I am sure others have said this, but a sandwich is two pieces of bread with food in the middle. Period. Temperature is not relevant, so your first alternative is not correct. I had to choose the last.
A burger served in a bun is a special case of a sandwich.
Open sandwiches are not a true sandwiches, as I am sure the Earl would have told you. They would not be much good for eating whilst playing cards.
The options are not exclusive.
Huh. To me, that’s just a standard roast beef sandwich, nothing particularly unique about Arby’s. Google Images for “roast beef sandwich” and you’ll see a good portion of your results are slices of hot beef in a bun of some sort (kaiser rolls or onion rolls, especially.) Served on regular sliced bread (usually rye) is common, too, but so is the bun, in my experience.
Last week I slapped some bacon, an egg and cheese between a couple toaster waffles and called it a breakfast sandwich. Is that legal, or do I have to be more careful with my teminology in the future? And if it is not a sandwich, what do I call it?
Not the turkey-and-gravy-type, but the cold-cuts and cheese type of open-faced sandwich is perfectly fine with card-playing. In fact, it was the standard snack for my folks and family during card playing, along with pickles, dried sausages, and rollmops. ETA: I guess you can call an open-faced sandwich a large canape if you want to.
I voted for everything but the hamburger. I realize that technically that’s a sandwich too, but I just don’t think of it that way. Nor do I think a hot dog in a bun is a sandwich.
Maybe we are thinking of sandwiches in construction and aesthetic forms rather than in functional terms. Perhaps the true spirit of “sandwich” is simply something we can encase in a non-messy, bread-like, easy and edible facilitator and conveyance for something that is messy, wet/and or greasy so that it can be eaten one handed. Sort of like bread chopsticks- a pinch of Flat bread to consume dinner in a great majority of the world..