Sailing Across the World of Sandwiches

Two Popular Methods for Cutting a Sandwich in Half

It’s generally agreed upon by chefs that you should cut your sandwich in half. It’s important to cut the sandwich to make holding it easier. Also, when a sandwich is cut in half, it is much easier not to lose ingredients during each bite. From a visual perspective, the cut allows you to see the different layers of the sandwich.

There are countless ways to cut a sandwich, the most popular being in half. Other ways include cutting the crust off or turning the sandwich into some sort of shape. The debate is not as famous as the is a hotdog a sandwich debate. However, it is still necessary to discuss.

Some important factors to take into consideration when cutting a sandwich in half include the bread type. Not all bread is created equal. Some bread is dense, while others are light and fluffy. The type of bread affects how well the sandwich stays together. It’s important to consider the depth of the cut, whether it is all the way through, or just slightly. Toasted or grilled bread is the easiest and best to cut.

However, if you decide your bread is okay to slice in half, the next question is what direction. Should it be cut vertically in half into roughly two rectangles, or diagonal into two triangles?

Triangles are obviously the superior cut. With a triangle, each bite is unique, so there is something different each time. You can’t get tired of the sandwich. As opposed to a rectangle, where each bite is roughly the same shape and size.

Triangles are a more intuitive way to eat. With the corners, you know where to take your bite and where to hold the piece. On the other hand, rectangles are ambiguous. There is no specific way to hold the sandwich or location to take the first bite.

Another complaint about sandwiches is the crust. Many people, kids, especially, will remove the crust. To reduce the waste, a diagonal cut is the perfect method. By cutting the sandwich diagonally, it gives an illusion that there is less crust. This is because you have exposed the hypotenuse of the sandwich, which is slightly larger than the leg, which would be from a vertical cut. The appearance of less crust makes the sandwich more appetizing.

The next time you make a sandwich, enhance your experience by cutting it in half!

Another one of my favorite things other than sandwiches is math! Fortunately for me, my two favorite things are combined in various ways. The concept of sandwiches is present in a few interesting ways. There are theorems that use the sandwich as a representation of what is occurring.

The sandwich theorem is a way to find the limit of one function if we know the limits of the two functions that it is “sandwiched” between. This theorem utilizes the word “sandwich” as a verb meaning between two things. The functions f(x) and h(x) are the upper and lower bounds, so the function g(x) must be in between; this is the equivalent of a piece of meat between two slices of bread in a sandwich. The theorem is very intuitive in that if the two ends are present, something must be in between them.

https://math.libretexts.org/Courses/Mount_Royal_University/MATH_1200%3A_Calculus_for_Scientists_I/1%3A_Limit__and_Continuity_of_Functions/1.7%3A_Limit_of__Trigonometric_functions

Another very interesting sandwich theorem is called the ham sandwich theorem. The ham sandwich theorem states that given n objects floating in n-dimensional space, there exists a single (n-1)-dimensional hyperplane that simultaneously cuts all n objects into two pieces of equal volume.

The theorem gets its name from the case n=3, which visualizes the planes as a ham sandwich. It says that if two pieces of bread and one piece of ham are floating in three-dimensional space, then there is a single plane that slices each of the three items into two equal volume chunks. In this case, the knife cutting the sandwich in half would be the hyperplane that cuts the objects.

https://www.lastsandwich.com/articles/52/61

In contrast to theorems, there are certain math logic problems that involve sandwiches. A number sandwich is an arrangement of numbers where there is one number sandwiched between the 1s, two digits sandwiched between the 2’s, three digits sandwiched between the 3s, etc.

For example, a number sandwich using 1-3 would be:
3 1 2 1 3 2

A number sandwich cannot be formed for any range of numbers. Some number sandwiches that can be made include 3-sandwiches, 4-sandwiches, 7-sandwiches, and 8-sandwiches. Interested in a challenge, try making a number sandwich using the numbers 1-7.*

I was fascinated by the prevalence of sandwiches as representations in math. This is just another take on one of my favorite concepts in the world. When not talking specifically about food, there are so many other ways to use the word sandwich.

* A few of many possible answers is:
1 7 1 2 5 6 2 3 4 7 5 3 6 4
5 1 7 1 6 2 5 4 2 3 7 6 4 3
7 3 1 6 1 3 4 5 7 2 6 4 2 5

Wendy’s vs McDonald’s. Chick-fil-A vs KFC. The battle of the burgers is over, while the clash of the chicken commences. The chicken sandwich wars started when Popeyes introduced a fried chicken sandwich to its menu on August 12, 2019.

The contest ensued after the tweet master at Chick-fil-A claimed their sandwich was the original chicken sandwich. Shortly after, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Shake Shack, Sonic, Burger King, and many more reinvented or introduced their own chicken sandwich. All of these companies jumped into the trend to take down the king of the chicken sandwich.

Why was the Popeyes sandwich so special? It isn’t. Unlike most fast-food chains that “dress up” their food with lots of toppings to make it sell, the Popeyes sandwich was simplistic. There was no fancy bun, no fancy cheese, and no fancy topics.

I, a sandwich connoisseur, had to indulge myself in these chicken sandwiches to truly find the best. I have tasted a variety of chicken sandwiches from different restaurants.

Popeye’s: This is the chicken sandwich that started it all. The sandwich was super crispy, but the bun was slightly soggy. The soggy bun detracted from the chicken, however, it was a delicious sandwich.

McDonald’s: McDonald’s has dominated the burger market, so when they released the sandwich, I was excited. However, the McChicken is generally a bad sandwich. It lacks crunch and is on the smaller side. However, its price is superior to all other chains.

KFC: The sandwich is large and crispy. It was served on a dense bun, which I don’t like, but some people might like. It resembled the popeyes sandwich because of its simplicity. KFC is a very good sandwich that is similar to Popeyes.

Wendy’s: Instead of simplifying their chicken sandwich, they went the opposite way and introduced the jalapeno popper chicken sandwich. The jalapeno popper sandwich was tasty with the cheese sauce, but it was very messy.

Chick-fil-A: I’ve always been a Chick-fil-A hater because I think their chicken is way overpriced. So, I wasn’t surprised when I was served a mushy sandwich on the deflated bun. The breading on the chicken is very thin. It is the worst of each of the companies. There is no crunch to the chicken sandwich, so I conclude it’s an okay sandwich.

Now, who do I think won the war? First of all, all chicken sandwich lovers benefited from the war, as each company has been forced to improve their recipes. There is a much larger, slightly tastier, variety of sandwiches out there for consumers. After trying the chicken sandwiches, I have to agree with the internet and say that Popeyes has the best chicken sandwiches.

Is a hotdog a sandwich? Throughout this series of passion blog posts, I will be reviewing various topics relating to sandwiches, not just the food. However, this first post will be exploring what truly is a sandwich.

To discuss the sandwich, we first must trace its origins and create an operative definition. The sandwich, as the food many people know and love today, has its origins in England in the 18th century. According to History.com, the 4th Earl of Sandwich had such a gambling problem he refused to get up from his seat. He requested food be served directly to him at the gambling table, and his cook served him a piece of meat between two pieces of bread. Since the creation of the sandwich, the term sandwich has become a broader term. You can place jam between two pieces of bread and call it a sandwich.

But, what about a hotdog? This is one piece of meat in between bread that is essentially cut open. Is it really a sandwich if it doesn’t have two pieces of bread? This may seem like a trivial question, but the definition of a sandwich in the legal realm has great implications. For example, the state of California defines a hot dog as a sandwich which affects their sales tax laws.

Legally, a hot dog is a sandwich. Then do wraps count as a sandwich? Wraps also consist of food stuffed between a wheat product. How far can the definition of a sandwich be expanded?

Expanding the definition once more, we can say a filling between some sort of surroundings. Oreos are advertised as Creme Sandwich Cookies. At this point, we have forgotten that bread exists. We have ice cream sandwiches which are another form of sandwiches.

As I have explored the various “sandwiches” and what generally falls into the category, I have found a schematic by Alex Fuchylo that best represents my ideas. I have concluded that the qualifications of a sandwich are as follows:

1. The item must be edible and consumed with the hands.
2. The enclosing item must be wheat or grain-based.
3. The item can be for any meal of the day.
4. The item must fall into one of the following categories:
   1. Two Separate End Caps
   2. Open-Faced, One End Cap
   3. One Hinged
   4. Fully Enclosed

Sandwiches do not need to be filled with a meat product, nor do they must have two pieces of bread. A sandwich is a family of a variety of different food items.