Mouthing Off

Anthony Bourdain and Matt Damon said a hot dog is not a sandwich. Let’s be frank, as long as it tastes good, who cares?

A hot dog is not a sandwich, according to celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council in the United States

This argument, which could include the ‘what makes a pie a pie?’ question, is often hotly debated

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Anthony Bourdain says a hot dog is not a sandwich. The debate continues, but as long as it tastes good, who cares?

Andrew Sun has dabbled in many shades of the media spectrum for 25 years, from college radio, TV, print and online columnist to starting film festivals, managing music labels and authoring food books.

Published: 6:45pm, 29 Apr 2022

There’s a long-running argument in the food world, splitting opinions and turning a small partisan valley into a wide canyon of a schism. The question: is a hot dog a sandwich?

Everyone who’s downed a late-night post-boozing bratwurst or noshed on a frankfurter seems to have strong views on the matter. Even the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has come down with a verdict. Its vote is yes!

“The definition of sandwich is ‘two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between’. Hence, a hot dog fits the definition,” the dictionary website posted a while ago.

Frankly though, lots of people disagree even if they accept the textbook sandwich characterisation. Hot dog enthusiasts contend a wiener in an oblong bun is so iconic, it transcends such a limiting pigeon-hole. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council in the United States – of course there is one – agrees.

Is a hot dog a sandwich or its own beast? The debate continues. Photo: Getty Images

“A hot dog is not a sandwich,” the organisation said in a 2015 press release. “Limiting the hot dog’s significance by saying it’s ‘just a sandwich’ is like calling the Dalai Lama ‘just a guy’.”