Today is National Hot Dog Day! Did you know there is evidence that a hot dog like food made the trip during Homer’s Odyssey? Did you know the town’s folk of Vienna claim to have developed the first modern hot dog in 1487? Did you know little cans of Vienna Sausage paired nicely with the hardtack Christopher Columbus provided his crew on their voyage to the New World? It is for good reason we honor the delectable treat!
My top 5 hot dog memories:
#5- My First Foot Long! Spending time with my family and Uncle Phil and Aunt Jane someplace in the Ohio boondocks! I was maybe eight years old. The idea that someone could eat that much hot dog was thrilling. It took a little while but I managed to put it down with the encouragement of my Uncle Phil and a little root beer.
#4- Two Chili Dogs, please! During an outing to San Diego with my old friends the Jones family, the hot dog vendor pulled up near Mission Beach. It was sometime in late July, 1974. We all had worked up a bit of an appetite hanging on the beach. I had a taste for hot dogs, but I caught the scent of the chili. How awesome the two would come together. It was a beautiful day.
#3- Any Spring Day at Goodyear Stadium! First it is Spring Training with the Cleveland Indians. Second, a round of golf is usually already behind us and I am hungry. Third, Bertman’s Stadium Mustard is trucked in with the bats, uniforms, balls, and gloves from Cleveland! Sitting in the warm sunshine eating a dog dreaming that this season’s Cleveland baseball club will win a World Series championship. It is awesome. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, can’t wait until next Spring!
#2- Nothing better than a Trojan Dog! The girl’s soccer concession stand at Paradise Valley High School offers the usual assortment of drinks and treats. But, the best dog in the middle of a cold, wintry soccer season is the Trojan Dog! Demand always exceeds supply so get it early. For only $1, it is perfect!
#1- Ok, there is something better than a Trojan Dog and a hot dog during Spring Training. A hot dog at Progressive Field in Cleveland is heavenly. The first time was 1965 (at old Municipal Stadium). The Indians were playing a double-header with the Kansas City A’s. “Sudden Sam” McDowell threw one game for the Indians while “Blue Moon” Odom came out of the bullpen both games for the A’s. The most vivid memory? That hot dog. Talked into trying the “Stadium Mustard” by the teenage vendor, my taste buds have never been the same. In 2014, the last time I was in attendance, there was still magic wrapped in that aluminum foil.
I hope you have fond hot dog memories! Enjoy the day!
Hahaha! Knowing my Dad, you would have been in the boondocks! So nice to heard Dad and Mom are in your hot dog memories. Mom will get a kick when I read it to her.