Love Letter to: Hotdogs PHOTO CREDIT: Alexa Potamianos | Newscast Editor
Few things bring me more joy than a fresh off-the-grill, slightly charred sizzling hotdog on a hot summer day. Paired with a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade and lightly dressed potato salad, I could not imagine a more ideal meal.
During my first year of college, I took FLM101 which went from 6:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. Week after week, we would watch antiquated movies always produced before the 1940s, and I would sit and daydream about hotdogs, counting down the minutes until the class would conclude so I could make my way over to the dining hall for a very subpar hotdog. While the dining hall does not necessarily do this American classic justice, it certainly did the job while living on campus without a car.
The hotdog is vastly controversial, however, I am an avid stan. If the hotdog only had one supporter left in this world, there is no doubt it would be me. I would go as far as to say it is my favorite food. The unwavering commitment I have to the hotdog is best exemplified in my Instagram profile photo, which pictures me smiling ear to ear with a footlong hotdog from a walk-up window in Block Island which may have taken the cake as the best dog I’ve had in my life.
My brother always requests to go to a fancy restaurant for his birthday. His palette reflects the finer things life has to offer. I, however, request the same meal every year. How could I not, especially with a grill master mom? They will be served at my wedding (plus some veggie dogs for the plethora of vegetarian friends I have).
As someone who is absolutely not a chef, I recently came to the realization that you can make a near-perfect hotdog right at home in an air fryer. It is fast, simple and the perfect way to end the night after what seems like a never-ending school day.
I think that hotdogs are absolutely delicious on their own with a nice soft but lightly toasted bun, but they can also be a canvas for condiments. Whether you choose ketchup, mustard, relish or hot onions the possibilities for combinations are an endlessly creative outlet.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the one thing hotdogs are not; a sandwich. Hotdogs and hotdog-adjacent foods such as corn dogs are simply their own unique category. Calling them a sandwich is a disgrace to the name.
One hotdog that deserves a moment all to itself is none other than the Costco hotdog. If you have not had the pleasure of trying one, you need to get on that immediately. There is nowhere else you can go to get a quality hotdog and a drink for just a dollar fifty, it truly amazes me every single time.
Be it from my family grill, my college air fryer or the dirty water dog fresh off the cart in NYC, the hotdog will remain a beautiful, showstopping, mouth-watering American delicacy.