# Ever eaten a beef or turkey commercial? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790 "2013-12-20T02:29:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/1 "2013-12-20T02:29:39Z")
I was talking to a friend the other day, and Thanksgiving was right around the corner. I was eagerly anticipating having a turkey commercial. He had no clue as to what I was talking about. Asked him about a beef commercial. Still no clue. I thought he was pulling my leg. I went to Google it, and only six hits came up for beef commercial. Does anyone have an idea of what I mean, have you ever had one, and where are you from? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/2 "2013-12-20T02:32:33Z")
I have some vague trivia quiz knowledge that it’s an open faced hot sandwich covered in gravy…maybe with mashed potatoes on top? But I’ve never had one, made one or seen one by that name on a menu. Chicago, IL, USA. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/3 "2013-12-20T02:41:00Z")
A commercial? WTH. Every time I think I’ve learned all my vocabulary words, something comes along to humble me. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/4 "2013-12-20T02:41:49Z")
Not even a clue what it meant. I thought your subject was typoed or something even. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/5 "2013-12-20T02:45:23Z")
Never heard of it. Have lived in Pennsylvania, New York, and Illinois. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/6 "2013-12-20T02:52:48Z")
Never heard of it, and neither has Merriam-Webster or Wiki. Upon Googling, it appears to be a Minnesota-specific name for a hot sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/7 "2013-12-20T03:01:33Z")
Never heard of it. Lived in Nor Cal my whole life. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/8 "2013-12-20T03:01:50Z")
not a clue. Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/9 "2013-12-20T03:15:31Z")
 It’s a hot sandwich. White bread, shredded or sliced beef/turkey/pork layered on, sliced white bread on top, cut in half on the diagonal.Mashed potatoes in the middle of diagonal. Gravy over all. Usually green beans on the side. Starches, with starches on top with a side of mashed starches. It’s comfort food, and occasionally perfect, like after you’ve been ice fishing all day. However, the thing that absolutely threw me for a loop, was NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD OF IT. It’s like if you were talking about a new Porsche, or Oprah, or dolphins, and no-one had a clue as to what those things were. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone. But according to snopes, I am in the middle of the fifty mile radius of the only place where they are called that. Crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/10 "2013-12-20T03:21:07Z")
That’s what I would have called a Manhattan back in my Central Indiana youth. Wikipedia mentions both beef and turkey variants. [Manhattan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_Manhattan) > [@](#): > > The dish was first served under the name “Beef Manhattan” in a now defunct Indianapolis deli in the late 1940s where it gained traction as a Hoosier staple. In Indiana, it is served on bread. The roast beef is sliced and put on bread like a sandwich, then cut corner to corner and plated in a V shape. Mashed potatoes are served between the two halves, and the whole is covered in gravy. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/11 "2013-12-20T03:25:44Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > That’s what I would have called a Manhattan back in my Central Indiana youth. Wikipedia mentions both beef and turkey variants. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef\_Manhattan I was actually in Indy last week, and saw that on a menu at some diner outside Brazil. Interesting that it has to be served on the diagonal. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/12 "2013-12-20T03:34:29Z")
It’s common on midwest menus, but not as a “commercial”. It’s called a “hot beef” (or ham or pork). I had no idea there were other names for it. Now I’m hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/13 "2013-12-20T03:48:09Z")
It sounds like the midwestern version of a [loco moco](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loco_moco). Never heard of it here on the left coast. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/14 "2013-12-20T04:11:32Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > That’s what I would have called a Manhattan back in my Central Indiana youth. Wikipedia mentions both beef and turkey variants. > > [Manhattan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_Manhattan) Yep. Grew up and waited tables in northern Indiana. I served a bunch of those to hungry farmers in my youth. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/15 "2013-12-20T04:14:54Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > It’s common on midwest menus, but not as a “commercial”. It’s called a “hot beef” (or ham or pork). Agreed. I’ve lived in Illinois and Wisconsin, and have had this sort of dish many times (though nearly always “open-faced”, with no slice of bread on top). However, I’ve always seen it referred to on menus as “hot [meat type] sandwich”. I’ve never heard the term “commercial” (or “Manhattan”) used to describe it. Diners and family-style restaurants in Chicago will usually offer varieties with beef, turkey, pork, and maybe a breaded pork tenderloin. ---
**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 20, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/16 "2013-12-20T04:21:34Z")
Never heard of it. I’ve lived in Alaska, Washington, California, Idaho, Virginia, Washington, DC and Massachusetts. Visited extensively in Minnesota, Wisconsin and New Orleans. Met and talked to people from all over the country during 23 years in the military. Never. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/17 "2013-12-20T04:30:18Z")
I’ve never heard of it, but what you described I’d call a Beef Manhattan or Turkey Manhattan. Illinois ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/18 "2013-12-20T04:58:16Z")
Reminds me of “New York special”, which is of course what my mom called Nanaimo bars. Early on I realised that not a single other person in the world called them that. Googling it now I see that some in New York call it “New York slices”. Don’t know how mom, born and raised in frigging Saskatchewan, got that in her head. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/19 "2013-12-20T05:22:06Z")
I’d never heard of a commercial either - always called a “hot roast beef” or whatever meat it was. PA, NY, DE. I know how you feel though. Imagine moving to a place like that! Well apparently I did that - the only 25 mile radius that calls submarine sandwiches “wedges”. Wedges! I really had no idea what the delis were asking me about when I first got here. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790/20 "2013-12-20T05:39:53Z")
Never heard of it. I thought you screwed up whatever you were trying to type as the thread title. (Alabama) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-eaten-a-beef-or-turkey-commercial/676790.md?page=2)