History is rife with conflict. It is the way of humanity to squabble over meaningless debates. The Crusades, French Revolution — all nothing in the face of an underlying question that some have dubbed the cornerstone of human civilization.
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
Now the common person would instinctively answer, “No! Of course not, it’s a hot dog.” That is where the crux of the argument begins.
Society, as a collective, believes that if something is defined then it must live within the confines of said definition. Unfortunately, the hot dog has fallen victim to society’s brutal constriction. This helpless creation, unable to fend for itself, sits within its cell banging on the bars begging to be let out. To be free of the chains keeping it from becoming so much more than just a hot dog.
Taken at face value the question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich seems to be superficial. However, there is more meat to this than originally thought.
The hot dog is not unique in its constriction. Many other food and none food issues share a craving for freedom from society’s constraints. The hot dog has become a bastion for concepts such as gender, sexuality, even race. Society must come together and collaboratively accept that a hot dog can be more than just an assortment of mystery meat.
It can be a sandwich.
The hot dog conundrum is reminiscent of the story about Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards. His whole life his father, compatriots and the British Olympic Committee tried to dissuade him from his dream of becoming an Olympian. They told him repeatedly that he is not cut out to be an Olympic athlete. What did Eddie do? He never gave up. He ignored the expectations thrust upon him and followed his true dream of being an Olympic ski jumper.
Now, a hot dog won’t be competing in the Olympics anytime soon, but it’s not about that. It is about having the ability to be seen as something greater. It is about becoming a sandwich.
Fortunately, there are some that have pulled back the bun and found the truth in hot dogs.
This past Memorial Day, the Merriam Webster Dictionary created controversy by tweeting, “Have a great #MemorialDayWeekend. The hot dog is a sandwich.” The tweet elicited responses like “This is terrorism” from one user.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary is not the only one to have seen the light. In 2011 the New York Department of Taxation and Finance classified the hot dog as a sandwich “for sales tax purposes.” If two highly acclaimed sources such as these cannot be relied upon then who should the concerned population look to?
No one. The question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich isn’t an issue. People don’t lay awake pondering this question. What should be discussed are the actual issues — the ones that affect peoples’ day-to-day lives. It’s hard for people to break out of the constraints people put them in, telling them they can’t be something they desperately want to be.
That’s why the question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich can be so much more than a silly debate. It can be a start to a bigger question — a question that forces people to rethink how they see other people and issues.
That is why the hot dog conundrum and its compatriot questions deserve more than just the idle thought.
Griffen Winget
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