It’s Fourth of July, so you know what that means …
We watch actual human beings stuff their faces for honor at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
While Joey Chestnut, once again, won the display after a two-hour weather delay, there is one question that needs to be answered.
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
Well, let’s take a look at the evidence, shall we?
For starters, the definition itself says, “Yes.”
I understand a lot of people will disagree with me, but they’re wrong.
According to Dictionary.com, it is indeed a sandwich.
We say yes. A hot dog is “a sandwich consisting of a frankfurter in a split roll, usually eaten with mustard, sauerkraut, or relish.” But we’re willing to talk about it.
Merriam Webster defines a sandwich as “two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between and one slice of bread covered with food.”
Here’s a history lesson for you …
According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council (yes, that’s a thing) the frankfurter was developed in the city of Frankfurt, Germany in 1487. Back then, they served the hot dog in the form of a sausage on a roll.
It was in 1893 the hot dog truly made their way into popularity, especially at baseball games. That was the year the sausages became a staple. It allegedly was started by a St. Louis bar owner, Chris Von de Ahe, a German immigrant who also owned the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team.
The invention of the actual hot dog bun came to be when they essentially wanted to elongate a roll. It’s still a roll, hence it’s still a sandwich.
In 2022, a In a poll of 1,000 people across the United States, conducted by RTA Outdoor Living, 57 percent say they consider a hot dog a sandwich.
But sure, let’s argue with the numbers.
At least I know Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson has my back on this:
Let’s fast-forward to present day, shall we?
Sure, things are ever-changing, I’ll admit that, but with that being said, many people disagree with me.
Chestnut himself said a hot dog was not a sandwich:
Or you can listen to the Washington Commanders:
On #NationalHotDogDay we have a question: Is a hot dog a sandwich? pic.twitter.com/VlC9Audqbt
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 17, 2019
You could always choose the safe route and say, “sometimes,” just as Justice Stephen Breyer did:
Justice Stephen Breyer judges whether a hot dog is a sandwich. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/4lJLx6YCM1
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) September 15, 2021
