The Great Weiner Debate

Bread, meat, and condiments. These are the ingredients of an age old question. Here is  the answer.

A hot dog is categorically a sandwich. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, one characteristic is needed for a food to be called a sandwich: “two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between.” To the best of my knowledge, a hot dog is a split roll with a filling. Look at it this way: if a meatball sandwich or Subway sub are counted as sandwiches, then so is a hot dog.

But don’t just take my word for it.

“It’s meat in between two pieces of bread,” said Senior Jatavian Hart.

Sure, you could make the argument that a sandwich has two pieces of bread and a hot dogs bun is only one. But think about a submarine sandwich – it is served with one piece of bread that is cut open across the top, just like a hot dog bun. You could also not call it a sandwich based on your definition of a filling. If you use Merriam Webster’s  broad definition, “something used to fill a cavity, container, or depression,” then it works. But the other side would counter with a more narrow but also correct definition: “something used to fill a cavity, container, or depression.”

If the dictionary and Jatavian Hart aren’t convincing enough, consider Jeff Mauro, better known on the food network as the ‘Sandwich King.’Mauro agrees that a hot dog is a sandwich. “It’s under the kingdom of sandwiches but way down,
Maura said in an interview with the Daily Beast. “Is an ape a human? Not really, but we’re still part of the same family.”

As you can see, we’re starting to show real strengths in numbers here. Experts from all walks of life – even linguists like junior Ben Neal – agree.

“The verb of being sandwiched is an object sandwiched between two different objects and a hot dog is between two sides of a bun,” said Neal.

. Others question wh people even question if it’s a sandwich.

Freshman Daniel Bonilla agrees that a hot dog is a sandwich saying, “Of course a hot dog is a sandwich. I don’t know why so many people think it’s not.”