth pastrami on rye bread. These include hip Manhattan joints like Harry & Ida’s Meat and Supply Co., which smokes its pastrami for 10 hours over oak and maple planks, as well as those a little further from downtown, like Jay and Lloyd’s Kosher Deli in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Of course, there’s also Katz’s, which is still going strong after 120 years.

33. NORTH CAROLINA // PULLED PORK SANDWICH

Location: Greenville and Lexington, North Carolina

Two styles of this sandwich hold sway in the famed barbecue state. In the eastern half, you’ll find finely chopped pork mixed with vinegar, spices, and hot pepper, while in the western parts of North Carolina a thicker, tomato-based sauce gets slathered over tender chunks of pork shoulder. Since choosing between the two is impossible, why not try both? For top-notch Eastern-style chopped pork, head to B’s, an old-fashioned, wholly unpretentious joint (there’s no website and no phone) in Greenville. For Western-style pulled pork, head to Lexington, the epicenter of sauced-up Carolina ‘cue, and the famous Lexington Barbecue.

34. NORTH DAKOTA // SLOPPY JOE

Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota

Also known as “barbecues” and, at least in the western part of the state, “slush burgers,” these meaty concoctions are typically held together with a sauce made from ketchup, taco seasoning, and a few other choice ingredients. They’re a favorite at sporting events throughout the state, and perfect to wash down with a cold beer. For a taste of tried-and-true North Dakota sloppy joe at home, try Jumbo’s Sloppy Joe Sauce, which follows a recipe from a famous (but now closed) drive-in. As far as restaurants go, The Fabulous Kegs Drive-In is worth a stop. It serves up sloppy joes with crispy onion rings and ice-cold root beer.

35. OHIO // POLISH BOY

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Before ordering this Cleveland delicacy, make sure you’ve got an appetite and a shirt you don’t mind ruining. The Polish boy—not to be confused with the Louisiana po’ boy—starts with a kielbasa that gets grilled and slid inside a sturdy hot dog bun. Then comes the fun part: coleslaw, French fries, and barbecue sauce all go on top in a messy free-for-all. Seti’s Polish Boys is a local food truck that’s worth tracking down—finishing one of their big boys could be a challenge; doing so without utensils even more so.

36. OKLAHOMA // CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK SANDWICH

Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma

The classic chicken-fried steak is a meal in its own right, but put it between two buns and you’ve got a whole new way to enjoy an American classic. What sets the sandwich at Tally’s Good Food Cafe apart is the steak: Dipped in a batter of eggs, buttermilk, and Worcestershire sauce, it then goes for a generous roll in a mixture of flour, garlic powder, and seasoning salt before getting deep-fried. For those who crave a classic chicken-fried steak experience, not to worry: Tally’s offers a side of gravy with each sandwich.

37. OREGON // BÁNH MÌ

Location: Portland, Oregon

All types of Vietnamese cuisine can be found in Portland, and that includes Vietnam’s official sandwich. Bánh mì are traditionally made with ham, pate, cilantro, and pickled vegetables on a French baguette. Lardo sandwich shop gives its bánh mì a funky Portland twist by swapping the protein with pork meatballs and slathering on Sriracha mayo.

38. PENNSYLVANIA // ITALIAN ROAST PORK SANDWICH

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Here’s a secret locals don’t want you to know: The cheesesteak isn’t the best sandwich in Philly. That distinction belongs to the equally decadent Italian roast pork sandwich. Like its beefy cousin, the sandwich is served with sharp provolone cheese on a crusty Italian roll. But instead of sliced rib eye, the bread is filled with slow-roasted pork and sautéed broccoli rabe. DiNic’s in Reading Terminal Market offers a classic rendition of the Philly gem.

39. RHODE ISLAND // FRIED CLAM ROLL

Location: Middletown, Rhode Island

Little has changed at Flo’s Clam Shack since it opened in 1936: The seaside establishment is still serving up world-class clams lightly coated in breading and fried to a golden-brown crisp. At Flo’s, diners can order the morsels as part of a platter or a sandwich. The clams are classic on their own, but a griddled bun makes the perfect vehicle for delivering one of Rhode Island’s best bites of seafood.

40. SOUTH CAROLINA // PULLED PORK SANDWICH

Location: Greenville, South Carolina

The pig reigns supreme in the South Carolina barbecue scene. When it comes to the region’s pulled pork sandwiches, Smoky Dreams BBQ makes a version that shines in its simplicity. To prepare their famous barbecue, the family-owned restaurant chooses the freshest, high-quality meat and smokes it until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. Their pork shoulder is seasoned with a house-made spice rub and pulled to perfection.

41. SOUTH DAKOTA // PHEASANT SALAD SANDWICH

Location: Brookings, South Dakota

Since opening as a gas station cafe in 1949, the Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge has become a Brookings institution. Their signature sandwich is one that’s rarely seen on menus outside the state. It follows the recipe of traditional chicken salad sandwiches, incorporating apples, dried cranberries, and roasted pecans into the mix—but instead of chicken, it highlights South Dakota’s most famous game bird as the main protein. The pheasant salad is topped with melted Swiss cheese and served on two slices of grilled marble rye.

42. TENNESSEE // FRIED PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA SANDWICH

Location: Memphis, Tennessee

The Arcade Restaurant in Memphis is the best place to go to eat like the King. Elvis was a frequent customer back in the day, and his favorite booth in the back of the building is still open to diners. If you’re lucky enough to snag the seat, order the fried peanut and banana sandwich with bacon—there’s no better place to eat the rock icon’s gut-busting sandwich of choice.

43. TEXAS // BEEF BRISKET SANDWICH

Location: McKinney, Texas

Since 1978, Hutchins BBQ has been serving some of the best brisket in the Lone Star State. They smoke their meats according to the same method they’ve used for decades—low and slow over embers of fine pecan wood. Order it sliced and served between two buns with a healthy dose of their sweet and spicy sauce, or take a pound or two of the brisket for the road.

44. UTAH // GOUDA SMOKER

Location: Robin’s Nest, Salt Lake City

Locals rave about all of the sandwich offerings on the menu at Robin’s Nest in Salt Lake City, but the Gouda Smoker was added to the menu by “intense customer pressure,” so you know it holds up. Put a classic BLT on ciabatta, then add some roasted turkey breast, smoked Gouda cheese, and house-made garlic-BBQ sauce, and it’s easy to see what Robin’s customers were clamoring about.

45. VERMONT // THAI CHICKEN

Location: Burlington, Vermont

You might not expect Vermont to be known for a Thai chicken sandwich, but anyone who has had the spicy stack at Four Corners of the Earth is ready to make it the official state food. If Thai’s not your thing, don’t worry—this little deli lives up to its name. You can travel the world between two slices of bread with sandwiches like Iraqi chicken, Korean kimchi, Jamaican avocado, Serbian pork, and Lebanese lamb.

46. VIRGINIA // TUNA MELT

Location: Norfolk, Virginia

You definitely won’t find any StarKist on the premises at The Ten Top, where they make a classic tuna salad using fresh fish. After it’s topped with cheddar, the tuna is loaded into a French baguette and toasted to crispy perfection.

47. WASHINGTON // BÁNH MÌ

Location: Seattle, Washington

Bánh mì sandwiches—baguette-style loaves of bread smeared with aioli and stuffed with a variety of fillings—are a blend of cuisines resulting from French colonialism in Vietnam. Add a little Seattle style to the mix, and you’ve got Saigon Deli, which has been named one of the best places for bánh mì in the country. Though there’s not a bad one in the bunch, the BBQ pork seems to have won quite a few hearts in Seattle.

48. WEST VIRGINIA // PEPPERONI ROLL

Location: Fairmont, West Virginia

In 1927, Chef Giuseppe Argiro at Country Club Bakery in Fairmont was the first to wrap a few pepperoni sticks in bread dough to create a portable, easy-to-eat sandwich for miners who needed hearty lunches. Though the handy sandwich has since spread across the state, the golden, spicy pepperoni rolls here are baked to perfection. (And we hear some people doctor theirs by splitting them open and adding hot dog chili.)

49. WISCONSIN // GRILLED CHEESE

Location: Madison, Wisconsin

If grilled cheese sandwiches make you think of a slice of Kraft American on Wonder Bread, get thee to Wisconsin—no one does cheese better than the Dairy State. Any restaurant in Wisconsin will likely have a delectable version on the menu, no doubt layered with locally made cheese, but the Stuffed Grilled Cheese at Alchemy in Madison is especially top-notch. They’ve elevated the classic sandwich by filling it to the brim with broccoli, roasted carrots, tomato, red onion, cilantro pesto sauce, and local cheddar and Swiss.

50. WYOMING // REUBEN PANINI

Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Local Butcher hasn’t been around as long as some of the other standbys in Wyoming, but their locally sourced farm-to-butcher-block meats have been a hit in Jackson Hole. Also a new favorite? Their Smoked Reuben Panini, made with corned beef, Gruyere cheese, Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkraut.

By Stacy Conradt, Michele Debczak, Kirstin Fawcett, Shaunacy Ferro, Kate Horowitz, Jake Rossen, Abbey Stone, and Jeff Wells.