# 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:** 6
**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 23, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/101 "2014-12-23T16:06:22Z")
For example, [here is a Food Network](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/maxwell-st-style-polish-sausage-sandwich-recipe.html) recipe for a Polish sausage sandwich. Now, a Polish is the same as a hot dog, in that it’s a sausage on a bun. If the Polish sausage on a bun is a sandwich, then a hot dog should be, too. (And I suspect the “hot dog is not a sandwich” people will probably not consider the Polish a sandwich.) But why should beef on a bun (like an Italian beef, or a Philly Cheesesteak, or a meatball hoagie) be a sandwich, but swap out one kind of meat with another, and it’s not a sandwich? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/102 "2014-12-23T16:58:10Z")
I voted no, but my vote is firmly in the vernacular sense, not in the professional sense. I’ve never heard anyone refer to a hot dog as a sandwich, or talk about sandwiches including hot dogs, and if I offered to make sandwiches for dinner and my five-year-old asked me if she could have a hot dog instead, it wouldn’t remotely occur to me that there was anything wrong with what she said. I have no problem with the idea that professionals use the term differently. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/103 "2014-12-23T17:06:22Z")
Look. Sandwich-ness is a continuum, not a binary. Somebody said a taco is a sandwich as much as a hot dog is. Is a taco \*bowl \*a sandwich? If not, why not? Is deviled ham between two crackers a sandwich? What if there’s only one cracker? Hot dogs are much more _not sandwich_ than sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/104 "2014-12-23T17:13:23Z")
It’s funny that to me this is the opposite of my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups [question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738758). Reese’s are not technically candy bars but _feel_ like candy bars. Hot Dogs are technically sandwiches but don’t _feel_ like sandwiches. ---
**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 23, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/105 "2014-12-23T17:32:54Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Look. Sandwich-ness is a continuum, not a binary. Somebody said a taco is a sandwich as much as a hot dog is. Is a taco \*bowl \*a sandwich? If not, why not? Is deviled ham between two crackers a sandwich? What if there’s only one cracker? > > Hot dogs are much more _not sandwich_ than sandwich. What nonsense. A cracker has no leavening and is not therefore bread in the ordinary sense, any more than is a corn tortilla. Buns and rolls are raised dough breads, made from the same ingredients as a loaf of Wonder bread, and used in the same manner. Burger and dog buns are in the _bread_ section of the store, where you buy items for making _sandwiches_. Using a shortcut descriptive of “hot dog” does not mean that the item is any less a sandwich than say, a sub (as in Subway _Sandwiches_). Nobody here has provided a cite to support the notion of a hot dog on a bun not being a sandwich. I, on the other hand, provided a Wiki cite (conveniently ignored by the ignorati) that fully supports the notion of a hot dog being a sausage that can be placed into a bun to make a **sandwich**. Much like the court scene in _Miracle on 34th Street_, I’ve provided authoritative proof of the hot-dog-as-sandwich assertion, and rest my case. Q.E.D. and shit. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/106 "2014-12-23T18:07:12Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Somebody said a taco is a sandwich as much as a hot dog is. Is a taco \*bowl \*a sandwich? If not, why not? No, because you don’t hold and eat a taco bowl as a sandwich. The tortilla component isn’t _functioning_ as sandwich bread. > [@bup](#): > > Is deviled ham between two crackers a sandwich? What if there’s only one cracker? Yes. No. Again, structure and function. > [@Chefguy](#): > > A cracker has no leavening and is not therefore bread in the ordinary sense, any more than is a corn tortilla. Unleavened bread is bread. In some cultures it is the primary kind of bread. Cracker sandwiches function as, and are widely called, “sandwiches,” for the same reasons as any other sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/107 "2014-12-23T18:17:29Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > No, because you don’t hold and eat a taco bowl as a sandwich. The tortilla component isn’t _functioning_ as sandwich bread. > > Yes. No. Again, structure and function. > > Unleavened bread is bread. In some cultures it is the primary kind of bread. Cracker sandwiches function as, and are widely called, “sandwiches,” for the same reasons as any other sandwich. I suggest that you are post-hoc reasoning to rationalize a non-rational classification. Is a burrito a 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 23, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/108 "2014-12-23T18:20:11Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Unleavened bread is bread. In some cultures it is the primary kind of bread. Cracker sandwiches function as, and are widely called, “sandwiches,” for the same reasons as any other sandwich. I would agree with this. Meat sandwiches between two pieces of unleavened bread certainly is a sandwich. See: flatbread sandwiches (some may be leavened, some not, but both are sandwiches. Why would leavening preclude it from being a sandwich?) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/109 "2014-12-23T18:21:06Z")
I voted no. They’re… hot dogs. Just hot dogs. They are a thing unto themselves. They’re _like_ sandwiches, in that they are a kind of bread with meat in between, but they are not “sandwiches,” as such. ---
**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 23, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/110 "2014-12-23T18:26:41Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Is a burrito a sandwich? Apparently, in [New York](http://www.vox.com/2014/7/22/5877325/new-york-law-sandwich-burrito-tax), for tax purposes, it is. (And you can find rulings going the other way, too.) For me, burritos and wraps are towards the non-sandwich side of the sandwich continuum. They are the area where it really becomes gray. But hot dogs are–for me–firmly on the “sandwich” side. A filling between two pieces or bread or a cut piece of bread split in half (like many subs/hoagies)? Check. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/111 "2014-12-23T18:53:25Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > What nonsense. A cracker has no leavening and is not therefore bread in the ordinary sense, any more than is a corn tortilla. Buns and rolls are raised dough breads, made from the same ingredients as a loaf of Wonder bread, and used in the same manner. Burger and dog buns are in the _bread_ section of the store, where you buy items for making _sandwiches_. Using a shortcut descriptive of “hot dog” does not mean that the item is any less a sandwich than say, a sub (as in Subway _Sandwiches_). > > Nobody here has provided a cite to support the notion of a hot dog on a bun not being a sandwich. I, on the other hand, provided a Wiki cite (conveniently ignored by the ignorati) that fully supports the notion of a hot dog being a sausage that can be placed into a bun to make a **sandwich**. Much like the court scene in _Miracle on 34th Street_, I’ve provided authoritative proof of the hot-dog-as-sandwich assertion, and rest my case. > > Q.E.D. and shit. This post spread around about 5 times more ignorance than it even came close to fighting. Your information on unleavened bread is god awful. Next time you look for a phrase on Wiki as your only cite, go check the entry on tortillas before calling other people “ignorati”. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/112 "2014-12-23T18:57:23Z")
I think they’re sandwiches, but they’re also not sandwiches. Unfortunately, “sandwich” is also a sub-category of sandwich, at least in the USA. The sub-category “sandwich” in this case specifically refers to what most people think of immediately when they hear “sandwich,” which is a traditional sandwich with sliced bread (not sliced buns) and something in the middle. Here is my ASCII diagram with examples from this thread, though certainly not listing every type of sandwich. ```auto sandwich ________________________|____________________ | | | | sandwich hot dog hamburger sub ``` Note that we’re specifically talking about sandwiches using bread. Once you open up to the second dictionary definition of something resembling a sandwich, it gets much more complicated because you’re including sandwich cookies, sandwiches made with crackers, and more. ---
**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 23, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/113 "2014-12-23T19:01:03Z")
> [@theR](#): > > I think they’re sandwiches, but they’re also not sandwiches. Unfortunately, “sandwich” is also a sub-category of sandwich, at least in the USA. The sub-category “sandwich” in this case specifically refers to what most people think of immediately when they hear “sandwich.” > > Here is my ASCII diagram with examples from this thread, though certainly not listing every type of sandwich. > > ```auto > > sandwich > ________________________|____________________ > | | | | > sandwich hot dog hamburger sub > > ``` > > Note that we’re specifically talking about sandwiches using bread. Once you open up to the second dictionary definition of something resembling a sandwich, it gets much more complicated because you’re including sandwich cookies, sandwiches made with crackers, and more. I kind of like that–almost like a binomial classification. We have the Genus _Sandwich_ and species _sandwich_, _hotdog_, _hamburger_, and _sub_. So a typical cold-cut sandwich is _S. sandwich_, but a hamburger is _S. hamburger_. Now everyone can be happy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Dracula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@Count\_Dracula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Dracula)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/114 "2014-12-23T19:01:27Z")
Hot dogs are the greatest thing that mankind has ever invented! ---
**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 23, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/115 "2014-12-23T19:29:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I would agree with this. Meat sandwiches between two pieces of unleavened bread certainly is a sandwich. See: flatbread sandwiches (some may be leavened, some not, but both are sandwiches. Why would leavening preclude it from being a sandwich?) And a [Hillel Sandwich](http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1487978/jewish/Hillels-Passover-Sandwich-A-Dose-of-Positivity.htm)must be made from unleavened bread by definition. ---
**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 23, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/116 "2014-12-23T19:36:21Z")
Obviously I’m omitting the orders and such to keep it simple, but this is closer to the trut. ```auto Metatheria Graineria Marsupialia Bunnaria Flatolia Koala kangaroos Hamburgia Hot Dog Pita Taco ``` ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/117 "2014-12-23T20:14:57Z")
Not a sandwich. Neither is a taco or a pizza. Come on folks… you don’t order a hot dog sandwich. You order a ham sandwich, or a turkey sandwich, or a tuna sandwich. But never a hot dog sandwich. Furthermore… a hot dog is not sandwiched in a roll. It is nestled. Big difference. ---
**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 23, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/118 "2014-12-23T20:34:18Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > This post spread around about 5 times more ignorance than it even came close to fighting. Your information on unleavened bread is god awful. Next time you look for a phrase on Wiki as your only cite, go check the entry on tortillas before calling other people “ignorati”. Written in the frivolous spirit of the thread. I didn’t think I’d have to explain that, but some folks are just humor-impaired, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/119 "2014-12-23T21:04:39Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Written in the frivolous spirit of the thread. I didn’t think I’d have to explain that, but some folks are just humor-impaired, I guess. I was playing along. Guess you missed that. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928/120 "2014-12-23T21:16:05Z")
Just curious: could we somehow retroactively remove the name of the Earl of Sandwich from the history books? That would fix a whole bunch of this shit! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hot-dogs-sandwiches/707928.md?page=7)