Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Don't Forget...July is National Hot Dog Month!

Just a reminder that July is National Hot Dog Month, and July 19th is designated National Hot Dog Day. Be sure to patronize your favorite HDJ this month.

In keeping with tradition, I'm reposting the rules of Hot Dog Etiquette from the newly redesigned National Hot Dog and Sausage Council website at called "Hot Dog City" www.hot-dog.org.
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Hot Dog Etiquette
Everyday guidance for eating America's sacred food

Don't...Put hot dog toppings between the hot dog and the bun. Always "dress the dog," not the bun. Condiments should be applied in the following order: wet condiments like mustard and chili are applied first, followed by chunky condiments like relish, onions and sauerkraut, followed by shredded cheese, followed by spices, like celery salt or pepper.

Do...Serve sesame seed, poppy seed and plain buns with hot dogs. Sun-dried tomato buns or basil buns are considered gauche with franks.

Don't...Use a cloth napkin to wipe your mouth when eating a hot dog. Paper is always preferable.

Do...Eat hot dogs on buns with your hands. Utensils should not touch hot dogs on buns.

Do...Use paper plates to serve hot dogs. Every day dishes are acceptable; china is a no-no.

Don't...Take more than five bites to finish a hot dog. For foot-long wiener, seven bites are acceptable.

Don't...Leave bits of bun on your plate. Eat it all.

Don't...Fresh herbs on the same plate with hot dogs over-do the presentation.

Don't...Use ketchup on your hot dog after the age of 18. Mustard, relish, onions, cheese and chili are acceptable.

Do...Condiments remaining on the fingers after eating a hot dog should be licked away, not washed.

Do...Use multi-colored toothpicks to serve cocktail wieners. Cocktail forks are in poor taste.

Don't...Send a thank you note following a hot dog barbecue. It would not be in keeping with the unpretentious nature of hot dogs.

Don't...Bring wine to a hot dog barbecue. Beer, soda, lemonade and iced tea are preferable.

Don't...Ever think there is a wrong time to serve hot dogs.

4 comments:

All Click said...

My checklist of the hot dog etiquette:

I "dress the dog" and Wet it first.
Plain buns is how I roll.
I choose paper napkins.
I'm a hands-on guy.
I serve on paper plates or just on paper napkins.
I'll have to measure my bites - Three seems to be enough.
I finish the bun.
Fresh herbs on a hot-dog??
I still use Ketchup...but I've turned to Chilli and Cheese since being a WV man.
I lick my fingers after every meal.
Plain toothpicks are even better.
I don't thank people. I'm a dude.
Beer and dogs work.
Damn. I thought Tuesdays were a bad time for hot dogs.

rainywalker said...

Like Alan Jackson say, "It's 5 o'clock somewhere." It's never, I repeat never a bad time for a hot dog. You can have sex anytime, but a good hot dog? There you are. It doesn't matter, wet or dry. When we were in Vietnam we killed for a good hot dog. At sixty and 20 fat grams my last words will be, "go get me a hot dog and rap one up in foil, so I can take it with me."

Christopher Scott Jones said...

Ive broken:

I've eaten some upside-down dawgs from Stewarts and Frostop.

I give my skinny, calorie furnace of a dog the bit of bun.

I have had ketchup on a dog many times since age 18, usually resulting from weenie-ista error.

Unknown said...

I will never eat a hot dog in Stanton's presence. I break too many of those rules. Good thing I changed my mind so many times at The Grill - at one point, I was going to order a hot dog.