# In your opinion: What's a sandwich? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762 "2010-12-29T23:39:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/61 "2010-12-30T16:25:19Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > What about a toad in a hole? Let’s keep sexual fetishism out of this thread, shall we. I consider all the OP’s choices to be sandwiches except for the \*conventional \*hot turkey open faced sandwich. I do, however, consider my \*variation \*on that theme to meet the sandwich criteria. This is, of course, my cherished _closed-faced inverted hot turkey sandwich_ (patent pending): two slices of hot turkey and gravy enveloping a single slice of bread. IMHO, the advantages of my variation over the conventional open-faced hot turkey sandwich (i.e. twice the flavor/greater portability) far outweigh its disadvantages (i.e. less tidy/more painful). ---
**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 30, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/62 "2010-12-30T16:47:11Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > It’s not a regionalism. “Hamburger” is a contraction of a longer concept, like “hamburger sandwich” or “Hamburg-style sandwich.” > > All the things in your list are sandwiches, except the open-face sandwich. > > You’ve got it backwards. A sandwich is a general category of which all your other examples are specific instances. > > You’re the one insisting that it is wrong to refer to a Coke as a variety of soda. Winner. I would add that a frankfurter is a Frankfurt-style sandwich. It’s irrelevant whether or not any of you have never heard a hamburger referred to as a sandwich. That’s like saying a Walkman is not a tape player because you’ve never called it that, or that beef bourguignon is not a stew. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/63 "2010-12-30T16:48:33Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > It’s not a regionalism. “Hamburger” is a contraction of a longer concept, like “hamburger sandwich” or “Hamburg-style sandwich.” Yep. Not sure when or where I heard it, but I once heard an old timer refer to them as a “hamburger sandwich”. It seemed anachronistic and rather formal to me, viewed from my time and place. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/64 "2010-12-30T16:54:19Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > What about a toad in a hole? Or a pig in a blanket? ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/65 "2010-12-30T17:08:24Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And gyros, and hot dogs, and… basically, “food inside bread”. Food on top of bread is a tapa, and if skewered a pincho. You have to be careful with the “food inside of bread” definition. I have a relative that uses that definition and claims fried chicken as a form of sandwich. That way madness lies. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/66 "2010-12-30T17:18:15Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > You have to be careful with the “food inside of bread” definition. I have a relative that uses that definition and claims fried chicken as a form of sandwich. That way madness lies. Well, fried chicken between two waffles would be a sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/67 "2010-12-30T17:21:10Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > You have to be careful with the “food inside of bread” definition. I have a relative that uses that definition and claims fried chicken as a form of sandwich. That way madness lies. Hmm. I was going to suggest a stipulation that the bread and the filling must be discrete entities, and not prepared as a solid unit, thus disqualifying pigs in a blanket as well as fried chicken. But then it occurred to me that I would also be disqualifying grilled cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/68 "2010-12-30T17:25:05Z")
Another bread-wrapped food that muddies the waters is Chinese eggroll. How is that different from a burrito or tamale? ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/69 "2010-12-30T17:31:40Z")
So there are apparently 10 people who **do not** consider definition 1, “Two pieces of bread with stuff in the middle, served cold/room temperature,” a sandwich? Have a peanut butter and jelly… thing? Joe ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/70 "2010-12-30T17:34:25Z")
You can’t define a sandwich as anything enclosed or surrounded by bread. I mean, you _can_ if you want, there’s no International Sandwich Police to make you pay for the errors of your ways, but it’s a bit silly and overly broad. At that point you’re classifying pies, pasties, and even pizzas as 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 30, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/71 "2010-12-30T18:13:16Z")
> [@Terraplane](#): > > You can’t define a sandwich as anything enclosed or surrounded by bread. I mean, you _can_ if you want, there’s no International Sandwich Police to make you pay for the errors of your ways, but it’s a bit silly and overly broad. At that point you’re classifying pies, pasties, and even pizzas as sandwiches. Did you actually read the definition above? A pie is a pastry and a pizza is its own category of food. I would also point out the [Wiki definition](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger)of a hamburger, which says, in part: > [@](#): > > A hamburger (or burger for short) is a **sandwich** consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat (usually beef, but occasionally pork, turkey, or a combination of meats) usually placed inside a sliced bread roll. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/72 "2010-12-30T18:46:12Z")
Whatever will get me through this game of bid whist. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/73 "2010-12-30T18:59:32Z")
A sandwich is meat between two pieces of bread. That’s your basic sandwich. The rest is just details. And to my mind it has to have meat, or it doesn’t count. I’m not sure what one would call some vegetable matter in between bread, it is very sandwich-like and yet I for one would not consider it a sandwich. And that’s my take. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/74 "2010-12-30T19:20:44Z")
What, no mention of the napkin sandwich? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/75 "2010-12-30T19:21:22Z")
For those who insist a hamburger is not a sandwich: A beef patty and toppings (let’s say cheese, tomato, and lettuce) on a circular bun? Hamburger. A chicken patty, cheese, tomato, and lettuce on a circular bun? Chicken sandwich. I eagerly await the explanation for why beef is Different enough that it can’t be in the sandwich category. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/76 "2010-12-30T19:34:42Z")
Suppose I take a big round of sourdough, cut it in half, and put a personal-sized pizza in between the two halves…would that qualify as a sandwich? ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/77 "2010-12-30T19:35:56Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Did you actually read the definition above? A pie is a pastry and a pizza is its own category of food. > > I would also point out the [Wiki definition](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger)of a hamburger, which says, in part: This whole thread is full of people providing their own definition of what constitutes a sandwich, it’s the point of the thread as I understand it. So, if my post doesn’t seem to take into account whichever particular definition you’re asking me about, it is quite possible (perhaps even likely?) that my post wasn’t referring to it in the first place. To be more clear, I’m wondering why those who consider burritos, tamales, or hot dogs to be sandwiches would or wouldn’t consider a pie or maybe a double stuffed pizza to be a sandwich. Why does pizza or pie get a special distinction but not burritos and tamales? Is it because there’s meat? If that’s the case is an apple pie not a sandwich but a turkey pot pie _is_? And yes, I recognize that this is all completely arbitrary, I’m just wondering why certain people draw the line where they do. Also, I wouldn’t argue the point that a hamburger is a kind of sandwich, I think it is. It’s hard to imagine people actually _calling_ it a ‘hamburger sandwich’ though. It seems so redundant, like asking for a ‘hot dog sausage’ or a bowl of ‘gumbo stew.’ ---
**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:** [December 30, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/78 "2010-12-30T19:40:26Z")
Another important characteristic is that a sandwich should be portable, at least in theory (some overstuffed sandwiches might be difficult to actually eat while walking, but they are still sandwiches in form). > [@Barking\_Dog](#): > > A sandwich is meat between two pieces of bread. That’s your basic sandwich. The rest is just details. And to my mind it has to have meat, or it doesn’t count. Cheese sandwich? Peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich? Cucumber sandwich? Vegemite 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:** [December 30, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/79 "2010-12-30T19:40:49Z")
Isn’t this a descriptivist versus prescriptivist thing? If a large enough proportion of the population calls an open-faced sandwich an “open-faced _sandwich_” hasn’t the definition of the word been expanded? ---
**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:** [December 30, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762/80 "2010-12-30T19:42:57Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Sandwiches are two pieces of bread, which are buttered or margarined with a filling… Butter or margarine are a necessary part of the definition? If that’s the case then it’s probably been decades since I’ve eaten a sandwich. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-whats-a-sandwich/565762.md?page=5)