Info 202 Fall 2011

This blog post from Good magazine asks: Is a burrito a sandwich?

Link: http://www.good.is/post/is-a-burrito-a-sandwich/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+good%2Flbvp+%28GOOD+Main+RSS+Feed%29

The post starts off with a
discussion of a 2006 court case which featured a disgruntled sandwich shop
whose contract with a shopping center promised it would be the only sandwich
shop…and then a dreaded burrito place moved in. Like good Americans, the
sandwich place sued. The judge in deciding the case cited “Webster's definition
of ‘sandwich’—‘two thin pieces of bread, usually buttered, with a thin layer
(as of meat, cheese, or savory mixture) spread between them’—then provided his
own understanding of a burrito, a food item ‘typically made with a single
tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans.’” Usually
buttered? Really? Don’t think I’ve ever had a REAL sandwich then…The current
Webster definition is: “1a: two or more slices of
bread or a split roll having a filling in between; b : one
slice of bread covered with food; 2: something resembling a
sandwich.” So in a word, everything.

Of course there are other “official” definitions too, such as
the USDA: “A ‘sandwich "must contain at least 35 percent cooked meat and
no more than 50 percent bread,’.... A burrito, on the other hand, is a ‘Mexican
style sandwich-like product consisting of a flour tortilla.’” So, silly
vegetarians, time for your comeuppance! You don’t get to eat a sandwich; just
some strange concoction of vegetables between bread. The FDA also has an
opinion and only considers a sandwich a sandwich if it consists of two piece of
bread…so no open sandwiches for you, or me. But, wait! The Fourth Earl of
Sandwich apparently defines a “sandwich as a ‘food
sandwiched between two other foods’ made of ‘two discrete exterior
components" that can ‘readily be handled’ without soiling one's hands.” Add
to that, a NPR sandwich enthusiast apparently has a whole blog of his crazy,
liberal, sandwich eating ways and defines a sandwich as “protein encased in
bread product.” (kinda awesome/horrifying: http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126351221).
Both of those definitions tend to enlarge the sandwich playing field and the
latter implies that a burrito would qualify! As I said, crazy NPR liberal;
probably drives a Volvo too!

Of course the article cites
copius what-if’s in it’s dissection of a sandwich, but clearly this is an
amateur speaking. Bloggers
and food connoisseurs alike watch out, because this is really a 202 question. Maybe
next year instead of developing a faceted classification for animals, 202-ers
should work with “sandwich-like” creations. And describing relations through
ontology/hypernyms/hymonyms? Clearly the sandwich-like entities below make a
good start for categorizational entities. Do wraps’ and burritos’ use of food
wrapping make them an wrapped example of polysemy or homonymy food items? What
about the sandwich v burrito, as is being asked by the blog post? Maybe the
categorization of sandwiches is a cultural artifact, or should it be based on
more individualistic experiences. Clearly it is polythetic since Webster’s
changed its definition over the past few years. But in that case, would a tree
structure be the best way to represent all the wild sandwich-like incarnations,
or a space mapping?

I personally think it
is about form factor, a discussion not really breached in the blog post. Form
factor is quite important—it is after all what makes carrot juice both superior
to, and most definitely not, a carrot. Burritos are cylindrical, sandwiches,
flat. Yes, I know that leaves hot dogs in a funny in-between space with their
oblong-ness, but let’s face it, hot dogs are gross; period.

Contenders:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/waitwait/2011/09/26/140809575/sandwich-monday-in-memoriam

http://www.npr.org/blogs/waitwait/2011/08/29/140038737/sandwich-monday-the-frank-round-up’

http://www.npr.org/blogs/waitwait/2011/07/11/137769636/sandwich-monday-donut-ice-cream-sandwich

http://www.npr.org/blogs/waitwait/2011/06/06/137006621/sandwich-monday-dunkin-donuts-waffle-sandwich

http://www.npr.org/blogs/waitwait/2011/04/25/135706241/sandwich-monday-the-matzo-elvis

http://www.npr.org/blogs/waitwait/2010/08/02/128934388/sandwich-monday-breakfast-club-edition