Week 10 blog post.

     Defining what exactly denotes a sandwich is a very daunting task. The meaning of the word sandwich has naturally changed over the many years since its inception. The etymology of the word is both interesting and gives a clear cut description to go off of. The word is traced back to an avid gambler who used to eat slices of  meat between his bread at the gambling table.  I think this is a good way to define what excitedly is a sandwich.

     So in a basic sense, any forms of bread with meat between would fall under the sandwich category in my eyes. This would naturally include hamburgers. Some more obscure things like quesadillas would fall under the category of sandwich too. Although quesadillas don't actually have bread buns, I feel a flour tortilla is acceptable as a bread. The taste and function that a tortilla serves is very similar to that of a sandwich bun. Despite my approval of tortillas, There IS something that can make a quesadilla fall from sandwich grace. That is a lack of meat. Under my standards, a cheese quesadilla just can't make it as a sandwich. No matter the amount of cheeses included, a  certain amount of meat is needed for that hearty taste.

     Now there is one thing that many people would argue vehemently over. This is the one thing that would put entire baseball parks of people in tears. And you will hear it here first. A hotdog is indeed a sandwich. If you haven't fainted from the shock; please read on and learn why. First off,  the hotdog itself is a Frankenstein concotion of left over meats. In the old days, it was whatever the butcher had left over. There is no defying that America's favorite edible pink tube is indeed composed of meat. Then there is the protective shell. A hotdog is encased in two bread buns or one large one. And the large bread bun can be split into two easily in the event that you need more room to accommodate toppings. Let us reflect for a moment. A hotdog is two pieces of bread with some meat between it. That would most definitely make it a sandwich!

    Sadly, the requirement for meat makes many foods fall just short of being defined as a glorious sandwich. One of those poor bystanders is the crepe. It has the perfect outside. It looks like a sandwich with that tortilla-like wrapping. Sadly, we all know that it's what's on the inside that counts. If you opened up a crepe and took a good look, you would find it harbors a deep dark secret. A secret that is a travesty to all sandwiches across the world. A crepe doesn't harbor a hearty cut of beef or delicious strips of bacon. It contains some fruit, whipped cream and nothing to redeem itself. No meat is a no-go in the world of sandwiches.

     These standards for sandwiches also cause some really obscure foods to me accepted. One of those is the onigiri. Onigiri is a popular food in Japan. It is often eaten for it's cheap price and ease of creation. It is simply a hunk of rice packed tightly with some seaweed wrapped on the outside. The inside often contains special treats to add flavor. These can be anything from plums to trout. Sadly, not all onigiris can be called a glorious sandwich. It once again comes down to what the onigiri harbors on the inside. Some of them will have beef, pork, and every cut of fish meat imaginable. These are accepted. Some of them will only have fruit and vegetables. These onigiris are not so lucky. They will never know the beauty that is being known as a sandwich. It tears my heart out to know that these onigiris never had a choice in this matter. The simply came into the world missing meat. What a incredible shame....