Today I will try to bring an answer to the age-old question. Is a hotdog a sandwich? There is currently no universal definition for the word sandwich. According to New York and California law hot dogs are sandwiches but on the opposite side of the spectrum the USDA does not define hotdogs as sandwiches. Because of this, hotdogs have become the focus of a heated debate, are they a sandwich? To bring this discussion to an end I interviewed several students of Lodi High school, asking for their definition of the word sandwich and if a hotdog constitutes a sandwich.

Most of those interviewed had a similar definition of the word sandwich. Their definition included an item of food between two pieces of bread. While the interviewees mostly agreed on a definition for the word sandwich, their opinions started to change when asked if a hotdog was a sandwich. When asked what a sandwich was, junior Dayne Flad said that his definition of sandwich is, “anything between two slabs of bread”. According to him, a hotdog is a sandwich due to its similarity to a sub sandwich. On the other hand, student Talan Tamura does not think that hotdogs are sandwiches. His definition of sandwich is, “A variety of foods that are slapped together in between two pieces of bread”. He said that hotdogs are not sandwiches, “because the buns are connected”. When asked what kind of food a hotdog was, he replied, “Taco”. 

In conclusion to the question, “Are hotdogs sandwiches?” There is sadly still no definitive answer. Not only are the laws contradictory, so are the opinions of the public.