Are Hot Dogs Sandwiches?

Today I will try to bring an answer to the age-old question. Is a hot dog a sandwich? Currently, there is no universally accepted definition of the word “sandwich.” According to the laws in New York and California, hot dogs are considered sandwiches. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the USDA does not classify hot dogs as sandwiches. This conflicting information has sparked a heated debate: Are hot dogs really sandwiches? To shed light on this discussion, I interviewed several students from Lodi High School, asking for their personal definition of a sandwich and whether they believe a hot dog fits the criteria.

The majority of those interviewed shared a similar definition of a sandwich: an item of food placed between two pieces of bread. While there was general agreement on the definition, opinions diverged when it came to determining whether a hot dog qualifies as a sandwich. Junior Dayne Flad defined a sandwich as “anything between two slabs of bread.” According to his perspective, a hot dog falls under the sandwich category, as it shares similarities with a sub sandwich. On the other hand, student Talan Tamura does not consider hot dogs to be sandwiches. He defines a sandwich as “a combination of foods assembled between two pieces of bread” and argues that hot dogs do not meet this definition because the buns are connected. When asked to classify hot dogs as a specific food, Tamura amusingly replied, “Taco.”