I grew up in Augusta. My family lived on the east side of the Kennebec river. Our house was on School Street. So, my first introduction to this Maine meal staple was at Whipper s on Bangor Street, just a short walk down the hill. As a kid, I started with the classic version of a Maine Italian, very similar to the one in the picture above. Then I moved on to Tuna Italians and Turkey Italians. If you are also a kid from Maine, it s likely that you ve scarfed down a few of these in your lifetime. I dare say, they might even be right up there with lobster rolls for us locals.