For the longest time, hot dogs have faced a significant amount of scrutiny from Americans. Their common question—accompanied by a gasp—when seeing those tubes of mystery meat in your fridge?
“Do you even know what’s in hot dogs?!”
Truth be told, hot dogs are far from being a mere casing stuffed with random animal parts you have no idea of. More than this, there’s nothing actually scary about its contents!
On that note, we have created this blog to address this misconception once and for all and to show appreciation to American’s most underrated meat. Get to know these packaged meat products more in the sections below.
1. These “Tubes of Mystery Meat” Aren’t Mysterious At All
Hot dogs can be made of pork, chicken, beef, or turkey. Sometimes, they can also be a combination of everything. If you want to make sure of what you’re eating, you can consult the label at the back and you’ll surely find the information you need there.
However, if you aren’t too pleased with the idea of eating the meat combination mentioned above, you can go with halal hot dogs which are made from 100% beef. Aside from this, you will also be able to find organic options at stores. These use only specific parts of an animal.
2. They’ve Been Around for More Than Half a Millenium
If you’re a lover of the frankfurter, you’ll be whipped to know that it celebrated its 500th birthday back in 1987. It is believed to be developed between 1484-1487 in Frankfurt (hence the name).
If you’ve been paying attention to your history lessons, you’ll notice that hot dogs are actually older than Columbus’ voyage to the Americas!
3. They Probably Started the Food Cart Trend
Hot dogs soon came to America; in fact, they are believed to be sold off of food carts during the 1860s.
It may be safe to say that they were among the first foods sold at food carts. To let you in on the story behind, here’s a little fun fact: it was in 1871 when the first recorded sale of hot dogs happened! According to records, a guy named Charles Feltman opened the first hot dog stand on Coney Island. He sold over 4,000 hot dogs a year.
4. They’re Perfect for Multitasking
Let’s face it—we live in such a fast-paced world today. So fast-paced, that we always end up running to our next appointment or doing two things at the same time. Well, that, or maybe we’ve just grown to become a little bit too lazy at times…
That aside, hot dogs are the perfect food for when you’re driving to your next appointment or heading straight to the next meeting. You may not always have a chance to sit down for a proper meal if you have a jam-packed day. That said, you keep that grumbling stomach satisfied by grabbing a hot dog. Unlike burgers or fries, they’re easy to grab and eat on the run without ruining your clothes.
Conclusion
Hot dogs have gotten a bad rap because of being known as that packaged meat with ingredients from who-knows-where. The good news is that hot dog manufacturers and joints are recognizing this problem and are offering far better choices for everyone!
What’s even better is that despite this unpleasant treatment we humans have given them, hot dogs remain to be awesome food choices they’ve been through the years. They’re tasty yet inexpensive, easy to eat, and simple to cook. What more can you ask for?
Craving for some hot dogs in Valparaiso, Indiana? We’re the place to be! At George’s Gyros Spot, we’re always cookin’ up Chicago dogs, Italian beef, gyros, polish dogs, and cheeseburgers. Dine-in with us today to enjoy pure hot dog goodness!