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
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.