Before you read any further, skip all the way to the comment section below and leave your answer to the question, is a hot dog a sandwich? Then, when you’re finished reading, go back to your comment and reply to it… if you changed your mind or feel any differently about the matter.
This all started when an old teacher of mine presented the question on Facebook as a result of a discussion that began in his English class. This individual teaches just outside of New York City, in New Jersey, so you’d imagine that everyone he knows is relatively familiar with high-quality sandwiches. (New York and New Jersey have some of the best sandwiches… period!) Without sharing too many opinions, Facebook was clearly divided. People were getting particularly picky with naming conventions, essentially stating that anything with its own name (burger) isn’t a sandwich. Others were quite clear that anything between two slices of bread was, in fact, a sandwich. Someone even went far enough to provide Webster’s definition of sandwich, which states a: two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between; b: one slice of bread covered with food. Clearly, the folk at Webster’s are big fans of open-faced sandwiches.
After over 80 comments, someone stated that Rutt’s Hut (one of the most iconic hot dog eateries in the country, founded in 1928) doesn’t list hot dogs under the sandwich section. This idea led to the teacher physically going to Rutt’s Hut and recording the man himself give his two cents. The verdict: the hinge of the bun makes it one piece of bread, so he doesn’t consider it to be a sandwich. Still, he sounded very understanding of those that did.
Throwing my own opinions aside from the start, I decided to take this to some heavyweights in the world of sandwiches, since the teacher took it to a heavyweight in the world of hot dogs. Not only did I get clear-cut answers from both of these gentlemen, but one of them seemed fed up with the question, as if he was sick and tired of answering it over and over again. Hopefully, this prevents people from asking him… as long as they see this first.
Eric Greenspan, also known as Chef Greeny, is an LA-based celebrity chef who has made countless appearances as a competitor and judge on Food Network. Since we’ve seen nearly every episode of everything ever on Food Network (the good stuff), we’d go as far as saying Greeny is arguably the greatest competitor in the history of Cutthroat Kitchen. His resume doesn’t need anything else, but we’d love to let you know that he is the king of grilled cheese. We’ve had his grilled cheeses many times over on Melrose Ave. When I asked Greeny his thoughts on the matter, he got right to the point. “I’m saying yes. Stuff between bread. End of story.”
Jeff Mauro, who is the host of Food Network’s The Kitchen and Sandwich King, is a self-proclaimed professional combiner of meat, cheese, and bread. While Jeff didn’t attend Le Cordon Bleu like Greeny, he strong-armed his love for sandwiches and used that force to win the 7th season of the Food Network Star competition. Jeff went on to defend the need for a sandwich only show and now appears in Subway ads. This guy, who is extremely likable and charismatic, has made a living from sandwiches. Taking all of that into consideration, are we surprised by what Jeff had to say? Not really, he agreed with Greeny and even stated, “End of story for the love of God.”
After presenting all that information, we only have one question for anyone who denies that a hot dog is a sandwich. If you’re clinging on to the one piece of hinging bread argument, what happens when the bun tears in half? Stay hungry and fit!
