Bill's Notes

Via Dean Esmay is this article on the seemingly innocuous, but philosophically crucial, question: Is a burrito a sandwich?

I wrote my thoughts here.

Slightly edited version of my comment follows:

I'm glad I didn't have to decide; this is a can of worms. Let's see ... what are the distinguishing characteristics of a sandwich. Well, a burrito uses a tortilla. So maybe "unleavened bread" versus "leavened" bread, but I'm not sure tortillas are unleavened, and dear God, how can you describe the distinguishing characteristic of a sandwich as coming down to yeast?

I suppose, as a Platonist, we would have to look at the Purest Form of the Sandwich. This would be a bread-like product used to wrap around other food products that cannot be easily eaten with the hands. The key is that the finished product can be eaten with the hands. Can you eat a burrito with your hands? Yes, you can, but you'll have to get an assist with aluminum foil and wax paper — which may distinguish it from a sandwich. Or not.

Sandwich purists (called Historial Sandwichists) would no doubt argue that the salient question is the Earl of Sandwich test. Can the product be eaten at the gambling tables without making a mess? The answer for a burrito is clearly "No."

However, this to ignore the evolving definition of the sandwich, which seems a bit flat-headed. Surely the Earl of Sandwich would be unable to gamble and eat a hot meatball sandwich at the same time, yet would we seriously deny the sandwichness of a hot meatball sandwich? I'm not prepared to do that.

While I agree that my argument is open to many counter-arguments, I would lean toward burrito as a sandwich, only after answering this question — is the burrito covered with some kind of sauce or garnish? If it's covered, it's clearly meant to be eaten with a knife and fork, and it's no longer a sandwich. However, a burrito wrapped up cleanly and eaten with the hands — it's a sandwich.

Look for a reversal on appeals ... and go all the way to the Mass. Supreme Court, who will no doubt rule that anything can be called a sandwich, as long as the person eating it thinks it's a sandwich.