# Do American people make sandwiches at home? Or is it more of a specialty thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 10, 2025, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414 "2025-06-10T07:18:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/141 "2025-06-10T19:44:02Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Is cold meatloaf better if you hold it between two slices of bread than of you just eat it, either with a plastic fork or with your fingers? > > Better question: is there any food that _isn’t_ improved by surrounding it with bread? > > I submit that there is not. I present you with one of the worst inventions ever: the bread bowl. A good bread is an appropriate accompaniment to soup, but makes a horrible vessel. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/142 "2025-06-10T19:48:03Z")
My two word review: shit sandwich. This is a Spinal Tap reference, not an actual insult to the image or to blondebear. The gills in that roll are totally cute! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/143 "2025-06-10T19:48:13Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > I present you with one of the worst inventions ever: the bread bowl. Nope. Bread bowl \> non-edible bowl. You can’t even argue it; I used “\>”, which means it’s basically math. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/144 "2025-06-10T19:51:33Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Nope. Bread bowl \> non-edible bowl. You can’t even argue it; I used “\>”, which means it’s basically math. Curse you and your irrefutable use of the power of symbols!!! But to retort: any bowl that itself needs a vessel to separate it from the table is not much of a bowl. I mean, is a pizza an edible plate? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/145 "2025-06-10T19:54:45Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Hot roast beef sandwich: One slice of bread or toast, hot roast beef on top, gravy poured over it all. You need a knife and fork for this. Around here, you’d have to specify open-faced - there are plenty of delis that cook their own roast beef and serve it hot in a sandwich that’s similar to an Arby’s roast beef sandwich, except with actual gravy instead of _au jus_. Also turkey. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/146 "2025-06-10T19:55:44Z")
peanut butter was rare? In Washington? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/147 "2025-06-10T19:56:54Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > I mean, is a pizza an edible plate? It is. Some people are all high falutin’ and claim they have “standards”. I think they just have “fussiness”. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/148 "2025-06-10T19:58:36Z")
I think that WA was for Western Australia - I had the same thought as you and looked it up. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/149 "2025-06-10T19:59:07Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > peanut butter was rare? In Washington? Perth, WA means Perth in Western Australia, not Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/151 "2025-06-10T20:20:14Z")
I live in Washington State, we don’t have a Perth. We do have a Purdy, which sounds sort of close. (Pronunciation, not geography.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/152 "2025-06-10T20:28:13Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > But to retort: any bowl that itself needs a vessel to separate it from the table is not much of a bowl. I mean, is a pizza an edible plate? When I eat soup out of a ceramic bowl, at home or in a restaurant, it’s almost always got a plate under it. So I don’t think that proves anything in and of itself. That said, I’ll concede that bread bowls are inferior to ceramic bowls specifically in regards to _functionality as a vessel_. Obviously, a vessel that is gradually dissolved by its contents is less than ideal as a vessel. But “functionality as a vessel” isn’t the primary concern here. A ceramic soup bowl is inferior as a vessel to a plastic bucket with a lid - more volume, less spillage, and a convenient plastic handle! And yet, that’s not how I want to eat my soup. A soup bowl is better than a bucket _for the purpose of eating soup_, and a bread bowl is better than either for the same purpose. Not great for holding leftover soup, though. Definitely want to go ceramic for any sort of storage purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/153 "2025-06-10T20:32:36Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Anyone ever make a shark sandwich at home? I’ve had shark at home but not on a sandwich. 😉 Shark was one of the foods Dad discovered after we moved to New Orleans. He did virtually all the cooking at home since Mom never really learned. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/154 "2025-06-10T20:34:10Z")
From time to time, a local sports bar’s daily special was homemade beef stew or chili served in a bread bowl. Always with a plate underneath, by the way. The bread bowl was perfect for that kind of use. But I wouldn’t try it with ordinary soups. They’d be too watery. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/155 "2025-06-10T20:35:33Z")
We pick up a pair of Panera bread bowls from a local grocer once in a while. Excellent for chili or cream-based soup. These 9" square things are great to put under bread bowls. [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31NhBBbQjML._SS80_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31NhBBbQjML._SS80_.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/156 "2025-06-10T20:35:52Z")
In San Francisco, some restaurants serve clam chowder in bread bowls. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/157 "2025-06-10T20:45:25Z")
And then you chickened out? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/158 "2025-06-10T20:55:15Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > I present you with one of the worst inventions ever: the bread bowl. From the restaurants’ POV: - Looks festive & fancy - Costs $1 max - Holds less of the expensive soup than a standard bowl - Makes the serving more carby, encouraging subsequent over-ordering more high margin high carb items. - Lets them raise the price $5. Looks like one hell of a good invention to me (on behalf of them). ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/159 "2025-06-10T21:04:25Z")
Well, my wife does not really like Ruben sandwiches. I love them. So much that I would make them at work with a toaster and a microwave. I had my own mini-fridge in my office. You must use the Swiss cheese as a gasket/seal between the bread and the sauerkraut though. Put another slice of Swiss mixed in with the corned beef. Mustard is needed of course, and Horseradish sauce it you have it. I didn’t get many visitors, that’s a bonus. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/160 "2025-06-10T21:24:13Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > You must use the Swiss cheese as a gasket/seal between the bread and the sauerkraut though. That’s why I never ask for ketchup on my burgers even though as of late I have been putting it on nonetheless. It always sogs up the bun unless put on at the last minute rather than hanging around, and used sparingly. I started putting it on myself a year or so after I got into the habit of dipping the corner of my burger into spare ketchup in the plate, which also solves both issues. Up until then my rule was ketchup never goes on a burger or sandwich. Oddly enough I don’t mind the same sogginess effect from pickles on sandwiches. I think because the pickle is itself firm enough that you will get a guarantee of at least some firmness from the bite. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414/161 "2025-06-10T21:25:47Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Well, my wife does not really like Ruben sandwiches. I love them. So much that I would make them at work with a toaster and a microwave. I had my own mini-fridge in my office. I love Reubens. My wife likes them, but not as much as I do. Funny enough, the first time I ever tried one was when we were trying to find a caterer for our wedding, and one of them had these mini Reuben finger sandwich things. I tried one and it blew my mind. I was in love ever since. I didn’t even want to try sauerkraut (though I really like it now). So if it wasn’t for my wife, I may have never even known how good they were. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-american-people-make-sandwiches-at-home-or-is-it-more-of-a-specialty-thing/1019414.md?page=9)