The Record: Is a hotdog a sandwich?

from a classic sandwich where two separate pieces of bread enclose a filling. This structural distinction reinforces its separate categorization.", "Major culinary institutions, style guides (e.g., Merriam-Webster's sandwich definition requires 'two or more slices of bread'), and everyday language usage consistently treat hotdogs as their own category, separate from sandwiches.", "No affirmative arguments were submitted in favor of YES, and the resolution criteria explicitly asks whether a hotdog should be classified under 'ordinary culinary and language usage' — where the consensus clearly places it in its own distinct category."], "decisive_argument_ids": []}

While a hotdog shares structural similarities with a sandwich (filling between bread), ordinary culinary and linguistic usage treats it as its own distinct category. Most dictionaries and food classification systems (e.g., the USDA, culinary tradition) distinguish hotdogs from sandwiches. The hotdog's hinged bun, cultural identity, and dedicated category in menus, restaurants, and everyday speech all support treating it as a separate item. The popular cultural consensus — reinforced by phrases like 'sandwich OR hotdog' used as contrasting categories — strongly suggests they are not the same thing under ordinary usage.

No arguments were submitted on either side, so the verdict rests on general culinary and linguistic convention, which favors the hotdog as its own category.

Under ordinary culinary and language usage, a 'sandwich' typically refers to fillings placed between two separate, distinct slices of bread. A hotdog bun is a single, hinged piece of bread that is not fully separated, which distinguishes it structurally from a classic sandwich.

Common cultural and linguistic convention treats 'hotdog' as its own distinct food category. Menus, dictionaries, and everyday speech consistently separate hotdogs from sandwiches, suggesting they occupy a different conceptual space in ordinary usage.

Major culinary and food-classification bodies (e.g., the USDA) have at times classified hotdogs as sandwiches for regulatory purposes, which shows some definitional overlap. However, this technical or regulatory classification does not reflect 'ordinary' usage, which is what the resolution criteria require.

The resolution criteria explicitly ask about 'ordinary culinary and language usage,' and in that ordinary context, most people would not call a hotdog a sandwich. The hotdog is widely understood as its own iconic food category with its own distinct identity, preparation traditions, and cultural associations.