The Hot Dog Chronicles

What's a hot dog? Where you're from matters a lot

By LANCE ARAM ROTHSTEIN, Times Staff Writer
Published September 21, 2007

Coney Island Hot Dog from M & J's Bar-B-Q Place.
	[Lance Aram Rothstein | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [LANCE ARAM ROTHSTEIN | Times] The fine people at Coney King Hot Dogs lent me this costume to help me make a complete fool of myself for this column. I did actually wear it standing on the sidewalk of State Road 52 for several minutes before taking it off. I felt like a complete weenie.

Welcome to the Hot Dog Chronicles, a new, occasional feature in Pasco Diversions.

The idea for this recurring feature struck me as I was wolfing down a hot dog at my desk while reading a memo about how my performance evaluation will now be tied to how many new ideas I come up with. Mustard dripped onto the lines regarding the quality of said ideas, so I wasn't able to read that part too well.

While I may not be a seasoned gourmet critic, I am a photojournalist, which makes me an authority on food that you can quickly and easily stuff into your mouth as pictures are downloading from a film card.

Hot dogs have always been a favorite of mine.

In my travels I have learned that many people have passionate opinions about this truly American treat. Whether they call it a Coney, a wiener, a red hot, or a frankfurter, it seems they're very particular about how they want their dog.

Perhaps my earliest realization of this was as a teenager when my mother a New Englander took me to the famous Gray's Papaya during a visit to Manhattan, and I asked for ketchup on my hot dog.

"No!" she commanded. "You'll have it with spicy mustard and red onion sauce like a normal human being. Ketchup on a hot dog is a sacrilege."

My next visit to New York was with my wife years later. About a block away from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we stopped at a hot dog cart and tried to order a slaw dog. The confused look from the vendor as we tried to explain it to him made it obvious that "coleslaw" hadn't had a reason to find its way into his limited English vocabulary.

I'm sure you each have your own way of making or ordering your hot dogs. That's one of the reasons I proposed this feature.

So while western Pasco County may not be a hot dog mecca, there are still a few places here to find a good dog.

I will scope out various joints and stands and report my latest hot dog adventure. So if you know of any great or unique hot dog spots in west Pasco, please e-mail me at lrothstein@sptimes.com and let me know.

[Last modified September 20, 2007, 21:30:14]