# Hoagie, grinder, Sub, Hero, Po'boy... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 8, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664 "2014-07-08T20:10:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 10, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/21 "2014-07-10T02:24:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > If it ever existed, this definition has been pretty much blown out of the language by Subway, who of course customarily serve their subs on partially sliced buns. I’ve heard that distinction, but never seen it used consistently in practice. Both types are called “subs” here. “Hoagie” isn’t really used much, if at all. To me, all the words in the OP are fairly synonymous regional variations on the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![MsKaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@MsKaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsKaren)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/22 "2014-07-10T03:03:08Z")
“They were originally made with roast beef, which is still considered the default amongst a lot of the locals in Louisiana” Totally agree. This is not cold cuts, but hot roast beef simmered to tenderness in a lovely gravy on fresh French bread. “Dressed” (pronounced “dress’”) means ‘with lettuce tomato & mayo.’ Poboys are served hot. My second favorite is the oyster poboy dress’ with lemons. Another popular, but crazy to me, is the French Fry Poboy. None for me. We called them hoagies in Ohio where I grew up, but they were cold cuts on an Italian type bread. Italian coldcuts in New Orleans come with olive salad on the muffetta. a round delicious cold sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/23 "2014-07-10T03:12:46Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > … > I can’t recall if Philadelphians use the term hoagie for cheesesteaks, the Philly Cheesesteak is a sacred thing for those guys. Sacrilege! A hoagie is NOT a cheesesteak. A Philly cheesesteak is a hot sandwich of shredded steak and cheese on a steak roll. A hoagie is cold meat (cold cuts, salami, tuna, chicken salad, maybe egg salad), cheese, and vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onions, maybe peppers) on a hoagie roll. Traditionally with oil and oregano, but sometimes with mayo. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/24 "2014-07-10T03:19:45Z")
A cheesesteak hoagie is a Philly cheesesteak dressed with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Perhaps you’ve seen the various people from Philly talk about them in recent threads. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/25 "2014-07-10T04:22:47Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > A cheesesteak hoagie is a Philly cheesesteak dressed with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Perhaps you’ve seen the various people from Philly talk about them in recent threads. True. That’s the one instance when you could use the words hoagie and cheesesteak together. But in general, a cheesesteak is not a hoagie. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/26 "2014-07-10T14:07:35Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > If it ever existed, this definition has been pretty much blown out of the language by Subway, who of course customarily serve their subs on partially sliced buns. Incidentally, I also Googled pictures of hoagies, and there’s plenty of photos of hoagies sliced all the way through. [See this Italian restaurant](http://sonnyandjos.com/category/hoagies/) in Pittsburgh, just as one example. It may have been that once upon a time, there was such a distinction between hoagie and sub, or that this could be a regional distinction, but, as used today throughout most of America, the slice/no-slice roll does not seem to make any difference in its appellation. Some subs are sliced, some are not. Some hoagies are sliced, some are not. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/27 "2014-07-10T17:46:48Z")
I don’t like any of the names in the thread, I’m going start calling this type of elongated sandwich a “honkey foot”. Who’s with me? ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/28 "2014-07-11T00:04:44Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > To me, a Submarine or Sub sandwich was always Italian Cold cuts You’ve never had a meatball sub? > [@Chronos](#): > > A hoagie has a partially-sliced bun, like a hot dog bun. A sub has a completely sliced bun, with one piece on bottom and one on top. Fillings are more or less the same for both. With all due respect, you cannot be serious about this. One more vote for same thing with different regional names. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/29 "2014-07-11T00:16:30Z")
It’s possible that I just noticed a spurious correlation, due to the intersection of two regional trends. When I was growing up in Cleveland, almost all places that sold long sandwiches called them subs, and sliced the bread completely into a top piece and a bottom piece. When I went to Philadelphia for college, almost all places that sold long sandwiches called them hoagies, and sliced the bread partially (the far superior method, IMO). It seemed obvious to me… though I’ll admit that now that I’m back in Cleveland, the partial-slice is catching on at many places, but they’re still called subs. And **davidm** , while a hoagie and a steak are two different things, at most places I’ve seen a “steak roll” and a “hoagie roll” are the same. They have different fillings, of course, but the roll itself is the same. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/30 "2014-07-11T00:18:48Z")
I’m writing my congressman to suggest they introduce legislation to enforce standards on these sandwich names. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/31 "2014-07-11T01:56:33Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Maybe a New York thing, I’ve always called it a Wedge. It’s more of a Westchester thing- maybe the Bronx, too. In the rest of NYC, it’s a hero and and I usually see “sub” used in the rest of NY state. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/32 "2014-07-11T02:19:53Z")
> [@](#): > > In the rest of NYC, it’s a hero… Which reminds me: There’s a local chain called Mr. Hero’s that makes hot long sandwiches… But they’re the only place around here that uses the term “hero” in any such context, and they’re local enough that I don’t think their range overlaps with the use of that term. On the gripping hand, though, they also don’t use the word “hero” outside of their own name: Their signature sandwiches are the “Romanburger” and the “Hot Buttered Cheesesteak”, plus a variety of others that they rotate through but which never seem to catch on. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/33 "2014-07-12T19:49:56Z")
IIRC ( and I may not; it was a long time ago), when I worked at Straw Hat Pizza Palace, a co-worker told me that the 12" version of the cold cut sandwich was a submarine, and the 6" version was a grinder. And a Hoagie was a singer/songwriter who appeared on the Flintstones, once. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DirtyHippy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtyhippy/32/107_2.png) [@DirtyHippy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirtyHippy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/34 "2014-07-12T23:39:30Z")
Checking in from NE. They’re all grinders here. The only place that calls them anything else is Subway, and I’ll hear people saying they are going to get a grinder at Subway. My favorite is a sausage grinder, with sauce and melted mozzarella on a toasted roll. But no peppers. When I first move to NE, I was in a small town in Massachusetts. While waiting for a ride, I stood on a corner across from a restaurant. In the window, they advertised pizza grinders, and I had no idea what a pizza grinder was. Turns out they had pizza **and** grinders, very common around here. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/35 "2014-07-12T23:59:21Z")
These are the distinctions in my brain, although I know that they are essentially the same thing— **Submarine** —Basic Italian long bread roll sandwich with Italian-type cold cuts and cheese slices **Hoagie** —made with pre-formed sheets of beef or other meat, like [Steak-umms](http://www.steakumm.com) **Po’boy** —made with freshly cooked food that’s almost stew-like, like shrimps in a spicy sauce with onions and bell peppers—a good amount of the center of the bread has to be dug out in order to make a space for the stew to fit. **Grinder** —the whole sandwich has to be toasted after it’s put together **Hero** —A seriously overstuffed sandwich—the top and bottom halves of the bread have to be completely cut apart ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/36 "2014-07-13T00:15:22Z")
Pretty much alla same same to me, except for the Po’ Boy = seafood thing, which I guess I picked up from the Food Channel. Although there is a niggling thought that a grinder ought to have massive amount of shredded lettuce, as **drew** noted above. Anything toasted is always a sub. They all bow before the glory that is a Philippe’s French Dip. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/37 "2014-07-13T01:43:22Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Maybe a New York thing, I’ve always called it a Wedge. > [@doreen](#): > > It’s more of a Westchester thing- maybe the Bronx, too. In the rest of NYC, it’s a hero and and I usually see “sub” used in the rest of NY state. Huh. Never ever heard/read “wedge.” (Manhattan here). But then **Chronos** ’s thought is interesting for the history of the term: > [@Chronos](#): > > […Subway] used to be famous for their peculiar wedge-shaped cut. Might be a false lead, though. ETA: it was years before I realized that “Subway” was named for any type of sandwich. I just thought it was a NYC - subway reference. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/38 "2014-07-13T20:58:19Z")
For what it’s worth, around here at least, “sub” used to be short for “submarine”, not “Subway”. The etymology is presumably the same as for “torpedo”, another word for such sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/39 "2014-07-13T22:26:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > For what it’s worth, around here at least, “sub” used to be short for “submarine”, not “Subway”. The etymology is presumably the same as for “torpedo”, another word for such sandwiches. It still is, everywhere. “Subway” refers to a particular restaurant chain. It’s named after the New York subway. Back in the '80s, Subway restaurant were decorated with maps of N. Y. Subway lines and old timey photographs of subway trains. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664/40 "2014-07-13T23:57:56Z")
I grew up in Philly and I remember going to Atlantic City with my family and my father warned me that hoagies were called subs there. That’s only partly true. The rolls were different. But the best hoagie I’ve eaten recently was in Princeton at a place called Hoagie Haven. As for cheese steaks, I left Philly 52 years ago and I don’t recall them. But I do remember my brother and I driving over to Jim’s at 62nd and Haverford for steak sandwiches. And they were divine. Jim’s is now a center for cheese steaks. I finally had one about 25 years ago and was disappointed. Give me the old steak sandwich any time. With fried onions and hot pickled peppers. Sorry Subway subs and most others just don’t make it. I don’t know why. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoagie-grinder-sub-hero-poboy/692664.md?page=3)