owlmoose | Late in the evening

Past midnight and T isn't home yet. He must be liking his job.

Still loving the Brahms. Loving it even more now that singing isn't sending me into copious coughing fits (just two during the three-hour rehersal). I guess that means the cold is almost gone. About time! After chorus I grabbed dinner with D & P, and we got into a discussion about the definition of "sandwich". Specifically, we were trying to decide whether a hamburger is sandwich. At the basic core of the definition, I think you have to say yes -- food between two pieces of bread is a sandwich, yes? But P pointed out that if you asked someone to get you a burger by referring to it as a " sandwich", they would likely be confused. Maybe a burger fits the textbook definition of sandwich, but no one really calls it that. So that lead us into trying to come up with the characteristics that would differentiate a burger from a sandwich. In the end, we decided that the patty form factor for the meat (or whatever -- one needs to account for veggie burgers, after all) is the key distinction. P still wouldn't concede that my fried chicken breast on a bun was a "sandwich", though, although eventually he decided to agree that it isn't a burger. I think he wanted a third term, but we couldn't come up with one.

It's fun, having pedantic friends. (I'm not kidding. I really do think that. All kinds of wacky discussions result. I enjoy them.)

Scratch that first line -- he just walked in. And a cat walked out. Damn; I thought they were past the escaping phase. Too much to hope for, I guess. At least they've gotten less aggressive about it.

The Tuesday song game will go up at 9:30am PST or thereabouts.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From Wikipedia: (which lists hamburger as a sandwich)
Variations

The term "sandwich" has been expanded—especially in the United States—to include items made with other "breads" such as tortilla, rolls and focaccia. Thus hamburgers and "subs", for example, are called "sandwiches" in the United States, although not in the midwest, south or western states or most other English-speaking countries (since they are not made with slices of bread from a loaf).

The nearest traditional Scandinavian equivalent is generally known elsewhere as an "open" or "open-face" sandwich, i.e. a single slice of bread with meat, fish, cheese, etc. as a topping, although the sandwich with two slices of bread has become more commonplace in recent times. This open-face variation is also prevalent in Russia, where it is known as a buterbrod (бутерброд, from the German word for "buttered bread").

In India, sandwiches are often vegetarian, the most common type being the vegetable sandwich.

In the UK, particularly in the north of England they are known, informally, as 'butties' or 'sarnies'. This is particularly the case with sandwiches including freshly-cooked bacon and butter, though other forms of 'butty' use other ingredients and mayonnaise. A sandwich filled with chips (US: french fries) is known as a 'chip buttie' (also butty). In French countries you might see this referred to as un Belge: a Belgian (sandwich). In Scotland, sandwiches are called 'pieces'. One Australian slang term for sandwich is 'sanger'. In South Africa sandwiches are sometimes called 'sarmies'.

Hah! When T and I were discussing this last night, after I posted this, he also consulted the great god Wikipedia and pointed me to the exact same article.

Thus hamburgers and "subs", for example, are called "sandwiches" in the United States, although not in the midwest, south or western states or most other English-speaking countries

I agree on hamburgers in the West and Midwest (my two main points of linguistic reference) but not on "subs" -- we call those sandwiches. When I go to Subway et al., I'm not geting a "submarine" (or any of the other regionalisms used for this food item), I'm getting a sandwich, or maybe a deli sandwich.

since they are not made with slices of bread from a loaf).

Ah, but on Sunday evening, I had a hamburger for dinner. The hamburger was not on a bun but rather on slices of sourdough bread. Was that a burger? Or was it a sandwich.

All kinds of linguistic permutations here...

Justine's response - above - crossed your answer in the e-mail. So, I respond thusly: What she said. LOL

Interesting that tortillas are mentioned in the Wikipedia entry: It reminds me of a conversation theme that crops up every few years —the tortilla or wrap food pattern (food meme? food metaphor?) which seems to appear in practically every culture. For example: tacos, lavosh, eggrolls/spring rolls, injera, etc. Do these comprise a subset of the Great Sandwich Family, or do sandwiches comprise a family under the Breaded-Starchy Food Wrap Order?

Ahem, I digress. (As it is so much fun to do so. Especially concerning semantics. And food. ;)

Do these comprise a subset of the Great Sandwich Family, or do sandwiches comprise a family under the Breaded-Starchy Food Wrap Order?

*Very* interesting question. I tend to think that the Food Wrap is the larger Order and the Sandwich is a genus (does that make a Hamburger a species of Sandwich?), but I think you could argue it either way.

Late in the evening

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