National Sandwich Day: Whether a Hot Dog Is a Sandwich, CIRAC-style
It's National Sandwich Day, so what better way to celebrate today than to answer the much-debated question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich.
And, of course, I'm not just providing my "hot take" on this issue. I'm also reaching my conclusion to highlight good legal writing by answering this question in a CIRAC form.
CIRAC is a structured approach to legal analysis and writing, and it is often used to ensure that legal arguments are well-organized, clear, and logically presented. I always recommend following CIRAC, or a variation of it (CRAC, IRAC, etc.), when answering bar exam questions.
The first "C" in CIRAC represents the conclusion or the ultimate legal outcome or determination that you want to reach in your legal analysis. It is the answer to the legal question or issue you are addressing.
The "I" in CIRAC represents the issue or the specific legal question or problem that you are examining. This is the question that needs a legal resolution or answer. The "I" should not simply be a restatement of the call of the question.
The "R" in CIRAC represents the rule of law or the relevant legal principle that applies to the issue at hand. This can include statutes, regulations, case law, or legal doctrines that guide the analysis.
The "A" in CIRAC stands for application. This is where you apply the rule of law to the specific facts and circumstances of your case or legal problem. You explain how the rule applies to the issue and the reasoning behind your conclusion.
The final "C" in CIRAC represents the conclusion section, where you restate the conclusion you reached earlier in the analysis. For me, this is usually just a cut and paste of the first conclusion.
So here's my CIRAC discussion of whether a hot dog is a sandwich. Happy National Sandwich Day!
A hot dog is a sandwich. At issue is whether a hot dog qualifies as a sandwich considering the commonly accepted definitions and characteristics of a sandwich.
Under generally accepted food terminology, a sandwich is typically defined as a food item consisting of one or more fillings enclosed between two pieces of bread. Sandwich fillings range from meats (like ham or turkey sandwiches), vegetables (like a Caprese sandwich or a roasted vegetable panini), or a spread (like hummus or pimento cheese sandwiches).
For example, a cheesesteak is a sandwich despite not necessarily being identified as a cheesesteak "sandwich.” A cheesesteak is typically made with thinly sliced and sautéed beefsteak, most commonly ribeye. The cooked steak is usually combined with ingredients like onions and bell peppers. The steak mixture is then placed inside a long roll or baguette-style bread.
Another example of a sandwich is the submarine, also known as a submarine sandwich, a sub, a hero, or a grinder. Submarine sandwiches typically include various cold cuts or deli meats, such as pepperoni, salami, ham, or roast beef, which are cylindrical or tubular in shape. These meats, like the cheesesteak, are also added inside a long roll or baguette-style bread.
Here, a hot dog meets the characteristics of a sandwich just as cheesesteaks and subs do. First, a hot dog consists of a cooked sausage (often made from beef, pork, or some other meat byproduct). This shares similarities with the classic definition of a sandwich because the sausage (sometimes referred to as the actual hot dog, a frank, or a wiener) serves as the filling enclosed by the bun.
Second, the sausage, which is the hot dog’s meat filling, is placed within, or enclosed between, a long roll or baguette-style bread, just as the meats from cheesesteaks and subs are.
Critics might argue that a hot dog is not a sandwich because of the bun’s form, contending that the shape of the bread distinguishes a hot dog from a sandwich. They might argue that a sandwich necessarily requires two separate pieces of bread. However, this argument is weak because cheesesteaks and subs sometimes use rolls that do not separate into two distinct slices.
These same critics might also argue that the tubular shape of the hot dog’s meat distinguishes it from other sandwiches. However, this argument is weak as well because other sandwiches, notably submarine sandwiches, also use tubular meats like pepperoni and salami. While these meats are usually thinly sliced before making their way on to the bread, the subsequent modification of the original shape of the tubular meat should not determine the fundamental identification of a sandwich.
Therefore, a hot dog is a sandwich.
