No Image

This Itty-Bitty Barbecue Is A Culinary Stroke Of Genius

June 26, 2014 0

In case you were really into the idea of using a Pringles can to cook a hot dog but still longed for the delicious taste of burning charcoal, you are now in luck.

Grant Thompson, the self-described “King of Random,” is here to give you the best of bo…

No Image

Alcohol Board Issues Cease and Desist to Online Booze Delivery Service Ultra

June 26, 2014 0

The D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is cracking down on a new online booze delivery service that launched in the last month. The liquor board issued a cease and desist letter to vendor Ultra yesterday for illegally selling alcoholic beverages in the District without a license. Ultra collects money directly from customers and then forwards part […]

No Image

Brew In Town: Gordon Biersch SommerBrau Kölsch

June 26, 2014 0

Gordon Biersch SommerBrau Kölsch Where in Town: Gordon Biersch, 900 F St. NW Price: $6.50/21 oz. A Breath of Fresh Ale Lately I find myself reaching for clean, classic styles rather than aggressively flavored beers full of exotic ingredients. Some equate “simple” and “low-alcohol” with “boring,” but there’s nothing more satisfying than a well-balanced brew. […]

No Image

Smith Public Trust Opens in Brookland

June 26, 2014 0

Brookland is becoming a pretty hip destination to drink these days. Following the recent opening of Brookland’s Finest and soon to be joined by a new bar from the owners of Meridian Pint comes a low-key restaurant and bar called Smith Public Trust from Smith Commons founder Miles Gray. The space, which previously belonged to a number of Catholic University bars […]

No Image

Whoa, The ‘Greenest Man In America’ Doesn’t Shop At Whole Foods

June 26, 2014 0

It’s hard to argue that it isn’t cool to be environmentally conscious these days. The words ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ are essential packaging for any upscale grocery store, and bearded, Brooklyn-based hipsters are happy to tell you about their locally so…

No Image

New York Officially Calls Hot Dogs And Burritos ‘Sandwiches’

June 26, 2014 0

In France, a sandwich is called “un sandwich.” In Spain, it’s “un sándwich.” Things get weird in Portugal where it’s called “sanduiche”. Even in Greece, the word is “σάντουιτς.” And it turns out that sounds a whole lot like “sandwich.”

But just because inserting meat between two slices of bread is a near-universal concept, that doesn’t mean it’s free from the machinations of the New York Department of Taxation and Finance.

In order to help businesses determine what they should and shouldn’t put a sales tax on, in 2011 the state posted a “bulletin” recently uncovered on Reddit that gets technical in its definition of what our friends in Japan call a “サンドイッチ” (again, sounds just like sandwich).

Here’s what should be included in New York’s so-called “sandwich tax,” according to the state:

“Sandwiches include cold and hot sandwiches of every kind that are prepared and ready to be eaten, whether made on bread, on bagels, on rolls, in pitas, in wraps, or otherwise, and regardless of the filling or number of layers. A sandwich can be as simple as a buttered bagel or roll, or as elaborate as a six-foot, toasted submarine sandwich.”

The bulletin goes on to list examples of what exactly a sandwich is. In case you didn’t know, the items below are all sandwiches:

blt sandwichThis BLT sandwich is what the New York Department of Taxation and Finance refers to as a “common sandwich,” since, well, it’s a sandwich.

burrito rantPeople not familiar with what a sandwich is might call this a burrito. It’s a sandwich.

butter rollMmmm, check out this delicious open face butter sandwich served with roll bread.

hot dogHeaded to the ball game? Be sure to indulge in a classic American past time with one of these hot dog sandwiches.

By defining these “bread-based snacks,” the New York Department of Taxation and Finance defends it’s just trying to help.

“It’s trying to stress the point that all sandwiches are generally subject to sales tax, that’s the message you want to get across,” Cary Ziter, a spokesperson for the Department of Tax and Finance, told Gothamist in response to the new attention the bulletin’s received.

In summation: If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a sandwich.

Correction: A previous version of this article implied that the bulletin was posted by the city of New York. The New York Department of Taxation and Finance operates on behalf of the entire state.