Slaw Mapping


While the vast majority of West Virginians prefer hot dogs topped with coleslaw, it is not a standard topping at hot dog joints everywhere in West Virginia. The food culture of our state is diverse and influenced by many factors such as predominate ethnicities and a melding with cultures of surrounding states.This mapping project attempts to document this diversity.

All of the counties shaded in light green have been verified to have HDJs that include slaw as a topping on a hot dog with "everything". Yellow indicates counties where HDJs usually offer slaw. In orange counties you can usually get slaw, but some HDJs may not offer it. Orange indicates counties where slaw is almost never available in mainstream HDJs. Finally, in those counties shaded red, slaw is unheard of. We welcome your input if you have specific knowledge that is in conflict with what is presented here. Please email us at info@wvhotdogs.com if you have corrections.

3 comments

3 comments:

ASCENSION said...

I was born in WV and lived there as a child but moved to Georgia as a teenager. I went years without eating hot dogs but some time in the last year my wife made me chili dogs for lunch... I guess my WV DNA kicked in because she made me chili dogs with mustard and I have been eating them for lunch almost every day since.

I lived all around the state but grew up in Sisterville (tyler co) but I have hated slaw my whole life... That is until I tried sweet slaw and have been hooked every since. Strangely, this happened around the same time as the hot dog lunch, so I added slaw to the mix (on the side) but lately I have had a strange urge to put it on the dog just as you described in your ideal WV hot dog.

Thanks for letting me know I wasn't crazy and it was just my roots kicking in.

2:48 PM
PoorOl'Dickie said...

I have many comments about hot dogs. I'll limit this one to slaw. I was college age before I realized the rest of the nation does not add coleslaw to a "dog with everything". I live in Pocahontas Co. and know that directly across the border in Virginia, folks turn up their noses at coleslaw on hotdogs. One more reason not to like them.

9:25 AM
Doggieboy80 said...

I have only been to West Virginia once (in the Fairmont area), but never was exposed to a West Virginia Hot Dog - sadly. For many years, I would eat a creation I called a "slaw burger" - a hamburger with mustard, onion and a generous helping of our local grocery store's finely chopped sweet slaw. But I never thought about having slaw with a chili dog until I found this blog.

Needless to say, I never eat chili dogs anymore without the slaw on top. I just have to convince my wife to chop her slaw a little finer.

When I get the chance to come back to West Virginia, I know what I'm going to eat, and now I know, thanks to this blog, where to find them.

Thanks!

8:36 AM

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