American Sandwich Project: Hot Dogs, Coney Dogs, and Carlos SpicyWeener

Kristin Devine

Kristin has humbly retired as Ordinary Times' friendly neighborhood political whipping girl to focus on culture and gender issues. She lives in a wildlife refuge in rural Washington state with too many children and way too many animals. There's also a blog which most people would very much disapprove of https://atomicfeminist.com/

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12 Responses

  1. CJColucci says:

    The “coney,” usually not capitalized, is also the white, bratwurst-like hot dog well-known in central and western New York.As for the sandwich issue, the Food Network used to have a show called “The Sandwich King,” which had episodes featuring hot dogs and hamburgers. Years ago, I had an argument with lawyers over whether a hamburger was a sandwich — an important issue in an actual case — and was the only one old enough to remember people who used the term “hamburger sandwich,” but I think the citation to the Food Network show sealed the deal.Report

  2. Aaron David says:

    So, Kristin, do you know what differentiates a hot dog and a frankfurter?Report

    • One replaced Cardozo and the other likes beer.Report

    • Slade the Leveller in reply to Aaron David says:

      Difference explained.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_LbyHCpALMReport

      • J_A in reply to Slade the Leveller says:

        I do a lot of “hot dogs” (scare quote intended) at home. I grew up with hot dog carts, including one that would stand near my high school gate, where we would buy them on our way home, but I’ve never been able to get anywhere closer to the cart taste and texture at home. Not just the firmness of the sausage (I think mine boil too much too quickly, as opposed to being hours in hot water), but, more important, the moistness of the buns.

        So my version of “hot dog” uses freshly baked French baguette bread, and thick (one inch or so) European style sausages. I vary the sausages, from mild to spicy, German, British, Italian, or Spanish style, cooked on the oven. I’ve tried andouille or similar Louisiana style sausages, but they are too soft and tend to crumble. Toppings are chopped onions and the traditional three sauces: ketchup, mayo (or alioli), and yes, Grey Poupon. Beer, hoppy, is the proper drink for it, but I wouldn’t kick anyone out if they ask for a dry white wine instead.

        It doesn’t sound very American Sandwich, but it’s quite good for a grownup summer evening meal.Report

    • DensityDuck in reply to Aaron David says:

      One of the amusing things about visiting relatives in Maine is how deep New Englanders wanted to change the names of German-extracted foods during World War I (to spite the Kaiser’s Huns, you see) but weren’t quite creative enough to come up with actual new names, which is why you see “hamburg meat” or “frankfurts” on a menu (and in the store, bags of “hamburg rolls” and “frankfurt buns”…)

      Kaiser rolls are called “Bulkies”, which seems surprisingly twee for Granite State-rs.Report

  3. DensityDuck says:

    “So rather than into hot dogs, offal goes off to the neighborhood dog food plant where it is turned into food for our furry friends. Think of that when your dog licks you later.”

    Hell, your dog licks his own anus, and that’s still active and producing output, so I think people have probably made their peace with transitive anus-licking.Report

  4. Jaybird says:

    When I was a kid, I lived in Michigan. The “coney” was something that was an event. Let’s go out and get coneys! Hey, let’s go to the StarLite Diner & Coney Island and get some coneys!

    There was a guy cutting onions like this in the back:

    Dad explained to me that coneys were a Michigan thing. Like, if I went to Chicago or something, I wouldn’t be able to get one. All the more reason for me to enjoy my coney.

    I live in Colorado now. I can’t get a coney out here.Report