An ongoing debate on the internet, and between bored friends, is what constitutes as a sandwich. Is it something between two pieces of bread? If that is the case, then is a hotdog a sandwich?
This has become a question that was recently brought up in a court case, and the judge has given his ruling.
According to The New York Times, the case was a result of a dispute between a restaurant owner and a strip mall.
The owner, Martin Quintana, was attempting to receive zoning approval to open his restaurant, the Famous Taco, but the strip mall only allowed for restaurants that offered “made-to-order or subway style sandwiches.”
Thus, he made the case that tacos were sandwiches. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to move forward with his business.
Per The New York Times, his case was brought before civil court, where the Allen County Superior Court Judge Craig J. Bobay ruled in his favor, stating, “The Court agrees with Quintana that tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches, and the original Written Commitment does not restrict potential restaurants to only American cuisine-style sandwiches.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Quintana said, “I’m glad this thing is over. We are happy. When you have a decision like this the only thing you can be is happy. We’re excited.”
The debate continues on TikTok
A result of this case going viral has led to many people on TikTok bringing up their own opinions on whether the judge was correct in ruling that tacos should be considered sandwiches.
In one video, someone makes the argument that a sandwich requires two separate pieces of bread, thus, a taco cannot be considered one.
Another person in the video makes the counterargument that a hoagie is not cut in half but is still considered a sandwich.
Most people seem to agree that tacos are not sandwiches, but that does not mean they disagree with the judge’s ruling.
Some commenters believe for the purposes of getting around this zoning regulation, the judge made the right call and they were left wondering why the area was zoned that way in the first place.
According to The New York Times, it was to protect the area from fast-food chains.
The Times highlighted a similar case back in 2006, where the opposite verdict was reached because another shop held a sandwich exclusivity clause, preventing a taco store from opening. In this case, the taco restaurant benefitted from tacos not being classified as a sandwich.