Week 10: Rushing to be a Sandwich

A loose definition of a sandwich: two pieces of bread with some filling in the middle.

With such an ambiguous definition the possibilities of the sandwich are endless. But where do we draw the line? Is a burrito a sandwich? Is a calzone a sandwich?

There needs to be some guidelines in place before we start calling anything we can get our hands on a sandwich. So here’s a sandwich checklist; if a qualified candidate satisfies half of the requirements it will be inducted into the sandwich brotherhood.

 Check List:

Accessibility – The candidate can be made within one to 10 minutes

Portability – The candidate can be carry anywhere, at anytime of day or night, if necessary the candidate can be consumed with one hand; the use of utensils after preparation time is forbidden

Cleanliness – The candidate should not be sloppy, the consumer should not have to worry about excessive amounts of napkins or stains

Satisfaction – Is the candidate filling enough

Let’s examine a few borderline sandwiches and see if they pass the test.

Burritos/Wraps –

Accessible, Portable and oh, so filling. They might get sloppy, especially if the tortilla isn’t folded well but they are very satisfying nonetheless. Sandwich.

 The Sloppy Joe –

This is a tricky one, mostly because it so very sloppy that portability is out of the question. It’s not something you can eat with one hand and while I personally think they are delicious I wouldn’t say they are the most filling. Non-Sandwich.

Crepes –

I doubt the French would even call it a sandwich. Forks are necessary, so non-Sandwich.

The Hot Dog –

Easy fulfills the first three categories, but usually only one won’t satisfy a hungry stomach. It gets a pass because it’s an American staple. Sandwich.