tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35881186.post116155371651831357..comments2019-05-22T09:19:53.522-04:00Comments on The Sandwich Manifesto: THE EVOLUTION OF THE SANDWICHUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35881186.post-78737154587516935512010-12-05T21:14:19.164-05:002010-12-05T21:14:19.164-05:00Hello
Awesome post, just want to say thanks for t...Hello<br /><br />Awesome post, just want to say thanks for the shareAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35881186.post-57659463005434376212006-10-23T00:24:00.000-04:002006-10-23T00:24:00.000-04:00As a student of biology, I must say, my heart did ...As a student of biology, I must say, my heart did gladden at the sight of this biological model of the sandwich. As the rumble of the post-modernist's battle fades it inevitably becomes the task of the civilized world to reconcile the dichotomies illustrated by artists and social thinkers of the 20th century. As part of such a campaign examples that typify such dialectical synthesis are of premium value; the sandwich is just such a case. Moreover, the evolutionary model of sanwich ontology exhibits a breathtaking uunion of rational truth and aesthetic beauty.<br /><br />That said, while I agree with some of the conclusions drawn by the evolutionary model (specifically, the inclusion of calzones, burritos and the like), I cannot agree with your reasoning. To continue using the biological metaphor, you are forgetting about what is known as convergent evolution. This is when two unrelated species, in different places but experiencing similar environmental conditions, evolve similar physical characteristics. That is two species of bird - say owls - living in very similar habitats but on different continents will eventually look the same, since they occupy the same niche. Why isn't this kind of explanation just as plausible as yours (that all sandwich-like entities are "phylogenetically" related)? The answer is that it IS just as plausible. This isn't to say that all these sandwhiches aren't reated, but that this needs to be shown in order for the sandwich community to accept your hypothesis as fact. Evidence of intermediate forms (say, between the classical sandwich and a hotdog, for example) would go a long way towards supporting your case.<br /><br />Even if the varios sandwich-like entities turn out to be phylogenetically unrelated then we still may want to include them under the title sandwich. I think the argument then would have to borrow from anthropology more than from biology. That is, an approach analagous to cultural relativism may be the most fuitful in the event that the sandwich-like foods are only convergently similar. But that opens up a whole other can of worms - all about paternalistic racism, oversubsidization of domestic products, and the whole preservationist aesthetic in general...<br /><br />...some other time, yeah?<br /><br />Albert (pronounced al-bare) Pujols (pronounced poo-holes) puts so many steroids in his breakfast cereal.E3https://www.blogger.com/profile/14858567527025270031noreply@blogger.com