This one is difficult and important. As of right now, 67 percent of TedQuarters readers believe a whole wheat everything bagel with cream cheese is not a sandwich, though a boiling debate persists in the comments section.

Our man Devon reminds me that I have in the past classified a bagel with cream cheese as a sandwich — probably by email since I can’t find it in the archives — but I reserve the right to change my mind now. That exchange must have happened in some loosey-goosey era, sometime before I was dedicated to determining exactly what constituted a sandwich.

The candidate: A whole wheat everything bagel with cream cheese from H&H Midtown Bagels East on 2nd avenue between 81st and 82nd streets in Manhattan. Seth informs me that this H&H is not actually affiliated with the city’s west-side H&H bagel stores and that it’s another Famous Original Ray’s Pizza thing. But then, really, who cares? They’re really good bagels. More on that in a bit.

The construction: A whole wheat everything bagel with cream cheese, served… well, we’ll say “sandwich-style.” For what it’s worth, I never, ever deconstruct a bagel I get prepared for me at a bagelry. But if I’m eating a bagel at home I always split the bagel in half, spread cream cheese or butter on both halves and eat them separately — open-faced, if you will.

Arguments for sandwich-hood: It’s a form of bread on either side of a form of cheese. Though there’s always a ton of cream cheese and they inevitably require napkins, bagels with cream cheese are inarguably portable.

Counter-arguments: Well… it’s a bagel. And there’s no meat in there. Cream cheese feels more like a spread than a cheese.

How it tastes: This is the most important thing: Amazing. My wife and I spend a lot of our time seeking out good bagels, and we’ve determined that H&H has the best in our new neighborhood. They do enough business that the bagels are always fresh and often hot, and they’re perfectly prepared: boiled then baked, hearty and chewy on the inside with just a little bit of crunch on the outside.

H&H Midtown East puts its toppings on both sides of the bagels, which is not absolutely necessary but a nice bonus. I always get everything bagels because I like the addition of a little bit of salt and garlic flavors, but would never want my bagel overwhelmed by either of those seasonings in isolation. I’m not sure when or why I started ordering whole wheat bagels, nor am I certain I like them better than regular ones. I think I may have convinced myself they’re healthier.

Cream cheese is cream cheese: Hearty for a spread but fluffy for a cheese, with a delicious, mild tang that seems to perfectly complement the sweetness of a bagel.

What it’s worth: $2.25: Basically the same as a slice of pizza. But better for carbo-loading! I should note also that H&H Bagels Midtown East is open 24 hours, which is amazing and makes me so happy I live in the city again. I purchased and ate the bagel photographed above in the 1 a.m. hour.

The verdict: This is a dilemma. On one hand, we have the grilled cheese: Cheese between two pieces of bread and inarguably a sandwich. On the other, we have the buttered roll, bearing many of the qualities of a sandwich but — I think we can agree — pretty obviously not one.

I reserve the right to change my mind about this, but I’m prepared to say that a bagel with cream cheese is not a sandwich. It’s an amazing, delicious breakfast staple that can be enjoyed anytime, but it is not a sandwich.

The distinction lies, I believe, not in the nomenclature so much as the focus. A grilled cheese sandwich is a cheese sandwich. You’re in it for the cheese. The buttery bread is but a delicious vehicle for its delivery. The draw of a bagel with cream cheese is — to me at least — the bagel. The cream cheese is also awesome, but I think it is with good reason that you’d refer to it as a bagel with cream cheese, not a cream-cheese sandwich on bagel.

Does that make any sense? There’s a distinction here, and it’s important but also hard to put into words. I don’t mean to say that the thing doing the sandwiching can’t be a fundamental part of the sandwich because I don’t want to undercut all the great rolls and buns and breads of this world. But if the thing doing the sandwiching — the bagel, in this case — represents the bulk and the focus of the food item, then I’m not sure it’s a sandwich. Ham and cheese on a croissant is a sandwich, for instance, but a chocolate croissant is not.

I think if you added bacon or salmon to the bagel with cream cheese, it’d be a sandwich. But on its own — or even with one of those cream cheese with stuff in it that never really appeal to me — it’s just a bread product with a spread.