Sandwich Day

Sandwiches. LuckyLife11 / Pixabay.com / 2017 / CC0 1.0

November 3rd is Sandwich Day.

It celebrates sandwiches, one of the world’s first fast foods.

On this day, you get to have a sandwich at breakfast, lunch and dinner! If the day is chilly, you can have a warm sandwich to warm you up. Classic warm sandwiches include Sloppy Joes, Po’ boys, Grilled Cheese (and Croque Monsieur).

If you had to choose between grilled and ungrilled sandwiches, which would it be?

Sandwiches can be made into a balanced, healthy meal.

People tend to have fancier sandwiches when eating out compared to what they would make at home.

For your work sandwiches, do you buy them, or make them from home and bring them?

What is your favourite sandwich accompaniment? Soup, salad, or fries?

It can be tricky these days to know what counts as a sandwich. People debate whether to include in the definition a burger, a burrito, a taco or a wrap. Do you think hamburgers and hot dogs count as sandwiches?

What is your favourite sandwich bread? Brown bread of white? and what’s your favourite condiment, mustard or mayo? Some people in England swear by the brown pickled spread called “Branston” on a cheese sandwich.

On this day, some sandwich shops may run BOGO (buy one, get one free) offers. Check apps and websites for coupons and special offer codes.

#SandwichDay #NationalSandwichDay

Activities for today

try a new condiment on your sandwich;
treat yourself to a fancy mustard;
try to think of ways to make the sandwiches you make a bit more healthier;
visit a deli today in your city with a great reputation for sandwiches.

History

Some people say today marks the birthday of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, the reputed inventor of sandwiches. He wasn’t actually, and today isn’t actually his birthday, either — that’s the 13th of November.

Mentions of a “National Sandwich Day” appeared at various times of the year throughout the 1900s.

In the 1970s the New York journalist Phyllis Battelle wrote that National Sandwich Day occurred in August, as an extension of Sandwich Month, and that it had been promoted by a local New York baker.

(Click to enlarge) Battelle, Phyllis. History of the sandwich — Earl to the Dagwood. Reprinted in: Lowell Sun. Lowell, Massachusetts. 07 Aug 1974. Page 20, col. 1.

The first print mention that CooksInfo is aware of for a Sandwich Day in November dates from 1981 in Indiana:

“The ‘remarkable sandwich’ — the staple of all busy individuals — will be accorded ‘proper and due recognition’ at St Mary Medical Center, both on Hobart and Gary, on National Sandwich Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Ms. Judy Hack, director of diatetics, said the menu in honor of the day will feature ‘Sandwich by the Inch’. She said it is ‘really a submarine sandwich made from 24-inch French bread.'” — Family briefly. Munster, Indiana. The Times. Friday, 30 October 1981. Page C6, col. 1

At this point, the November date seems to have stuck. Here’s a 1987 mention:

Newspaper clipping mentioning Sandwich Day

Congregate Cuisine. La Porte City Progress Review. La Porte City, Iowa. 28 Oct 1987. Page 4, col. 6.

Sources

Five Tasty Ways to Celebrate National Sandwich Day. Windsor, Ontario, Canada: Tourism Windsor-Essex. Accessed October 2021 at https://visitwindsoressex.com/five-tasty-ways-to-celebrate-national-sandwich-day/

Griggs, Brandon. America’s most popular sandwiches. CNN. 3 November 2015. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/03/living/national-sandwich-day-favorites-feat/index.html

Grover, Neha. World Sandwich Day 2019: The Best Way To Celebrate The Day Is By Eating These 5 Healthy Sandwiches. New Delhi, India: New Delhi Television Ltd. 3 November 2019. Accessed October 2021 at https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/world-sandwich-day-2019-celebrate-the-day-by-eating-these-5-healthy-sandwiches-2126438

Iacoviello, Chiara. National Sandwich Day! University of Washington: The Whole U. 3 November 2015. Accessed October 2021 at https://thewholeu.uw.edu/2015/11/03/national-sandwich-day/

Potbelly Celebrates National Sandwich Day with Tasty, Toasty BOGO. Anchorage, Alaska: Alaska’s News Source. 27 October 2021. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/prnewswire/2021/10/27/potbelly-celebrates-national-sandwich-day-with-tasty-toasty-bogo/

Subway® Celebrates World Sandwich Day. Subway Canada. 17 October 2021. Accessed October 2021 at https://cfa.ca/franchisecanada/subway-celebrates-world-sandwich-day/

Taruc, Ana. Subway® Canada Celebrates World Sandwich Day with Launch of new National Hunger Initiative, “Never Miss Lunch™”. Toronto, Canada: Newswire. 28 October 2019. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/subway-r-canada-celebrates-world-sandwich-day-with-launch-of-new-national-hunger-initiative-never-miss-lunch-tm–839622703.html

Walansky, Aly. National Sandwich Day Is A Great Excuse To Enjoy A Meal That’s Both Perfect And Portable. Forbes Magazine. 25 October 2019. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.forbes.com/sites/alywalansky/2019/10/25/national-sandwich-day-is-a-great-excuse-to-enjoy-a-meal-thats-both-perfect-and-portable/

What’s your favorite sandwich? It’s National Sandwich Day. Salt Lake City, Utah: KUTV. 3 November 2020. Accessed October 2021 at https://kutv.com/news/local/whats-your-favorite-sandwich-its-national-sandwich-day