In Ireland Subway Sandwiches are Confectionery not Bread

[Ifreann]

So is this going to turn into a re-run of "is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit?" or something?

Do they count as sandwiches if they're served in a cake?

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

Still never had anything from a Subway, or a McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks etc.. Isn't the expectation going to be that the food is cheap crap that's bad for you? Or is that just me?

[The Free Joy State]

Still never had anything from a Subway, or a McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks etc.. Isn't the expectation going to be that the food is cheap crap that's bad for you? Or is that just me?

I don't think it's just you. I also generally assume all fast-food fare is generally cheap, tasteless and chock-full of salt and sugar. I have limited experience with it, but I've rarely been wrong (I did have an edible rice box at a fast food place once).

I had a Subway once -- back when I could eat gluten; IMO you've not missed anything. Starbucks (another one-time event not to be repeated; overpriced for the mediocre drink I got -- and that's without all the criticism of its practises and treatment of workers). Burger King... never tried. McDonalds... such tiny fries, like little puffs of air, huge calorific load and hungry again in an hour.

[The Unified Missourtama States]

It's scary to me how few people have actually had bread. Brands like Wonder, Nature's Own, Arnold, and Farmhouse are not bread, they are paper sugar walls full of air, and lacking in taste and texture. The amount of people who think subway sandwiches are served on baguettes is startling. Bread is just water and flour, (salt and yeast for flavor if you want). One of the corporations I loved most (before they succumbed to being bought up) was Panera, they brought real bread to the consumer on a massive scale (and I still love it). Please, you, NSGer I beg you do not succumb to the tastelessness of that bagged bread, go find some real bread, and if you can't, then make some yourself, it's worth it!

[Sodoran Alesia]

It's scary to me how few people have actually had bread. Brands like Wonder, Nature's Own, Arnold, and Farmhouse are not bread, they are paper sugar walls full of air, and lacking in taste and texture. The amount of people who think subway sandwiches are served on baguettes is startling. Bread is just water and flour, (salt and yeast for flavor if you want). One of the corporations I loved most (before they succumbed to being bought up) was Panera, they brought real bread to the consumer on a massive scale (and I still love it). Please, you, NSGer I beg you do not succumb to the tastelessness of that bagged bread, go find some real bread, and if you can't, then make some yourself, it's worth it!

Homemade bread when done right is literally heaven, that smell when it comes out of the oven is amazing.

[Kowani]

It's scary to me how few people have actually had bread. Brands like Wonder, Nature's Own, Arnold, and Farmhouse are not bread, they are paper sugar walls full of air, and lacking in taste and texture. The amount of people who think subway sandwiches are served on baguettes is startling. Bread is just water and flour, (salt and yeast for flavor if you want). One of the corporations I loved most (before they succumbed to being bought up) was Panera, they brought real bread to the consumer on a massive scale (and I still love it). Please, you, NSGer I beg you do not succumb to the tastelessness of that bagged bread, go find some real bread, and if you can't, then make some yourself, it's worth it!

Homemade bread when done right is literally heaven, that smell when it comes out of the oven is amazing.

Back in Spain, I lived next to an old style bakery.
It was actually the best part of my morning, waking up and smelling fresh, homemade bread.

[Ethel mermania]

Homemade bread when done right is literally heaven, that smell when it comes out of the oven is amazing.

Back in Spain, I lived next to an old style bakery.
It was actually the best part of my morning, waking up and smelling fresh, homemade bread.

Factory Bakeries smell really good when they are baking bread too.

[Stellar Colonies]

I actually like Subway's sandwiches (especially the meatball one), which may mean that my culinary standards are...trashy.

Although I'd agree the sugar content is too high in their bread.

[Kowani]

Back in Spain, I lived next to an old style bakery.
It was actually the best part of my morning, waking up and smelling fresh, homemade bread.

Factory Bakeries smell really good when they are baking bread too.

Bread is just good in general.

[Ethel mermania]

Factory Bakeries smell really good when they are baking bread too.

Bread is just good in general.

You are right of course in enjoying the smell of fresh baked artisanal bread. It just reminded me how even the crappy bread factory smelt good, but the smell was deceiving

[Kowani]

Bread is just good in general.

You are right of course in enjoying the smell of fresh baked artisanal bread. It just reminded me how even the crappy bread factory smelt good, but the smell was deceiving

And here I thought cats had a better sense of smell.

[Saiwania]

The only bread that is good for you is whole wheat and even then, there are better options. Avoid bread to lose more body fat. Stick to the proteins and complex carbs, with some trace amounts of fruit to get vitamin C.

I would say bread that has sugar in it isn't inherently confectionary any more than Peter Pan Peanut Butter is. It is still not overwhelmingly sweet in the sense that it can be used in desserts.

[Ellbonnia]

Is Subway uncommon in other places? I can think of 6 of them within 4 miles of my home.

We weren't talking about Subway, but whether or not we had a kebab shop anywhere near us.

There's always at least one Subway in every town close to me; sometimes some are easier to find than others.

[Ethel mermania]

You are right of course in enjoying the smell of fresh baked artisanal bread. It just reminded me how even the crappy bread factory smelt good, but the smell was deceiving

And here I thought cats had a better sense of smell.

Me too.

[The Reformed American Republic]

I'm still going to use the term "bread" in informal conversations though. I'm not Irish (by nationality or citizenship anyway) so this really doesn't effect me.

[Cordel One]

Does Subway now have to market it as confectionery?

[Ellbonnia]

Does Subway now have to market it as confectionery?

It would definitely make for some interesting advertising, wouldn't it?

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

So will they take out the sugar now to avoid the tax? Really, if you need to dump sugar into your bread to make it taste good you're baking bread wrong.

It’s common for American food, particularly bread, to have way more sugar than necessary. I’ve always wondered why.

[Polyester Football]

They're not wrong to classify it as such, but this is one of the reasons I oppose having VAT/GST/Sales tax exemptions on the grounds of product - aside from leading to inefficiencies that almost negate any value obtained from such taxes, you end up having to have these weird and often expensive hair-splitting court cases about what is and isn't bread.

I'm pretty sure there was a legal case in the UK a few years ago involving the VAT rate on water - but I can't find a link, so it's possible I imagined it or mixed a couple of cases up. But the basic story was that water was zero-rated and water supply equipment was low-rated - whereas building supply and equipment was at the standard higher rate. A central heating equipment company or contractor claimed that they were supplying water (and water in the form of steam) and therefore entitled to the low rates. The UK tax authorities said nope, the company appealed to the European Court of Justice and lost.

[Ellbonnia]

It’s common for American food, particularly bread, to have way more sugar than necessary. I’ve always wondered why.

I'm American and I can safely say I have no idea why restaurant chains feel the need to bombard their food with sugar or salt.

Even Americans question the amount of sugar the Amish put into their food, though... apparently they like to sprinkle it into everything

[Saiwania]

I'm American and I can safely say I have no idea why restaurant chains feel the need to bombard their food with sugar or salt.

If its mass produced, its simply to try to sell more. Sugar and salt is added because that tends to make the food product taste better than it'd otherwise be. The business of America up to this day is business. It takes way more lawsuits/harmful effects for something in the US to get banned than would perhaps be the case for many other countries.

[The Novakian Empire]

kind of just nitpicky bullshit to me tbh

[Ellbonnia]

If its mass produced, its simply to try to sell more. Sugar and salt is added because that tends to make the food product taste better than it'd otherwise be. The business of America up to this day is business. It takes way more lawsuits/harmful effects for something in the US to get banned than would perhaps be the case for many other countries.

The name of the game for corporations is to often fight lawsuits in court rather than fix what's actually wrong; sometimes it's actually cheaper to pay out damages or pay for legal counsel rather than implement necessary changes.

[Forsher]

They're not wrong to classify it as such, but this is one of the reasons I oppose having VAT/GST/Sales tax exemptions on the grounds of product - aside from leading to inefficiencies that almost negate any value obtained from such taxes, you end up having to have these weird and often expensive hair-splitting court cases about what is and isn't bread.

So for the sake of simplicity and lower costs for the industry and government, you want to tax all food?

If you're that greedy for revenue, tax recreational drugs instead.

EVERYTHING is taxed here. At 15%. Used to be 12.5% but the previous government decided that they'd shift more of the tax burden onto the poor. Note, also, that we don't have a 0% income tax band... but it's okay because we don't have a capital gains tax either!

GST taxes should be lower, but a system of exclusions is, as pretty much all other countries demonstrate, idiotic.

Still never had anything from a Subway, or a McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks etc.. Isn't the expectation going to be that the food is cheap crap that's bad for you? Or is that just me?

Food can be fast or it can be cheap, it's not both... unless it's fish and chips.

[Ifreann]

kind of just nitpicky bullshit to me tbh

It's a point of tax law, of course it's nitpicky bullshit.