Written by The Dark Knight of Sports LaShawn Encarnacion
There is a certain food that has been at carnivals, circuses and ball parks for decades upon decades. It goes together like PB & J, man and woman, snap/crackle and pop. But recently the discussion has come up once again, a debate that just seems to never have just one answer, “IS the Hot Dog a sandwich?”
Media outlets such as Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN talked in great detail in one of their segments about the Hot Dog and whether or not it is a sandwich. San Diego news personality Raoul Martinez posted the question for debate on his Facebook timeline within the last hour. So the great debate is running wild and its time to break it down.
For a better understanding of what makes a sandwich, one must know the basic ingredients for a sandwich.
Bread is the obvious number one requirement. Whether it is white, wheat, sourdough, french roll etc… without bread, a sandwich is just not a sandwich.
The second piece of the sandwich equation is the presence of some sort of meat, meat-substitute or other type of protein. Can range from simple things as cheese to mayonnaise to bacon to real sandwich meats like ham, turkey, roast beef etc… Without a protein, a sandwich is just not a sandwich.
Those are the two basic ingredients to make a sandwich. So a Sloppy Joe is considered a sandwich, some even call a Sloppy Joe a Sloppy Joe sandwich. The spicy big brother of the hot dog, the hot link is also considered as a sandwich as it is more commonly known as a Hot Links sandwich.
The argument always comes in when the Hamburger is brought into the equation. Most would keep the Hamburger out of the sandwich discussions because most menus deem it on a level all to its own. The manner in preparation, the variety of ways to present the Hamburger, the time to prepare the Hamburger, all good arguments for leaving it out of the sandwich discussion. But can someone honestly say that the Hot Dog deserves the same classification as the Hamburger?
Preparing a hot dog is simple. So simple kids can do it without the supervision of their parents. Can’t say that about the Hamburger can you?
In the end, the hot dog is comprised of the basics. Bread, protein (different varieties of) and plenty of extras that can be added as condiments, including vegetables.
The debate that is the least important in this election season, is picking up steam and in local media outlets once again. “Is you is or is you ain’t a sandwich Mr. Hot Dog?”
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