Wonder Bread Declares End To Triangles vs. Rectangles Debate

If any ‘authority’ has the right to decide crucial bread-related questions, it’s Wonder. The brand has been a household name for over 100 years. Now, the Wonder Brands folks have pronounced on one of Bread’s most vexing controversies…

Most folks have a definite preference for the way their sandwiches are cut. Some insist on rectangular quarters. Others demand triangles. Now, Wonder Brands has declared itself the ultimate arbiter on the issue.

Survey says…

“Wonder, the leading sandwich authority thanks to its position in culture and kitchens in Canada for nearly 100 years, has declared triangle cut sandwiches to be the best,
A recent news release advises.

“And to mark the conclusion of this long debate, WONDER has deemed itself ‘The Official Bread of Triangle Sandwiches’,” the release continues. “And is asking Canadians to join them in committing to triangle sandwiches.”

By the numbers…

Wonder Brands Canada recently commissioned an Angus Reid poll that found that 60 percent of English-speaking Canadians prefer a triangle cut sandwich to a rectangle cut sandwich.

Among those who insist on a triangle cut, 54 percent do so for appearance, 31 percent for nostalgia, 17 percent for maximizing bites, and 14 percent for taste.

The scientific approach…

According to BBC Science Focus, studies confirm that, “triangles give you more sandwich filling per bite. A triangular sandwich has two 45 degree corners that allow you to bite much further towards the middle on your first two bites, where there is more filling.”

Even architects, engineers and designers are pro-triangle. Architect Kevin Harris states, “the diagonal cut exposes more of the interior of the sandwich, and by exposing the interior, it engages more of your senses before you take the first bite.”

My take

As a former (and, perhaps, future) caterer, I wholeheartedly support Wonder Brands’ contention that the triangle is the way to go. Basic design principles dictate that odd numbers (as in 3 sides) are more interesting, elegant and satisfying than even ones (as in 4 sides).

It’s no accident that catered sandwich trays always feature triangle-cut, quartered sandwiches. It’s a tradition – heck, an unwritten rule – for presentation reasons.

The quarter-slice format is also easier to eat and less greedy-looking than a half-slice portion in any configuration. Its petite size makes it less guilt-inducing to sample multiple variations offering differ-ent fillings. We all want to look as ‘proper’ as possible on occasions where we encounter catering trays!

Nevertheless… It’s good to have the eternal question of triangle vs. rectangle answered, decisively, once and for all. Even more so, as the result of an actual popular poll. I’ll sleep better tonight know-ing the democratic principles behind the noble and historic concept of the sandwich have been preserved and defended in the process…

~ Maggie J.