> Cheese is a topping on a cheeseburger by
>definition. "Optional" is not part of the meaning
>of "topping," at least not in my dialect. The only
>essential thing for the meaning is that a topping
>go on top of something. Your head's a topping for
>your body even if you'd not be you without it.
>Whip cream placed underneath a slice of cake is not
>a topping. The cheese on the meat of a
>cheeseburger is a topping.

Then what if, like Howard, you put the cheese UNDER the meat? Then it's no longer a topping by your definition, but I don't think anybody would argue that it suddenly isn't a cheeseburger.

You could liquify the cheese and inject it into the cooked meat (and man, does that sound yummy!) It'd still be a cheeseburger, but the cheese would now be a "middling" or an "insiding" and not a "topping" by your definition.

So I maintain that cheese is not a "topping" of a cheeseburger. "Topping" *does* imply optional--sour creme, bacon bits, chives, and butter are all "toppings" for a baked potato, and when you order a "baked potato" you are asked what you would like on it. You can order a plain baked potato, or any combination of the other toppings, but nothing is assumed. However, when you order a cheeseburger, you are *never* asked if you want cheese on it. You may be asked what *type* of cheese you want on it, but you'd get funny looks if you then said "no cheese".

You can argue that "topping" only means "put on top of", but again, you can put the cheese under the meat, and still have a cheeseburger. I maintain that "topping" in this context really means "optional foodstuff and/or condiment served in conjunction with the food you are ordering." You're just being pedantic if you insist it only means "something put on top of another thing." By that definition, a coffee mug is a topping for my car, since I occaisionally put one on top of my car. Or that a frisbee is a topping for a house, just because one time I chucked one on the roof.

-- Dave