July 3, 2009
The 4th of July is tomorrow and all over the United States we will be celebrating Independence Day.
In doing so we will eat lots of hot dogs.
I did some investigating and came up with some statistics and information. When I’m through you’ll have a little more appreciation for that little 6-inch lunch and dinner that millions love to picnic with.
Here’s what the Institute of Hot Dog Consumption says: In 2008 we (the U.S.) spent $4.1 billion in supermarkets for hot dogs and bought 1.5 billion pounds of them. On Independence Day alone, Americans will consume 150 million wieners; if laid end to end they would stretch from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles. (I’m not sure who would want the job to do this, but it makes good copy).
During Hot Dog season (Memorial Day to Labor Day), Americans will eat 7 billion tube steaks. That’s 818 dogs consumed every second during that period. It is said that the chewing and chomping can be heard miles into outer space.
Along with the information from the Institute came some words about wiener etiquette. Here’s some do’s and don’ts. Always eat the dogs with your hands. Utensils should not touch the dog or the bun. Dress the wiener and not the bun. After the age of 18 do not use ketchup on the dog. Condiments that end up on your finger should be licked off and not washed off. Always use paper plates to serve hot dogs. Glass dishes and china are a no-no. Don’t take more than five bites to finish a wiener and bun, although on a 7-inch hot dog, seven bites may be taken. Paper napkins are the accepted method of cleaning your face. Cloth is discouraged and not in keeping with the casualness of wiener eating.
What the Institute doesn’t tell you is what is in them. So I looked on the label of a major brand and read the ingredients. Pork, Beef, Separated Turkey, Water, Salt, Corn Syrup and Flavors, Dextrose, Potassium, Lactate, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Erythrobate and Diacitate, Oleo Resin of Paprika and Sodium Nitrates.
So as you eat your 4th of July hot dogs keep the above in mind and the Tums handy.
Happy Fourth!