Monday, November 13, 2006
A Little Sandwich is a dangerous thing!
A little flap over the definition of a sandwich has caused quite a stir in the city of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. A Mexican grill wanted to set up shop in the White City Shopping Center. A competitor did not like the idea of another restaurant a few doors down. The owner of the other shoppe invoked a clause in his contract citing the fact that there could be only one “sandwich shop” in the mall and he already had a monopoly on anything that could be classified as a sandwich. No arguing with that! However, Mexican restaurants are not noted for serving sandwiches. No problem. Just call a burrito a sandwich and that should send the Mexican chefs scrambling elsewhere faster than you can say “Arriba! Arriba!” Well, they arribaed right over to the courtroom and took exception to the notion that a burrito was a sandwich. The judge consulted his Webster’s Dictionary and a few well know chefs (or there any other kind in Massachusetts?) and came to a quick conclusion—a burrito is not a sandwich.
Now this might not be the “shot heard around the world” but then again it might. Sandwich aficionados might take strong exception to the ruling. The Sandwich Project has categorized over 10,000 different sandwiches, ranking them from the best to the worst. And the “Project” does indeed include a burrito among its recipes. Judge Locke ruled that the decision came down to “two slices of bread versus one tortilla.” Two slices of bread? Hmmm! What about an open-face sandwich? And what about an ice cream sandwich? And Oreo’s? The “Project” also lists hamburgers and submarines as sandwiches. Now how much weight does a person, a judge in this case, give to the “Project” versus a group of chefs? The “top rated sandwich?” Caramelized onion and goat cheese! The worst? We won’t go there. OK. Maybe the judge thought the “Project” was nothing but a group of blue-collar know-it-alls? What else would a person think who lived in Massachusetts and was familiar with the projects there? Hmmm. Hey. Those folks actually eat the sandwiches---well, maybe not all of them, but at least some of them. What about the Earl of Sandwich? Did anyone think to summon him to the court of law? After all, he supposedly invented the sandwich, although that is now in serious doubt. Just a little something to keep the hands from getting greasy while playing cards, he would have explained. Whoops! He died a few hundred years ago. And speaking of authorities, who could be more of an authority than Shakespeare could? In his The Merry Wives of Windsor a character says, "I love not the humour of bread and cheese." Other vintage writers speak of “bread and meat” as well as “bread and cheese.” So forget Webster’s. The real authorities on the English language agree that a sandwich should have bread—not necessarily sliced—and either meat or cheese. And of course it should keep the hands from getting greasy. Now, about that caramelized onion and goat cheese? I think I will settle for a burrito.
A little flap over the definition of a sandwich has caused quite a stir in the city of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. A Mexican grill wanted to set up shop in the White City Shopping Center. A competitor did not like the idea of another restaurant a few doors down. The owner of the other shoppe invoked a clause in his contract citing the fact that there could be only one “sandwich shop” in the mall and he already had a monopoly on anything that could be classified as a sandwich. No arguing with that! However, Mexican restaurants are not noted for serving sandwiches. No problem. Just call a burrito a sandwich and that should send the Mexican chefs scrambling elsewhere faster than you can say “Arriba! Arriba!” Well, they arribaed right over to the courtroom and took exception to the notion that a burrito was a sandwich. The judge consulted his Webster’s Dictionary and a few well know chefs (or there any other kind in Massachusetts?) and came to a quick conclusion—a burrito is not a sandwich.
Now this might not be the “shot heard around the world” but then again it might. Sandwich aficionados might take strong exception to the ruling. The Sandwich Project has categorized over 10,000 different sandwiches, ranking them from the best to the worst. And the “Project” does indeed include a burrito among its recipes. Judge Locke ruled that the decision came down to “two slices of bread versus one tortilla.” Two slices of bread? Hmmm! What about an open-face sandwich? And what about an ice cream sandwich? And Oreo’s? The “Project” also lists hamburgers and submarines as sandwiches. Now how much weight does a person, a judge in this case, give to the “Project” versus a group of chefs? The “top rated sandwich?” Caramelized onion and goat cheese! The worst? We won’t go there. OK. Maybe the judge thought the “Project” was nothing but a group of blue-collar know-it-alls? What else would a person think who lived in Massachusetts and was familiar with the projects there? Hmmm. Hey. Those folks actually eat the sandwiches---well, maybe not all of them, but at least some of them. What about the Earl of Sandwich? Did anyone think to summon him to the court of law? After all, he supposedly invented the sandwich, although that is now in serious doubt. Just a little something to keep the hands from getting greasy while playing cards, he would have explained. Whoops! He died a few hundred years ago. And speaking of authorities, who could be more of an authority than Shakespeare could? In his The Merry Wives of Windsor a character says, "I love not the humour of bread and cheese." Other vintage writers speak of “bread and meat” as well as “bread and cheese.” So forget Webster’s. The real authorities on the English language agree that a sandwich should have bread—not necessarily sliced—and either meat or cheese. And of course it should keep the hands from getting greasy. Now, about that caramelized onion and goat cheese? I think I will settle for a burrito.
