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I have always believed there are two kinds of people in this world, namely: 1) People who believe there are two kinds of people; and 2) People who don’t.
Today, however, I have decided to modify that long-held belief because I think it’s easier to split the world into the following two distinct categories: 1) People who love hot dogs; and 2) People who prefer hamburgers.
Out of journalistic fairness, I will confess that for most of my life I have been a card-carrying member of Team Hamburger, but I am going to make an exception today because July 21 just happens to be (pause for dramatic effect) National Hot Dog Day!
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In a sincere and humanitarian effort to ensure every hot dog has its day, I plan to celebrate by firing up my propane barbecue this evening and grilling an assortment of weenies, which I will serve with a wide array of condiments, including — and I realize some frankfurter connoisseurs view this as a doggie desecration — liberal squirts of ketchup.
Free Press readers will be aware that earlier this month I wrote a lengthy feature inspired by Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, the world’s No. 1 competitive eater, capturing his 14th Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in record-breaking fashion, powering down an astonishing 76 franks and buns in 10 minutes, one more than he did in setting the men’s record last year.
Feeling hungry? Have a hot dog today. (Brittainy Newman / The Associated Press files)
In that feature, I recounted Five Fabulous Frankfurter News Reports, but, tragically, I did not have room to discuss the origins of one of North America’s most beloved fast-food items, the humble hot dog.
Which is why today, National Hot Dog Day, I want to spend a few minutes sharing with you the birth of the modern tube steak, which is coated in mustard and shrouded in mystery.
Some argue the frankfurter was developed in the German city of Frankfurt in 1487, five years before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world, though residents of Vienna, Austria, point to the term “wiener” to prove their claim as the birthplace of the modern hot dog.
“As it turns out, it is likely that the North American hot dog comes from a widespread common European sausage brought here by butchers of several nationalities. Also in doubt is who first served the ‘dachshund’ sausage with a roll,” according to the website of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.
“One report says a German immigrant sold them, along with milk rolls and sauerkraut, from a push cart in New York City’s Bowery during the 1860’s,” the council says. “In 1871, Charles Feltman, a German baker opened up the first Coney Island hot dog stand selling 3,684 dachshund sausages in a milk roll during his first year in business.”
Our favourite story states that the term “hot dog” was born in 1901 at the New York Polo Grounds on a cold April Day when vendors barked: “They’re red hot! Get your dachshund sausages while they’re red hot!” As the story goes, cartoonist Tad Dorgan was inspired to publish a sketch of barking dachshund sausages nestled in bread rolls, but not sure how to spell “dachshund, he simply wrote “hot dog.”
As the former owner of a miniature dachshund named Zoe, I like that story, although the chances of it being true are probably far less than the odds that I will one day break Joey Chestnut’s hot dog-eating record.
But that’s not today’s point. The point is, while you digest this red-hot information, you can also stuff your face with this heaping helping of uplifting and inspiring news reports that have absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever.
— Doug Speirs, Columnist
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