Unbreaded - Latest Comments in Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Chris Richards — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:10:12 -0000

Great topic, Mr. President.

A burrito, much like a sandwich, is a delicious treat; however: a burrito is by no means a sandwich.

By the standards of John Montagu, the fourth earl of sandwich, a sandwich is a meal that can be consumed WHILE playing cards without soiling the deck, table or wagers. A burrito creates a large margin of error within those regulations.

Sandwich, used in verb form, would be the act of placing or positioning one element between two entities. A burrito, by definition, means small donkey.

Further evidence can be seen in White City Shopping Ctr., LP v. PR Rests., LLC, 21 Mass. L. Rep. 565 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2006). This case clearly states that a sandwich "is not commonly understood to include burritos, tacos, and quesadillas, which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans."

We can agree that sandwiches and burritos are wonderful food, much like how the people of Mexico and the people of England are both wonderful people. But a Mexican is not English and an English-person is not a Mexican. We can easily agree the two heritages share greatness but this does not automatically mean they share each other. The two are different and should be regarded as such. To act any differently would take away from both parties and their respective products: the sandwich and the burrito.

The standards of a sandwich, defined by the Earl of Sandwich in the 18th century, do not constitute the standards of a burrito; which were not invented until the early 20th century. The dictionary definitions of both entities further separates them. A sandwich is defined as a mess-free meal where the main components are literally sandwiched by two containing elements. A burrito, like its name-sake, the donkey, may carry many great things inside of it but it is wrapped in a tortilla, not sandwiched by bread.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Ben Greenberg — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 15:52:44 -0000

I just noticed that the photo above looks suspiciously like a wrap, not a burrito...

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

nayten — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:27:27 -0000

I think in the end, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps at this point in time, we might consider the sandwich a work of art-- that's certainly what the blog here implies. Different cultures around the city, country, and world have their own takes on the art form to share.

Take music for example. We all have our own preferences for artists and genres, and the underlying reasons for enjoying them, event if they are not self-evident. Some might better appreciate the complexity and depth of more atmospheric music, say an Animal Collective, whereas others might enjoy the simplicity in structure of something classical, punk, or anything with a solid form. Fans of one style versus another might not even consider something like spoken word, rap, or polka music, while others might consider them the only true forms. I think the same idea applies here-- an outlandish sandwich idea might incorporate a wrap, tortilla, open-face, or even pancakes as mentioned, breaking form from the standard sandwich enclosures of wheat, white, and rye. The substance inside of either sandwich or music might be what some use to determine if it is truly what they expect from the art.

Or maybe I'm just looking into this too much. Lunchtime.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Jack Pendarvis — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:29:34 -0000

Dear Stomper,
"Hamburger" is short for "Hamburger sandwich." People don't say it anymore, but it's still there, hanging in the air, implied.

Your friend,

Jack

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Ryan Nedeff — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:53:43 -0000

A pizza is an open face sandwich? Interesting. Let's run with that for a second...

If you take a piece of bread, cover it with toppings, you have an open face sandwich. If I take that same open face sandwich and fold it in half, does that make a sandwich?

So, if I had a pizza, and folded it in half, would I have a pizza sandwich?

If so, a Taco is also a sandwich.

Now, if you properly make a burrito, aren’t you folding the ends of the tortilla over the toppings? Rather than arbitrarily just "rolling" it up? You start with an “open face sandwich,” which is the tortilla covered in toppings. You then fold the tortilla over the toppings.

By sheer semantics, yes, a burrito could be a sandwich if made properly.

But, it just feels so wrong to call it that.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

emamd — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:35:30 -0000

agreed with Stomper and Academic.

Calling a burrito a sandwich is simply another form of cultural imperialism.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Ben — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:42:28 -0000

Wow, this site is pretty much a copy of mine, with glossier design. What's the deal guys?

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Ben — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:05:55 -0000

Nice to see this topic finally getting some real attention. I did a post on it and concluded that burrito's and wraps are not sandwiches, but that pizza is, technically, an open faced sandwich.
Check it out: http://www.simplysandwiches.net/2007/08/18/the-...

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Kyle — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:33:17 -0000

IOkay weird.

I just had a Pastrami Burrito yesterday. It had pickles and mustard.

I didn't feel like I was eating a burrito, but a nice clean sandwich.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Jeff Vogel — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:48:01 -0000

Check it out: a review of my very favorite sandwich/wrap just posted http://vendr.tv/video/christos/ Thanks @foobooz

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Stomper — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:59:42 -0000

I am appalled by the conspiracy of silence. Why, oh why, is the mighty hamburger being ignored in this discussion?

The hamburger meets all the criteria for most definitions of a sandwich. The bun is usually not square, but even the proponents of squared bread recognize that this is an optional feature. Does that mean the hamburger is a sandwich? NO! It is a HAMBURGER.

A hamburger has its own name, its own cultural identity, and its own culinary history. Judging from the McDonald's commercials of my childhood, it even has its own traditional costumes.

Hamburger aficionados must unite to resist the cultural imperialism of the sandwichistas.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Jeff Vogel — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:36:44 -0000

@Lon Thanks for getting involved with our little debate. Some really good FACTS there, really compliments our BS.

Basically, in English, I believe the word "sandwich" can refer to the specific object: two slices of bread with fillings; and can also speak to a broader category of things that are served in a portable, handheld style in contrast to a platter with utensils. I am willing to admit that a burrito is always referred to as a burrito, and not as a sandwich.

But to get a little too deep in my own minutiae, a sandwich can be a utilitarian word, a broad based category of things that have more common with each other than another group of things, platters.

Sandwiches served on any bread share certain characteristics and personality traits: mobility, a certain hold-and-eat style and a focus on the bread as much as the fillings.

For argument's sake, suppose I wanted a Mediterranean sandwich. It is traditionally served on a lavash or pita. Would I have to put the same fillings on a Kaiser roll for it to be considered a sandwich? No. The bread must be judged as symbiotic with the fillings. The sandwich only works if the bread and the filling are truly meant to be together.

So I say a burrito, which no doubt was first invented when some guy wanted to take his beans and rice platter to go, is a sandwich, in that it was designed to be held together in a package and eaten.

I would never ever ever order a burrito and expect to get a sandwich. That's ridiculous. But if you ask the question, is a burrito a type of sandwich? Is an elephant a type of mammal? Is a geranium a plant? The answer is yes.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

dekz — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:19:37 -0000

awww shit, zing.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

dekz — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:19:37 -0000

awww shit, zing.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Jeff Vogel — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:12:53 -0000

Interesting... Oreos are marketed as a sandwich cookie. And I am happy to engage in a discussion on any level about what constitutes a sandwich. My example simply illustrates that not all sandwiches are between two slices of bread.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Mr. Larry Jhonson — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:08:04 -0000

Why has no one posted any regards as to epistomology of the word sandwich? This question is paramount to deriving a reasonable response to this question in question. According to my memory and current research the word was popularised by the Earl of Sandwich over 400 years ago. The Earl is the namesake of this contraption; and in his intent lies the solution to our problem and it is in the context that I decree that our question be resolved. He wanted a means that would leave his hands clean while informily eating a meal. Therefore I pose this definition; If you hold an edible object (non liquid) for nor than 8 seconds and then set it down to shake some ones hand and thereupon there is any ambivalance as to the awkardness of the cleanliness of our hand, said object is not a sandwich. If there is no awkwardness than said object is a sandwich. Therefore a burrito is a sandwich.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Seb — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:07:34 -0000

In my quest for burrito-related-journalism i found this post and then read BJN's comment - it's made my week.

Every day, sandwich vans come to our office. Every Thursday, we go to our local burrito van. I can whole-heartedly say that no matter how hard it tries, no sandwich ever, ever comes close to the mighty burrito.

Having said that, I'm quite partial to quesadillas (also from the burrito van, not sandwich van). Again, definitely 1 (or 2) up from a sandwich, and probably on par with the burrito.

So maybe it's not that we need to think about the definition of sandwich, but more the definition of burrito. If a sandwich van sells sandwiches, which are mediochre at best, but a burrito van sells food of an almost holy quality, then perhaps all amazingly tasty, good (and probably *un*holy) food should be under the burrito umbrella... (and the sandwich term should be reserved for, perhaps, bland (vegetarian) foods?)

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Mike — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:03:21 -0000

A burrito is not a sandwich, a wrap is not a sandwich, a donair or giro is not a sandwich. A sandwich must be on either a bun or bread that has been cut from a loaf and can have ANYTHING in it. The contents of the bread do not matter, what defines a sandwich is the bread itself.

If you opened a sandwich stand and tried selling burritos, people would be like "Dude! Where the F*** are your F***ing sandwiches you jack a**. I was promised a F***ing sandwich not a god damn burrito." The fact that people recognize a sandwich as a sandwich and a burrito as a burrito is proof enough that they are two completely different things.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Guymandude — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:19:38 -0000

Sandwich:Bread::Burrito:Tortilla

Wraps are a fad.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Eric — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:51:59 -0000

A burrito is a type of sandwich. Same with a panini, a wrap, and a host of other delicious portable eats. A sandwich is really just a two tiered device. A filling and something holding that filling together.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

mikesee — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:09:34 -0000

traditionally, sushi is eaten with the hands, therefore by your logic, NOT a platter but a sandwich.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

SGCP — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:41:38 -0000

Vogel, you sicken me.

In my heart of hearts I KNOW a burrito is not a sandwich. Stop spreading such blasphemy!

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Lon @ FoodMayhem — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:18:29 -0000

@BJN & @Jeff - Here's the thing, food is subjective, frankly it's art. And terminology varies by region. That said, we can look to history for some suggestions about all this. First of all, I have to say that while all the carts and shops near me in NYC sell falafel in pita as a sandwich, it is only to help as a reference. You see, pita, in one form of another has been baked and eaten with falafel since at least 1000 A.D. (documented). And the term 'sandwich' has only existed since 1762.

Clearly it's possible to re-categorize food items. Perhaps the falafel in a pita combo was usurped by the sandwich grouping.

But what about our original issue? Burritos? Well, they're a 20th century phenomena. Which means they could easily be within the category. However, if you digg deeper, there are sitings of meat wrapping in tortillas back to 1840. And non-Mexican groups were cooking and eating food with tortilla and tortilla variants all the way back to 16th century.

So the family of tortillas, let's think about it as well. Tortilla means cake, and includes cake-like omelettes, with or without potatoes depending on where you go. It also includes arepas (corn cakes or cassava cakes).

Arepas are eaten alone, topped with various items, or sliced open and eaten as a sandwich. Uh oh... I'm seeing overlap!

So is an arepa a sandwich (open-face, or otherwise)? Sure.

Let's dial back and look at the definition of a sandwich: (A) Two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between; (B) One slice of bread covered with food.

Cripes.. "bread" dang! Corn cakes are not bread. Because the definition of bread: A usually baked and leavened food made of a mixture whose basic constituent is flour or meal. Hmm. corn meal, maybe arepas are bread? Although they're not 'usually' leavened. So they're usually not bread? This is up for interpretation.

What about tortillas? Usually not bread too?

Ready to have your mind blown? What about pizza? Oh no! Leaved bread with toppings. Yes, pizza is technically an open-faced sandwich. In fact, my wife (the main writer at FoodMayhem.com) was taught in culinary school exactly that: pizza is an open face sandwich. So is gyro (pita is leavened). And guess what, that makes falafel a sandwich too. (See I'm not just wandering here, we're getting somewhere).

Hot dogs? Yep, sandwiches! Read the definition again. A sliced roll with filling. Joinkies.

Burritos, well no leavened dough... there's only one slice of the "bread"-like part... and it's not sliced open and stuffed. I'm siding with the court. It does not meet (meat?) the definition.

This was a fun trot through food history and definitions. I'm going to post this to our blog (www.FoodMayhem.com) with a track-back.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

James — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:04:14 -0000

Does a slice of pizza count as a sandwich then? If not then what if you fold it in half, or put the cheese sides of two slices together? Come on, this is ridiculous.

Re: Unbreaded | The Ultimate Sandwich Blog

Guest — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:55:42 -0000

"Having grown up eating a lot of Middle Eastern food, a falafel is the fried, spiced ball of chickpeas and can be ordered by themselves. Yes, they are wonderful."

You are wonderful, Danielle, for beating me to the punch.