# Are Hot Dogs sandwiches? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928 "2014-12-22T17:18:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/21 "2014-12-22T18:38:31Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I’ll take the opposing viewpoint here. > > I disagree with the second half of your premise. A sandwich consists of filling between \*\*\*two \*\*\*pieces of bread (or three if you’re making a club sandwich of a Big Mac). A single piece of bread doesn’t qualify, unless you’re having an ‘open-faced sandwich’…but that’s sort of like ‘white chocolate’, so best not spoken of further. What if I take a single piece of bread - let’s say loaf shaped, and cut two segments - let’s say slices - by your definition because it was one piece of bread I can’t make a sandwich with it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/22 "2014-12-22T18:41:44Z")
Tempest in a teacup! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/23 "2014-12-22T18:44:38Z")
Of course it’s a sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/24 "2014-12-22T18:49:53Z")
I would never call it a sandwich. It’s bun food. Buns are a branch of the marsupial family, actually more closely related to the pita on the fast food tree. But I’m sure there are government regulations and insider industry nomenclature that insists that it be called a “sandwich” for tax reasons. To me, they are simply fun on a bun. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/25 "2014-12-22T18:50:22Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > What if I take a single piece of bread - let’s say loaf shaped, and cut two segments - let’s say slices - by your definition because it was one piece of bread I can’t make a sandwich with it. Worse yet, if you take one slice of bread, put a piece of bologna on it (and let’s be honest here, bologna is just an ironed hot dog) and _fold it over_, it’s not a sandwich, it’s just a ‘bologna’. Baloney. Also, [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_dog): > [@](#): > > A hot dog (also spelled hotdog) is a cooked sausage, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a sliced bun as a **sandwich.** ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/26 "2014-12-22T18:51:13Z")
Is an open-faced sandwich a sandwich? I say yes. Is a pizza an open-faced sandwich? I say no, but everyone in this thread that says a hot dog is a sandwich, it seems to me, would have to agree that a pizza is an open-faced sandwich, and thus a sandwich. Which is why you’re all wrong. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/27 "2014-12-22T18:52:09Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Technically, hot dogs are a meat (of some sort) and not a sandwich. A hot dog on a bun is sandwich. Is “hot dog” a specific type of meat? I thought “hot dog” = sausage + bun. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/28 "2014-12-22T18:54:50Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Is a pizza an open-faced sandwich? > > I say no, but everyone in this thread that says a hot dog is a sandwich, it seems to me, would have to agree that a pizza is an open-faced sandwich, and thus a sandwich. If you baked a pizza dough and _then_ put toppings on it, that would be an open-faced sandwich. But since pizza is baked with the topping on it, it’s a type of flavored bread, not a type of sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/29 "2014-12-22T18:59:32Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > If you baked a pizza dough and _then_ put toppings on it, that would be an open-faced sandwich. But since pizza is baked with the topping on it, it’s a type of flavored bread, not a type of sandwich. Uhh… tuna melt? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/30 "2014-12-22T19:00:04Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Is an open-faced sandwich a sandwich? > > I say yes. > > Is a pizza an open-faced sandwich? > > I say no, but everyone in this thread that says a hot dog is a sandwich, it seems to me, would have to agree that a pizza is an open-faced sandwich, and thus a sandwich. It’s maybe an open-faced calzone? Possibly the word “stromboli” should be in there? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/31 "2014-12-22T19:03:09Z")
We’ve had threads before on “what counts as a sandwich” or “are hamburgers sandwiches?” ([example, with poll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=590993)) I’d say a hot dog is certainly _technically_ a sandwich, but it’s not the first thing I’d think of when you say the word “sandwich.” > [@doorhinge](#): > > Technically, hot dogs are a meat (of some sort) and not a sandwich. A hot dog on a bun is sandwich. I disagree. Like “hamburger,” “hot dog” can refer to either the meat or the entire sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/32 "2014-12-22T19:12:50Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > We’ve had threads before on “what counts as a sandwich” or “are hamburgers sandwiches?” There are people who don’t consider hamburgers sandwiches? Even on the fast food meal menus, you can usually find, in smaller writing, “Sandwich only” followed by the price of the burger without the meal accompaniments (fries, drink.) I quite often will order “double cheese burger, just the sandwich,” and I’ve never gotten odd looks or any glimmer of confusion. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/33 "2014-12-22T19:14:10Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > We’ve had threads before on “what counts as a sandwich” or “are hamburgers sandwiches?” ([example, with poll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=590993)) > > I’d say a hot dog is certainly _technically_ a sandwich, but it’s not the first thing I’d think of when you say the word “sandwich.” > > I disagree. Like “hamburger,” “hot dog” can refer to either the meat or the entire sandwich. It’s kinda like “pick a number between 1 and 10.” Technically, 7.723954257 or e\*(pi) satisfies the criteria, but it’s not what most people mean by ‘number’ in that context. And while a hot dog is technically a sandwich, if someone asked me if I’d like a sandwich and I responded, “no, I’m in the mood for a hot dog,” there are precious few people who would reply, “but a hot dog IS a sandwich.” So in the everyday meaning of the term, no, a hot dog is not a sandwich. As always, people own the language. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/34 "2014-12-22T19:14:31Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > The essential nature of the Sandwich is that it is filling between bread–two pieces of bread, or a single piece opened or folded to form two enclosing sides. Certainly a hot dog is a sandwich, in the same essential sense that a taco is a sandwich. Which is to say… not a sandwich. 😛 Any definition of sandwich that includes tacos is just plain wrong. Well, maybe not wrong so much as too inclusive. Unless maybe it’s a legal definition and then I’ll live with it, the same way I live with tomatoes being regulated as a vegetable. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/35 "2014-12-22T19:18:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There are people who don’t consider hamburgers sandwiches? Even on the fast food meal menus, you can usually find, in smaller writing, “Sandwich only” followed by the price of the burger without the meal accompaniments (fries, drink.) I quite often will order “double cheese burger, just the sandwich,” and I’ve never gotten odd looks or any glimmer of confusion. I agree, but see the linked thread. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/36 "2014-12-22T19:31:54Z")
If [this](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_l-JqrJv4Oo/UH9s16z0SnI/AAAAAAAADpc/bVABlJrf2ts/s320/IMG_20121015_121613.jpg)is a sandwich, then [this](https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3246/2527649390_600d768d96.jpg)is a sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/37 "2014-12-22T19:33:19Z")
Yes and no. I would expect that a hotdog would be under the sandwich category in a reference like Wikipedia, where foods get put into very broad categories. On a food truck or a restaurant menu, I would expect it to be in its own category, based on personal experience. But in my own existence, if I say “I want a sandwich” I am not thinking about a hot dog, or any sort of sausage inna bun. Well, correction- if I think “I want a (specific local chain) sandwich” I could be thinking about a hot Italian sausage sandwich. But that’s still a different dish than a hot dog or close siblings like a bratwurst and brochen. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/38 "2014-12-22T19:39:35Z")
I am a bit surprised at the lack of vehemence in this thread; I came in here expecting something like the Great Reese’s Cup War of 2014 all over again. (Not a sandwich, by the way.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/39 "2014-12-22T19:45:23Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Uhh… tuna melt? The bread for the tuna melt is not baked with the tuna and other crap on top, it’s already baked bread. Pizza dough and the sauce and cheese and other crap on top are all baked together. Now some things are called pizza that are made on a pre-baked shell, and you could call those sandwiches if you want, I certainly don’t consider them to be pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/40 "2014-12-22T19:49:00Z")
I never before thought of them as sandwiches, but sure they are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928.md?page=3)