Greatest Movie Sandwiches
May 9, 2011 8:59 AM Subscribe
Honoring cinema's finest sandwiches.
More fine cinematic sandwiches:
Rodney Dangerfield's sandwich in Back to School
Crustless sandwich in Kill Bill vol. 2
Pixie Stix sandwich in The Breakfast Club
...sandwich in Minority Report
Twinkie/wiener sandwich in UHF
Bonus:
Cookie Monster's sandwich
Mr. Bean makes a sandwich
The time Edith Ann made a sandwich
More fine cinematic sandwiches:
Rodney Dangerfield's sandwich in Back to School
Crustless sandwich in Kill Bill vol. 2
Pixie Stix sandwich in The Breakfast Club
...sandwich in Minority Report
Twinkie/wiener sandwich in UHF
Bonus:
Cookie Monster's sandwich
Mr. Bean makes a sandwich
The time Edith Ann made a sandwich
I laughed, I cried, I..."HEY DOES THIS HAVE DJION MUSTARD, BECAUSE I'LL BE DAMNED IF I EAT A MOTHERFUCKING SANDWICH WITHOUT DJION!"
posted by Fizz at 9:04 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Fizz at 9:04 AM on May 9, 2011
So, since these scenes of course have multiple takes, is the making of the sandwiches the domain of props or craft service or is there a antique, grandfathered position : First Sandwich Mistress or something. ?
posted by The Whelk at 9:05 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 9:05 AM on May 9, 2011
I enjoyed every sandwich.
posted by hal9k at 9:06 AM on May 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by hal9k at 9:06 AM on May 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
Props. Craft services is for crew food, not on camera. Food stylists, like fluffers, are usually involved as well.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:07 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Ideefixe at 9:07 AM on May 9, 2011
So, since these scenes of course have multiple takes, is the making of the sandwiches the domain of props or craft service or is there a antique, grandfathered position : First Sandwich Mistress or something.
Sandwich grip.
posted by katillathehun at 9:07 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
Sandwich grip.
posted by katillathehun at 9:07 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
You forgot the greatest sandwich of all. The Duff Gardens Sandwich!
posted by Fizz at 9:08 AM on May 9, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 9:08 AM on May 9, 2011 [5 favorites]
Oh man, I remember that Edith Ann. Doubly hilarious now, since I'm realizing the acting that's going on. (Which brings me to the YT commenter who says in re: Lily Tomlin "Seriously, they really ought to put her in something." Good idea, "they" ought to get on that.)
So, since these scenes of course have multiple takes
My first thought was of the actors. Like where Denzel Washington takes a bite...by the time they've got one "in the can" (I'm in the biz, doncha know) he's got to be stuffed. Or maybe there's a gross bucket on the floor of partly chewed sandwich bites.
posted by DU at 9:09 AM on May 9, 2011
So, since these scenes of course have multiple takes
My first thought was of the actors. Like where Denzel Washington takes a bite...by the time they've got one "in the can" (I'm in the biz, doncha know) he's got to be stuffed. Or maybe there's a gross bucket on the floor of partly chewed sandwich bites.
posted by DU at 9:09 AM on May 9, 2011
I was sitting here debating having a soup or a sandwich for lunch and now I think that the sandwich is firmly in first place. Fuck you, soup!
posted by elsietheeel at 9:12 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by elsietheeel at 9:12 AM on May 9, 2011
Needs a dash more porn.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:13 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:13 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
DU I was thinking the same thing...that could get really disgusting, taking bite after bite after bite...
posted by Xoebe at 9:13 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Xoebe at 9:13 AM on May 9, 2011
Wow am I ever glad I gave up on Minority Report before the sandwich scene I never knew existed.
posted by DU at 9:15 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by DU at 9:15 AM on May 9, 2011
This is a mighty tasty burger
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:16 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:16 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
Minority report was such a weird, goofy movie
posted by The Whelk at 9:16 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:16 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
I would be happy to be some sort of stunt sandwich eater or sandwich eating stand in.
I have been really into brisket and roast beef with provolone and brown gravy recently, any directors or producers here want to give that sandwich its big break and cast it in a feature?
posted by Ad hominem at 9:17 AM on May 9, 2011
I have been really into brisket and roast beef with provolone and brown gravy recently, any directors or producers here want to give that sandwich its big break and cast it in a feature?
posted by Ad hominem at 9:17 AM on May 9, 2011
Wow am I ever glad I gave up on Minority Report before the sandwich scene I never knew existed.
Don't worry, DU. The psychics warn him that the mustard is going to be all watery because he will forget to shake the bottle. So when he goes to make the sandwich, he shakes the mustard bottle. The sandwich is saved!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:18 AM on May 9, 2011 [5 favorites]
Don't worry, DU. The psychics warn him that the mustard is going to be all watery because he will forget to shake the bottle. So when he goes to make the sandwich, he shakes the mustard bottle. The sandwich is saved!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:18 AM on May 9, 2011 [5 favorites]
I don't consider a burger a sandwich. If it is, then so is a stuffed-crust pizza or calzone. Or lasagna. It isn't just "two layers of carb surrounding a layer of not-carb". A burger is it's own thing.
posted by DU at 9:19 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by DU at 9:19 AM on May 9, 2011
Ah, but did they include Guildenstern Rosencrantz's magnificent creation?
posted by quin at 9:20 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by quin at 9:20 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
A burger is definitely a sandwich, since it's just a hunk of ground beef on two slices of bread.
posted by Harpocrates at 9:21 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Harpocrates at 9:21 AM on May 9, 2011
A burger is not a sandwich cause places sell burgers AND sandwiches. They are always separate.
posted by The Whelk at 9:22 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 9:22 AM on May 9, 2011
I think we can all agree that tacos are sandwiches though.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:24 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 9:24 AM on May 9, 2011
What a wonderful way to pregame dinner.
posted by azarbayejani at 9:24 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by azarbayejani at 9:24 AM on May 9, 2011
A burger is not a sandwich cause places sell burgers AND sandwiches.
As a Librarian, I agree the The Whelk here. Burgers are sandwiches which have attained so much escape velocity that they have established their own classification.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:25 AM on May 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
As a Librarian, I agree the The Whelk here. Burgers are sandwiches which have attained so much escape velocity that they have established their own classification.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:25 AM on May 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
There was also that movie where (iirc) Adam Sandler played Thomas Keller and made his killer BLT.
posted by special-k at 9:25 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by special-k at 9:25 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
The defining difference is that a burger is a single piece of meat or patty served hot, where a sandwich involves sliced or otherwise cut up toppings, and can be served hot or cold. Tacos don't count as either. They're a separate category.
posted by Grimgrin at 9:27 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Grimgrin at 9:27 AM on May 9, 2011
Pork-chop sandwiches!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:28 AM on May 9, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:28 AM on May 9, 2011 [5 favorites]
besides tacos can't be sandwiches cause a taco is an unbroken folded tortilla, not two pieces of bread, much like how a wrap is not a sandwich.
posted by The Whelk at 9:30 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 9:30 AM on May 9, 2011
a sandwich involves sliced or otherwise cut up toppings,
So a meatball sandwich doesn't count, but a meatloaf sandwich does?
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:30 AM on May 9, 2011
So a meatball sandwich doesn't count, but a meatloaf sandwich does?
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:30 AM on May 9, 2011
a taco is an unbroken folded tortilla, not two pieces of bread
I was going to say this same thing but sub sandwich I rest my case.
posted by DU at 9:31 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
I was going to say this same thing but sub sandwich I rest my case.
posted by DU at 9:31 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
So a flatbread sandwich from subway is not a sandwich? How about a falafel sandwich.
I worry about this stuff late at night.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:31 AM on May 9, 2011
I worry about this stuff late at night.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:31 AM on May 9, 2011
Flatbread is not bread, it's a cracker (or a disaster), so a "flatbread sandwich" cannot be a sandwich.
posted by DU at 9:33 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by DU at 9:33 AM on May 9, 2011
For those looking for a more theologically based discussion of the sandwich. I give you. The Church of the Astral Delicatessen.
It is the aim of The Church of the A∴D∴ (properly called The Church of the Astral Delicatessen of Hillel the Elder) to promote the contemplation of the nature of the sandwich. Practitioners seek to be inspired builders of sandwiches.
posted by Fizz at 9:35 AM on May 9, 2011
It is the aim of The Church of the A∴D∴ (properly called The Church of the Astral Delicatessen of Hillel the Elder) to promote the contemplation of the nature of the sandwich. Practitioners seek to be inspired builders of sandwiches.
posted by Fizz at 9:35 AM on May 9, 2011
I was going to say this same thing but sub sandwich I rest my case.
Ah but the bread has been separated, cut if you will, and very nearly twp pieces. It's not carb origami
posted by The Whelk at 9:35 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Ah but the bread has been separated, cut if you will, and very nearly twp pieces. It's not carb origami
posted by The Whelk at 9:35 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is giving me Is cereal soup? flashbacks.
posted by Anephim at 9:36 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Anephim at 9:36 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think we need to work on a Universal Taxonomy of Sandwiches here.
At the top, there would be the primordial Ur-Sandwich -- some food wrapped in some other food.
Branching out from this would be the monowrap, including tacos, burritos, wraps, dolmas, pita sandwiches, etc. and the biwraps, including anything between two slices of something. Both categories subdivide between wrappings made of grain products and wrappings made of other kinds of things.
The biwraps, of course, spin off the "not a sandwich at all" "open-face sandwich" or demibiwrap and the dangerous polywraps which eventually leads to Dagwoodian levels of excess.
Below these broad categories, you would have to worry about fillings -- sliced, ground, shredded, whole, vegetable, animal, etc etc etc.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:37 AM on May 9, 2011 [13 favorites]
At the top, there would be the primordial Ur-Sandwich -- some food wrapped in some other food.
Branching out from this would be the monowrap, including tacos, burritos, wraps, dolmas, pita sandwiches, etc. and the biwraps, including anything between two slices of something. Both categories subdivide between wrappings made of grain products and wrappings made of other kinds of things.
The biwraps, of course, spin off the "not a sandwich at all" "open-face sandwich" or demibiwrap and the dangerous polywraps which eventually leads to Dagwoodian levels of excess.
Below these broad categories, you would have to worry about fillings -- sliced, ground, shredded, whole, vegetable, animal, etc etc etc.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:37 AM on May 9, 2011 [13 favorites]
So anything on a pita, tortilla, hero , or any sort of flat bread folded over is not a sandwich.
I have a very liberal definition of a sandwich, I even include hotdogs.
This thread is giving me Is cereal soup? flashbacks.
Cereal is clearly a stew, I laid out my arguments in the Meta.
The real conundrum is the difference between a bean, a nut and a seed.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:38 AM on May 9, 2011
I have a very liberal definition of a sandwich, I even include hotdogs.
This thread is giving me Is cereal soup? flashbacks.
Cereal is clearly a stew, I laid out my arguments in the Meta.
The real conundrum is the difference between a bean, a nut and a seed.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:38 AM on May 9, 2011
and the sub sandwich bridges the gap between the mono and biwrap. A evolutionary link.
posted by The Whelk at 9:38 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 9:38 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's not carb origami
Oh, I see. With a sub, the sandwich is touching the original interior of the bread but with a taco the filling is still touching the exterior of the shell. It's a topological thing.
Imagine the sandwich disagreements we'll be able to get in once string theory proves we live in a 10 (or 11) dimensional space. "Yes, but that was sliced in the contrabandwise direction, not the updownleftwise one!"-
posted by DU at 9:39 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh, I see. With a sub, the sandwich is touching the original interior of the bread but with a taco the filling is still touching the exterior of the shell. It's a topological thing.
Imagine the sandwich disagreements we'll be able to get in once string theory proves we live in a 10 (or 11) dimensional space. "Yes, but that was sliced in the contrabandwise direction, not the updownleftwise one!"-
posted by DU at 9:39 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Cereal is a cold milk and grain stew. We settled this.
posted by The Whelk at 9:39 AM on May 9, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:39 AM on May 9, 2011 [5 favorites]
I have a very liberal definition of a sandwich, I even include hotdogs.
If we are including non-foodstuffs, I nominate 3 story buildings as counting as "sandwiches".
posted by DU at 9:40 AM on May 9, 2011
If we are including non-foodstuffs, I nominate 3 story buildings as counting as "sandwiches".
posted by DU at 9:40 AM on May 9, 2011
wiki: "In the United States, a court in Boston, Massachusetts ruled that 'sandwich' includes at least two slices of bread. and 'under this definition and as dictated by common sense, this court finds that the term "sandwich" is not commonly understood to include burritos, tacos, and quesadillas, which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans.'"
Boston: Handing Down Rulings on Random Shit Since 1630.
posted by tzikeh at 9:40 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Boston: Handing Down Rulings on Random Shit Since 1630.
posted by tzikeh at 9:40 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
DU is *this* close to making a klien bottle turkey roll.
posted by The Whelk at 9:40 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 9:40 AM on May 9, 2011
Imagine the sandwich disagreements we'll be able to get in once string theory proves we live in a 10 (or 11) dimensional space. "Yes, but that was sliced in the contrabandwise direction, not the updownleftwise one!"-
Silly man, don't you know it's turtle soup all the way down!
posted by Fizz at 9:41 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Silly man, don't you know it's turtle soup all the way down!
posted by Fizz at 9:41 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
The world is a disc, born on the back of gigantic sandwich.
posted by The Whelk at 9:42 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 9:42 AM on May 9, 2011
The world is a disc, born on the back of gigantic sandwich.
On closer examination, that disc is a tortilla....
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:44 AM on May 9, 2011
On closer examination, that disc is a tortilla....
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:44 AM on May 9, 2011
What first came to my mind.
Bobby: I'd like an omelet, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce. And a cup of coffee.
Waitress: A #2, chicken salad sand. Hold the butter, the lettuce, the mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee. Anything else?
Bobby: Yeah, now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a check for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:45 AM on May 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
Bobby: I'd like an omelet, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce. And a cup of coffee.
Waitress: A #2, chicken salad sand. Hold the butter, the lettuce, the mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee. Anything else?
Bobby: Yeah, now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a check for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:45 AM on May 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
A sandwich, trapped in a taco, stuffed into a pita and fried in lard.
posted by The Whelk at 9:46 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 9:46 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
You're a loose cannon, sandwich, but you're a good cop!
Cannot believe there was no love for the Heavy Weapons Guy before this...
posted by Slackermagee at 9:46 AM on May 9, 2011
Cannot believe there was no love for the Heavy Weapons Guy before this...
posted by Slackermagee at 9:46 AM on May 9, 2011
You actually could make a mobius sandwich by putting, say, ham inside the loop. The problem is on which side do you put the mustard? I can see this a short story or, better yet, a Twilight Zone episode.
posted by DU at 9:47 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by DU at 9:47 AM on May 9, 2011
Where's the fat kid in Hook with his make-believe sandwich?
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 9:50 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 9:50 AM on May 9, 2011
The Whelk: "A sandwich, trapped in a taco, stuffed into a pita and fried in lard"
TACO TOWN
posted by boo_radley at 9:51 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
TACO TOWN
posted by boo_radley at 9:51 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Obligatory cinematic burger note: While trying to remain mostly agnostic in the is-it-a-sandwich? debate (but while also noting that burgers are listed frequently enough in the "Sandwiches" sections of restaurant menus as to satisfy any descriptive linguist's definition of common usage), I feel I should note that the burgers the cast snacks on throughout The Last Picture Show look so goddamn good that I can't watch that movie without immediately hurrying out at its conclusion to the nearest burger joint for the best local facsimile I can find. I think it might almost be worth living in shitty 1950s West Texas just for a taste of the real deal. Almost.
Related note: The Dude's compensatory munching of an In N Out Burger snack, as he and his friends ride home in his now-windowless car after the disasterous stonewalling misadventure with little Larry in North Hollywood, marks a near perfect symmetrical closure of the burger-bun-like parentheses around Jeff Bridges' remarkable career. Good burgers are his perpetual solace and perhaps his muse. They acknowledge his all-American manhood while hinting, by their recurrence in moments of crisis, at his anti-hero critique of same. Donnie's death by cardiac arrest not long after the burger-eating scene is likely worth further exploration, though I'll leave that to the more gnostic Coen scholars. I shall now return to work on my monograph on this subject.
posted by gompa at 9:53 AM on May 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
Related note: The Dude's compensatory munching of an In N Out Burger snack, as he and his friends ride home in his now-windowless car after the disasterous stonewalling misadventure with little Larry in North Hollywood, marks a near perfect symmetrical closure of the burger-bun-like parentheses around Jeff Bridges' remarkable career. Good burgers are his perpetual solace and perhaps his muse. They acknowledge his all-American manhood while hinting, by their recurrence in moments of crisis, at his anti-hero critique of same. Donnie's death by cardiac arrest not long after the burger-eating scene is likely worth further exploration, though I'll leave that to the more gnostic Coen scholars. I shall now return to work on my monograph on this subject.
posted by gompa at 9:53 AM on May 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
If we call "toast" a sandwich, and if we don't actually need to see the sandwich.. this is the greatest scene of ordering ever made.
posted by tomswift at 9:59 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by tomswift at 9:59 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh, I see. With a sub, the sandwich is touching the original interior of the bread but with a taco the filling is still touching the exterior of the shell. It's a topological thing.
For sandwich slicing problems, consult the Stone-Tukey Theorem.
For sandwich slicing problems, consult the Stone-Tukey Theorem.
In measure theory, a branch of mathematics, the ham sandwich theorem, also called the Stone–Tukey theorem after Arthur H. Stone and John Tukey, states that given n' measurable "objects" in n-dimensional space, it is possible to divide all of them in half (with respect to their measure, i.e. volume) with a single (n − 1)-dimensional hyperplane. Here the "objects" should be sets of finite measure (or, in fact, just of finite outer measure) for the notion of "dividing the volume in half" to make sense.posted by zamboni at 10:00 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
The ham sandwich theorem takes its name from the case when n = 3 and the three objects of any shape are a chunk of ham and two chunks of bread — notionally, a sandwich — which can then all be simultaneously bisected with a single cut (i.e., a plane). In two dimensions, the theorem is known as the pancake theorem of having to cut two infinitesimally thin pancakes on a plate each in half with a single cut (i.e., a straight line).
The ham sandwich theorem is also sometimes referred to as the "ham and cheese sandwich theorem", again referring to the special case when n = 3 and the three objects are
a chunk of ham,
a slice of cheese, and
two slices of bread (treated as a single disconnected object).
The theorem then states that it is possible to slice the ham and cheese sandwich in half such that each half contains the same amount of bread, cheese, and ham. It is possible to treat the two slices of bread as a single object, because the theorem only requires that the portion on each side of the plane vary continuously as the plane moves through 3-space.
The president's shark steak sandwich from The Contender always did it for me.
http://friedricethoughts.blogspot.com/2008/11/sometimes-president-wants-shark-steak.html (bonus grilled-cheese scene in there, too)
posted by chrillsicka at 10:05 AM on May 9, 2011
http://friedricethoughts.blogspot.com/2008/11/sometimes-president-wants-shark-steak.html (bonus grilled-cheese scene in there, too)
posted by chrillsicka at 10:05 AM on May 9, 2011
My thoughts as I read the sandwich theorem:
1) Wha?
2) Oh, it says I can cut things in half, duh.
3) Wait...I can cut n things in half at once?! No way, what if the top slice is in paris and the ham is in Oregon...
4) Oh, of course, 3 objects in 3 space must be coplanar, so of course a plane can cut them.
5) It says I can things in half, duh.
posted by DU at 10:06 AM on May 9, 2011
1) Wha?
2) Oh, it says I can cut things in half, duh.
3) Wait...I can cut n things in half at once?! No way, what if the top slice is in paris and the ham is in Oregon...
4) Oh, of course, 3 objects in 3 space must be coplanar, so of course a plane can cut them.
5) It says I can things in half, duh.
posted by DU at 10:06 AM on May 9, 2011
I'm going to fund a chair for the advancement of sandwich studies.
posted by The Whelk at 10:12 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 10:12 AM on May 9, 2011
A final note to further smear the lines in the what-is-a-sandwich? discussion: How can we account for Danish smørrebrød?
They predate the club sandwich by at least half a century. Certain combinations are nearly as old and still available on every other block in Copenhagen, and if you try to substitute other toppings in some of these classics, they'll treat you like you asked for bacon on your pastrami sandwich. The term itself - smørrebrød - is almost universally translated as "open-faced sandwich." And yet anyone who's eaten a half-dozen for lunch can attest that it is a fundamentally different experience from eating a pastrami on rye at a New York deli.
Come to think of it, I think I'd have a lot more respect for Lars von Trier if any of his Dogme films had managed to reconcile the Danish smørrebrød with the American sandwich.
posted by gompa at 10:13 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
They predate the club sandwich by at least half a century. Certain combinations are nearly as old and still available on every other block in Copenhagen, and if you try to substitute other toppings in some of these classics, they'll treat you like you asked for bacon on your pastrami sandwich. The term itself - smørrebrød - is almost universally translated as "open-faced sandwich." And yet anyone who's eaten a half-dozen for lunch can attest that it is a fundamentally different experience from eating a pastrami on rye at a New York deli.
Come to think of it, I think I'd have a lot more respect for Lars von Trier if any of his Dogme films had managed to reconcile the Danish smørrebrød with the American sandwich.
posted by gompa at 10:13 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
In honor of this thread I am eating a ham, turkey and provolone hero.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:16 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 10:16 AM on May 9, 2011
I'm going to fund a chair for the advancement of sandwich studies.
If you study too many sandwiches, you will have a hard time getting up. And you will need a larger chair.
I guess this ties in with the Romantic assertion that There are Some Sandwiches that Humanity is Not Meant to Know!
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:18 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you study too many sandwiches, you will have a hard time getting up. And you will need a larger chair.
I guess this ties in with the Romantic assertion that There are Some Sandwiches that Humanity is Not Meant to Know!
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:18 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
My first thought was of the actors. Like where Denzel Washington takes a bite...by the time they've got one "in the can" (I'm in the biz, doncha know) he's got to be stuffed. Or maybe there's a gross bucket on the floor of partly chewed sandwich bites.
Yeah eating scenes in films often involve spit buckets. This leads to things like Bill Murray refusing to use a spit bucket for that scene in Groundhog Day where he crams an entire piece of cake into his mouth in one go so when you watch the movie he looks completely miserable and unhappy in that scene because by that point he's probably eaten like two whole cakes.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:23 AM on May 9, 2011
Yeah eating scenes in films often involve spit buckets. This leads to things like Bill Murray refusing to use a spit bucket for that scene in Groundhog Day where he crams an entire piece of cake into his mouth in one go so when you watch the movie he looks completely miserable and unhappy in that scene because by that point he's probably eaten like two whole cakes.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:23 AM on May 9, 2011
Tuna sub w/halla peeners right here.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:24 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:24 AM on May 9, 2011
Those images of smørebrød are very reminiscent of what we call "bagel all the way" here in new York.second pic down.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:29 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 10:29 AM on May 9, 2011
If you study too many sandwiches, you will have a hard time getting up. And you will need a larger chair.
It's a ten-poster bed.
posted by The Whelk at 10:32 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
On your danish site, it says "Meat Preserved in Denmark Since 1000 AC is still a Culinary Delicacy Today."
I'm impressed.
posted by tomswift at 10:35 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm impressed.
posted by tomswift at 10:35 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hamburger sandwich!
posted by Elsa at 9:29 AM on May 9 [+] [!]
Why is it that nobody in that thread was able to answer the question? Old people say "hamburger sandwich" to distinguish it from a once-common dish called "hamburger steak," from which the sandwich is descended.
posted by snottydick at 10:46 AM on May 9, 2011
Video fails irrevocably with the omission of A DOUBLE-DECKER BALONEY SANDWICH.
posted by Trace McJoy at 10:47 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by Trace McJoy at 10:47 AM on May 9, 2011
that was from the Long Ago Time of 05 when AskMefi was a wild an untamed thing.
posted by The Whelk at 10:48 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 10:48 AM on May 9, 2011
You actually could make a mobius sandwich by putting, say, ham inside the loop. The problem is on which side do you put the mustard?
Why, on the inside, of course!
posted by chavenet at 10:49 AM on May 9, 2011
Why, on the inside, of course!
posted by chavenet at 10:49 AM on May 9, 2011
So a meatball sandwich doesn't count, but a meatloaf sandwich does?
If it's a single meatball, then it's just a profoundly poorly made hamburger. Otherwise it's a sandwich.
posted by Grimgrin at 10:50 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
If it's a single meatball, then it's just a profoundly poorly made hamburger. Otherwise it's a sandwich.
posted by Grimgrin at 10:50 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd like you to know AskMe is the first result for "sandwich taxonomy"
posted by The Whelk at 10:53 AM on May 9, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 10:53 AM on May 9, 2011
Also, from wikipedia:
During the Middle Ages, thick slabs of coarse and usually stale bread, called "trenchers", were used as plates. After a meal, the food-soaked trencher was fed to a dog or to beggars, or eaten by the diner. Trenchers were the precursors of open-face sandwiches
posted by The Whelk at 10:56 AM on May 9, 2011
During the Middle Ages, thick slabs of coarse and usually stale bread, called "trenchers", were used as plates. After a meal, the food-soaked trencher was fed to a dog or to beggars, or eaten by the diner. Trenchers were the precursors of open-face sandwiches
posted by The Whelk at 10:56 AM on May 9, 2011
I'd like you to know AskMe is the first result for "sandwich taxonomy"
I knew I had found my people when I found AskMe.
posted by Elsa at 11:28 AM on May 9, 2011
I knew I had found my people when I found AskMe.
posted by Elsa at 11:28 AM on May 9, 2011
The existence of the cheseburger grinder refutes the non-sandwich status of the burger. It is on the board, right alongside veal parm and prosciutto-and-pesto. You can get it with a fried egg and bacon and sauteed mushrooms and onions and peppers on top, and sometimes a linguicia patty sliced into halves, depending on the grinder shop. Just like the steak-bomb grinders.
A grinder is a sammich, available at grinder shops. A cheseburger grinder is a sammich. A cheseburger is a cheseburger grinder, only on a bun, and not a torpedo roll. What's more, it is known as a "patty melt" when served on rye toast. This leaves the bun as the only non-sammich quality of the cheeseburger, which is insufficient, as you can get roast beef and egg salad samwidges onna bun, too. QED, and now I wanna sangweech.
* Sandwich - how they say it in places where you have to lift a pinky to sip your tea.
* Sammich - how they say it in Philadelphia and New York and other, lesser states.
* Samwidge - Welcome to New England. Now geddout.
* Sangweech - Now ya in Row Dyelin, guy. Have a grinder and some gaggers while ya at someplace decent.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:36 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
A grinder is a sammich, available at grinder shops. A cheseburger grinder is a sammich. A cheseburger is a cheseburger grinder, only on a bun, and not a torpedo roll. What's more, it is known as a "patty melt" when served on rye toast. This leaves the bun as the only non-sammich quality of the cheeseburger, which is insufficient, as you can get roast beef and egg salad samwidges onna bun, too. QED, and now I wanna sangweech.
* Sandwich - how they say it in places where you have to lift a pinky to sip your tea.
* Sammich - how they say it in Philadelphia and New York and other, lesser states.
* Samwidge - Welcome to New England. Now geddout.
* Sangweech - Now ya in Row Dyelin, guy. Have a grinder and some gaggers while ya at someplace decent.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:36 AM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
Sucker Punch was horrible and everything, but I but damn if I didn't want a sandwich just like the one the disgusting cook was eating. I could be mistaken but I think it was a 3" thick meatball sandwich dripping with cheese, and nice crunchy fried bread. Or maybe it was a Reuben.
My hunger at the time transcended the obviously unappetizing visuals in that scene.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 11:45 AM on May 9, 2011
My hunger at the time transcended the obviously unappetizing visuals in that scene.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 11:45 AM on May 9, 2011
Have a grinder and some gaggers while ya at someplace decent.
Surely, my good fellow, you mean grindah. No Roe Dyelander can pronounce "grinder" without straining themselves.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:45 AM on May 9, 2011
Surely, my good fellow, you mean grindah. No Roe Dyelander can pronounce "grinder" without straining themselves.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:45 AM on May 9, 2011
Actually there are a boat-load of sandwich related Simpson quotes
Homer! Are you still eating that sandwich?
I'm sick of eating hoagies! I want a grinder, a sub, a foot-long hero! I want to LIVE, Marge! Won't you let me live?
....THE TURKEY WAS A LITTLE DRY
posted by The Whelk at 11:47 AM on May 9, 2011
Homer! Are you still eating that sandwich?
I'm sick of eating hoagies! I want a grinder, a sub, a foot-long hero! I want to LIVE, Marge! Won't you let me live?
....THE TURKEY WAS A LITTLE DRY
posted by The Whelk at 11:47 AM on May 9, 2011
Now ya in Row Dyelin, guy. Have a grinder and some gaggers while ya at someplace decent.
I can't even guess what gaggers are.
And if you think I'm Googling gaggers, you're mad. At least not without SafeSearch turned on.
posted by Elsa at 11:48 AM on May 9, 2011
I can't even guess what gaggers are.
And if you think I'm Googling gaggers, you're mad. At least not without SafeSearch turned on.
posted by Elsa at 11:48 AM on May 9, 2011
A grinder is a sammich, available at grinder shops. A cheseburger grinder is a sammich. A cheseburger is a cheseburger grinder, only on a bun, and not a torpedo roll.
By this logic, pizza is a sandwich, since Subway will make you a pizza sub.
posted by DU at 11:49 AM on May 9, 2011
By this logic, pizza is a sandwich, since Subway will make you a pizza sub.
posted by DU at 11:49 AM on May 9, 2011
open-faced CLUB sand wedge
posted by DU at 11:50 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by DU at 11:50 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
By this logic, pizza is a sandwich, since Subway will make you a pizza sub.
Some of Providence pizza places serve "calzones," which are usually pizzas folded in half and baked. It's kind of like the Pizza that Would Be a Sandwich, but with the filling and the wrapper joined together.
A pasty is culturally a sandwich, as is an onigri, but structurally, they are monowraps. Hmmmm. The onigiri is more like an omniwrap.... back to the drawing board....
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:53 AM on May 9, 2011
Some of Providence pizza places serve "calzones," which are usually pizzas folded in half and baked. It's kind of like the Pizza that Would Be a Sandwich, but with the filling and the wrapper joined together.
A pasty is culturally a sandwich, as is an onigri, but structurally, they are monowraps. Hmmmm. The onigiri is more like an omniwrap.... back to the drawing board....
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:53 AM on May 9, 2011
the Pizza that Would Be a Sandwich
And bam we're back to heartwarming movies.
posted by The Whelk at 11:57 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
And bam we're back to heartwarming movies.
posted by The Whelk at 11:57 AM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
when you watch the movie he looks completely miserable and unhappy in that scene because by that point he's probably eaten like two whole cakes
But it's not shot in order. Cramming food in your mouth is almost always the last shot.
posted by Ideefixe at 12:02 PM on May 9, 2011
But it's not shot in order. Cramming food in your mouth is almost always the last shot.
posted by Ideefixe at 12:02 PM on May 9, 2011
Joe Cornish played three audio clips from Polanski's The Ghost (Writer) on the Adam and Joe Show recently where the characters repeatedly mention sandwiches. He then checked the screenplay: sandwiches are mentioned on pages 17, 27, and 47 (and then later there's a whole scene in which the stage directions mention sandwiches that was eventually cut out of the film).
I suppose this was not in itself interesting, but Joe's obsessive sandwich-related detective work was pretty funny.
posted by hot soup girl at 12:03 PM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
I suppose this was not in itself interesting, but Joe's obsessive sandwich-related detective work was pretty funny.
posted by hot soup girl at 12:03 PM on May 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
So, I guess they didn't have sandwiches before 1982. Weird.
posted by blucevalo at 12:23 PM on May 9, 2011
posted by blucevalo at 12:23 PM on May 9, 2011
that could get really disgusting, taking bite after bite after bite...
I like Gary Busey's gusto, and imagine he relished that bite every single take.
Also, OK, as long as we're working on a taxonomy, where does the Double Down fit in all of this?
posted by carsonb at 1:06 PM on May 9, 2011
I like Gary Busey's gusto, and imagine he relished that bite every single take.
Also, OK, as long as we're working on a taxonomy, where does the Double Down fit in all of this?
posted by carsonb at 1:06 PM on May 9, 2011
You take the double down and you place it carefully in the trash.
There. Done.
posted by The Whelk at 1:08 PM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
There. Done.
posted by The Whelk at 1:08 PM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
New York Neoploitan Pizza is a sandwich since you fold it, Sicilian pizza is an open faced sandwich. A Stromboli is a sandwich, I guess if you consider calzones sandwiches we have to consider knishes sandwiches. Is a perogi a sandwich?
I want to punch wikipedia in the face for this "plain or cheese" bullshit. It is just a goddamn slice, don't move here from Iowa and start with your "slice of plain" nonsense.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:30 PM on May 9, 2011
I want to punch wikipedia in the face for this "plain or cheese" bullshit. It is just a goddamn slice, don't move here from Iowa and start with your "slice of plain" nonsense.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:30 PM on May 9, 2011
Ad hominem: "Is a perogi a sandwich?"
I count Pierogi as a savory pastry, as evidenced by it's fully enclosed nature. And, yeah, as far as I cam concerned, the same goes for dim sum/potstickers. Call me a heathen Philistine if you wish. But I don't count a Monte Cristo as the same, as all that fully encloses it is batter, not a breadlike substance.
posted by Samizdata at 1:44 PM on May 9, 2011
I count Pierogi as a savory pastry, as evidenced by it's fully enclosed nature. And, yeah, as far as I cam concerned, the same goes for dim sum/potstickers. Call me a heathen Philistine if you wish. But I don't count a Monte Cristo as the same, as all that fully encloses it is batter, not a breadlike substance.
posted by Samizdata at 1:44 PM on May 9, 2011
Duely noted, I would also count Perogi among the pastries or dumplings along side wontons.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:48 PM on May 9, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 1:48 PM on May 9, 2011
If pierogi are sandwiches, then cereal is a soup, a bloody mary is soup, and peanut butter straight from the jar is a sauce. This way lies madness.
posted by Elsa at 1:55 PM on May 9, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by Elsa at 1:55 PM on May 9, 2011 [6 favorites]
One of the best parts of Point Break is definitely that sandwich scene. Thank you for making me relive it.
Utah! Get me Two! Still cracks me up. Why does he so hungry at 10:30? Why is he laughing out loud to Calvin and Hobbes? Why does he think "No, we got lots" is the proper response to a guy selling oranges? Questions like these are what make Point Break a cinematic classic.
posted by DeltaZ113 at 2:18 PM on May 9, 2011
Utah! Get me Two! Still cracks me up. Why does he so hungry at 10:30? Why is he laughing out loud to Calvin and Hobbes? Why does he think "No, we got lots" is the proper response to a guy selling oranges? Questions like these are what make Point Break a cinematic classic.
posted by DeltaZ113 at 2:18 PM on May 9, 2011
I count Pierogi as a savory pastry, as evidenced by it's fully enclosed nature. And, yeah, as far as I cam concerned, the same goes for dim sum/potstickers. Call me a heathen Philistine if you wish. But I don't count a Monte Cristo as the same, as all that fully encloses it is batter, not a breadlike substance.
I think a central feature of The Sandwich is that it does not require utensils to eat (although they may be employed, they are not necessary). So any food encased in another food partakes of the nature of the Ur-Sandwich. Pasties and other "pocket pies" are an extreme development of the monowrap that give us the taco, the dolmas, and, possibly, the folded-for-eating pizza slice (it's a sort of transitional form).
Potstickers, shiu mai, hargao, and similar dim sum-style dumplings are not sandwich -like because they are not intended to be eaten with the bare hands. Similarly, and open-faced meat pie is not even part of the family (unlike the pasty) because it is not convenient to eat without utensils (although the greedy or desperate may take their chances).
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:04 PM on May 9, 2011
I think a central feature of The Sandwich is that it does not require utensils to eat (although they may be employed, they are not necessary). So any food encased in another food partakes of the nature of the Ur-Sandwich. Pasties and other "pocket pies" are an extreme development of the monowrap that give us the taco, the dolmas, and, possibly, the folded-for-eating pizza slice (it's a sort of transitional form).
Potstickers, shiu mai, hargao, and similar dim sum-style dumplings are not sandwich -like because they are not intended to be eaten with the bare hands. Similarly, and open-faced meat pie is not even part of the family (unlike the pasty) because it is not convenient to eat without utensils (although the greedy or desperate may take their chances).
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:04 PM on May 9, 2011
Can you make a sandwich with two halves of a deviled egg?
posted by tomswift at 4:28 PM on May 9, 2011
posted by tomswift at 4:28 PM on May 9, 2011
There is an art to the business of making sandwiches...
posted by prettypretty at 4:44 PM on May 9, 2011
posted by prettypretty at 4:44 PM on May 9, 2011
Adding to the confusion, down Australia way they call anything on a bun a burger. So yeah, there is your basic hamburger, but also you will have the grilled chicken burger, which is a grilled chicken breast on a bun with an assortment of fixings. A grilled fish burger. Yep, seen that too. If it's on a bun, it's a burger.
It's just not right I tell ya.
Also, I saw that Adam Sandler movie years ago and I think about that sandwich he made all the time...there must be something about the egg yolk oozing out over the bacon and lettuce that does it for me...
posted by newpotato at 5:09 PM on May 9, 2011
It's just not right I tell ya.
Also, I saw that Adam Sandler movie years ago and I think about that sandwich he made all the time...there must be something about the egg yolk oozing out over the bacon and lettuce that does it for me...
posted by newpotato at 5:09 PM on May 9, 2011
"I got brown sandwiches and green sandwiches"
posted by stargell at 5:51 PM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by stargell at 5:51 PM on May 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think that sandwich in "Back to School" needed some sauce or some sort of condiment haha props to digging out the bread though
posted by dapperkoala at 6:51 PM on May 9, 2011
posted by dapperkoala at 6:51 PM on May 9, 2011
Some of Providence pizza places serve "calzones," which are usually pizzas folded in half and baked. It's kind of like the Pizza that Would Be a Sandwich, but with the filling and the wrapper joined together.
"Calzones are pointless. They're just pizza that's harder to eat. No one likes them. Good day, sir." (Leslie Knope, Parks & Rec)
posted by Sweetie Darling at 10:25 AM on May 10, 2011
"Calzones are pointless. They're just pizza that's harder to eat. No one likes them. Good day, sir." (Leslie Knope, Parks & Rec)
posted by Sweetie Darling at 10:25 AM on May 10, 2011
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posted by leotrotsky at 9:03 AM on May 9, 2011