From the article:
According to Allen County Superior Judge Craig Bobay’s official opinion, “The Court agrees with [the restaurant owner] that tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches, and the original Written Commitment does not restrict potential restaurants to only American cuisine-style sandwiches.”
This statement declares
both tacos and
burritos to be "Mexican-style sandwiches" ?? (
Just think about that for a bit... )
How much "alike" or "different" are tacos than burritos? As a type/style of food item, are they more alike or different?
What about enchiladas? chimichangas? quesadillas? flautas? chalupas? Is a tostada an open-faced sandwich?
A lot more Mexican food items can easily be grouped with taco and burrito.
Does that mean half/many/most of all Mexican food items are all sandwiches?
Is
anything rolled, wrapped, folded, or pressed together considered a form/kind of sandwich?
Apparently, a pita pocket filled with "food stuff" is considered to be a sandwich.
Is
anything you can hold in your hand that contains "food stuff" called a sandwich now?
That seems to be where this "new" definition for 'sandwich' is heading... (for good, bad, or otherwise - I say "confusion")
If the definition is so broad that it becomes meaningless in normal conversation, it will become a totally useless word.
Before long, when someone talks about something being "sandwiched [in] between" something - you will have to ask them whether they meant rolled, wrapped, folded, pressed, pita-ed,
what?
Wait - what was that?
How do people use the term when they are talking about non-food situations/things?
"sandwiched [in] between"
Ahhh! There is a major clue here!
Why do we say it this way? Because,
'sandwich' has always meant something "sandwiched [in] between" two of something else.
Major clue. Yes. Major clue.
Have you ever heard the word 'sandwich' used in a non-food way where it actually meant rolled, wrapped, folded, or pita-ed?
I am thinking - not likely.
If a 'taco' is a sandwich - are all 'taco' items a sandwich? crispy tacos? puff tacos? soft tacos? hard tacos? street tacos? crunchy tacos?
(Some of these terms are the same thing to some people. Some of these terms mean different things to different people. And, I no-doubt missed a few popular terms in use today for some types of tacos.)
I tend to agree with the team of staffers from the article - who said:
We all come down on the side of “not a sandwich.”
Just like hot dogs, tacos are a classification all their own.
Furthermore, someone should probably let Judge Bobay know that "Mexican-style sandwiches" do exist, but they're called
Tortas.
I will agree that:
A taco is a taco.
A flauta is a flauta.
A burrito is a burrito.
A tostada is a tostada.
A chalupa is a chalupa.
A quesadilla is a quesadilla.
An enchilada is an enchilada.
A chimichanga is a chimichanga.
