Is a hot dog a sandwich?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is a hot dog a sandwich?". Your opponent's style: Sherlock Holmes

No

"No" is not an argument; it's an evasion. The very concept of a "sandwich" implies two distinct pieces of bread encasing a filling. A hot dog bun, typically hinged, fundamentally violates this structural definition. Is a taco also a sandwich to you?

Your insistence on "two distinct pieces of bread" ignores culinary reality and the very history of the sandwich! The Earl of Sandwich wanted meat *between* bread so he wouldn't get his hands messy while gambling, not specifically two separate slices.[1][2][3] A hinged hot dog bun serves the exact same function: a convenient, handheld vessel for a filling.[4] Many sandwiches, like subs or hoagies, use a single roll cut lengthwise, and no one debates those.[5]

Your historical anecdote about the Earl of Sandwich, while charming, doesn't validate a hot dog as a sandwich. The original intent was "meat between two slices of bread"[1][2][3], establishing a clear boundary. A hot dog bun, even when sliced, maintains a singular, connected structure, unlike the distinct pieces of bread in a true sandwich[4][5]. Are all tacos now sandwiches, too, simply because they contain a filling in a handheld vessel?