为什么三明治是三角形的?

Customers and staff at the Tastee Diner in Bethesda, Md., say "sailboat sandwiches" are the way to go.

三明治为什么是三角形的？可能很多人都不知道。

You've got a lot of decisions to make as you build that leftover turkey sandwich. White or wheat? Mustard or mayo? How about cranberry sauce? One decision you'll probably make with ease is whether to cut the sandwich into triangles or rectangles. If you go for the diagonal slice, you're in good company. Chefs, foodies, an architect and even a mathematician all told us that diagonal rules. But why?

三角形的外形吸引注意，易于被发现，容易发现里面的内涵，比起来说，有不可代替的优势。当我们在吃三明治的时候，也利于消化。

The Look And Feel

Since the time of the pyramids, architects have always understood the supremacy of the diagonal line, Kevin Harris says. He designs houses in Baton Rouge and knows his angles. Harris says 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."

"It's more revealing, almost like a burlesque dancer," he says, "covered enough to be clothed, but uncovered enough to be very, very appealing."

Aesthetics are also at the heart of Bonnie Moore's argument. The chef de cuisine at The Inn at Little Washington, Moore says the human eye is always searching for symmetry. It's a lot easier to find fault with a four-sided shape like a rectangle than it is with a three-sided shape, she says, so a triangle is just easier on the eye.

Kemp Minifie believes the diagonal cut creates the illusion that your sandwich is bigger. Minifie was the executive food editor for the recently-deceased Gourmet Magazine, and she offers a tip to prove the triangle's superiority. Prop one half of the sandwich up against the other half to give the plate an elegant vertical dimension.

The triangle isn't just more pleasing to look at, Minifie adds, it's better eating. First there's the narrower corner, which can be delicately placed in the mouth - or shoveled in, when lunchtime is limited. And if you are not a crust lover, rejoice: The long, crustless hypotenuse gives you a very ample entrance into the softer, meatier part of the sandwich.