The Identity Crisis of Hot Dogs
- Seattle Prep Ignite
- May 17, 2016
- 3 min read
When John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, first invented the sandwich as an effective and portable method of sustaining his hunger on multi-day gambling runs, he had no idea what controversy his invention would cause with the rise in popularity of the hot dog.
To start off this journey of edible exploration, the boundaries of what qualifies an item as a sandwich must be drawn. While the term is often thrown around in non-cibarian contexts to describe a stack of non-edible items, or used as a verb to "sandwich" someone or something, the definition referenced today will only pertain to food. Webster's Dictionary defines a food sandwich as "Two pieces of bread or a split roll having a filling (such as meat, peanut butter, etc.) between" (Sandwich). It should also be clarified that the hot dog in this case pertains to the American Hot Dog which is presented in a hinged, split bun. The primary issue at hand is the identity crisis that hot dogs face, a crisis that will be solved and proven through the destruction of counterarguments. Hot dogs meet every physical requirement of a sandwich and should be labeled as such.
There are no arguments against hot dogs qualifying as a sandwich that are not riddled with holes and contractions. While some contend that the hinged bun disqualifies hot dogs from being considered sandwiches, hoagies and even Subway sandwiches have a hinged bun or bread. The Webster's definition also clarifies that a sandwich can contain two or more slices of bread or a split roll, like a hot dog. Another poor argument contending that a hot dog is not a sandwich is how the meat is prepared; it is not deli meat, so many disqualify it. What they fail to see is that the meat is not the most vital part of qualifying a sandwich; in fact, many sandwiches have no meat in them (Berg). These same contesters argue that a hamburger is not a sandwich because it represents a whole different category. The common social stigma is that a hot dog must be one thing or another, but food enthusiast and Fox sports writer Rocco DeMarco argues "The terms are not mutually exclusive" (DeMarco). Society fails to see that both hot dogs and hamburgers are simply subsets of sandwiches, no different than a PBJ or BLT.
Through the usage of inductive reasoning one can assume that a hot dog is a sandwich due to all the qualities it shares, and until an effective argument is made against the hot dog, it will stay that way. Dictionary definitions have disproved deductive reasoning points about hot dogs’ "hinged bun" disqualifying it. The argument about the style in which the meat is presented was disproved due to the irrelevancy of the meat to a sandwich, as PBJ's have no meat in them. This whole identity crisis really stems from the exclusive and judgmental tendencies of Americans. Just because a hot dog is presented in a slightly different manner, people are quick to judge it as different or devalue its worth. Not only are hot dogs sold for much less than a typical hamburger or chicken sandwich, but they weren't even granted the respect of being included on fast food menus until 2016. While many see this argument as a funny thing to joke about, this egregious injustice of mislabeling has suppressed frankfurters across the nation, and will continue to do so until it is clarified.
WORKS CITED
Berg, Ted. "A Hot Dog Is Definitely a Sandwich." USA Today Sports. USA Today, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
DeMarco, Rocco. "Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich?" FOX Sports. Fox, 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 24
Mar. 2016.
"Sandwich." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
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