Letters. We get letters.

I thought as a final blogiversary post I would share some of the email we've received. So are really pretty cool. First, there's the expatriates who bemoan the unavailability of decent hot dogs in whatever land they find themselves living:

"Cole Slaw....You're out of your mind!"Living in South Central PA, that’s what I hear wh
"Coen I mention the best hot dogs that I grew up with in Raleigh County. These people around here have a lot of good “farm food”, but most have never ventured too far out of York and Lancaster Counties. Why, what the rest of the world calls Sloppy Joes, they claim that it’s BBQ. And no, there’s no cole slaw on them either. Once at the deli section at a local grocery store, I was buying local-made hot dogs and some deli slaw. A young lady beside me was doing the same. Turned out she too was from WV. And we agreed, if you can’t find ‘em, make ‘em!

Some expats are simply wistful:

What a treat to find your hotdog site. I am from the Ripley area but moved away a couple of years after high school back in 1959. I haven't found any place in the world that has hotdogs equal to WV. I like them better than steak.

Then there are folks who have moved to different parts of West Virginia but still find the local hot dog offerings lacking. Some of these folks seem bitter:

I was born & raised in Clendenin, left there in 1973 and moved to the mid- Ohio Valley (St.Marys, Pleasants County). Now live in New Martinsville (Wetzel County). The ONLY decent hotdog I have had since 1973 was anytime I went back to Clendenin to visit family. These yankees up here don't have a clue what a WV hotdog is all about. Not so much as a hint of a clue! They put friggin' BEANS in their chili! Or, as they say, sauce. That is down right blasphemy! And IF you can find slaw, it is that stringy crap.There is not a decent hotdog North of Jackson County heading up the Ohio River. Believe me, I have tried them all. Wood County, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel, Ritchie.......none, nada, zilch. I can give you spot by spot ratings if you'd like, but don't waste your time or money coming up this way to find a good WVHD, it ain't gonna happen.

I get a lot of letters from people who are thankful for this blog because it affirms their own fanaticism. Here's one of my faves:

I have loved hot dogs since my Mom first started feeding me them and I've not stopped since. When I was expecting my first son 23 yrs ago, I was so sick all the time.....the only thing I craved and could keep down was a Romeo's hot dog!!! My husband is a UPS driver so he would stop at Romeo's in S. Chas and bring me home a supply of them.

The most common email phrase is "The BEST hot dogs in West Virginia can be found at...". I have received emails that claim at least eleven different places have the state's best hot dogs, and dozens that claim a place has the best hot dogs in a certain locality. I have even gotten two emails that claim the best hot dogs in West Virginia are at a hot dog joint in Ohio!

But my favorite email has got to be this one I received last week:

This is a picture of [name deleted], biology
professor at Texas State University --South
Charleston High School, class of '59. [name deleted]
and my family had a group of friends from our church
over for a New Years Eve West Virginia Hot Dog party.

We opened some folks' eyes!

This is [name deleted], who set the evening record by downing 6 WV hot dogs.

Sincerely,
[name deleted]
Professor of Music
Texas State University
South Charleston High School, class of '68

Preach it, brother! And the rest of you, keep those cards and letters coming. They make it all worthwhile!