12/21/24
May 11, 2004
Wisconsin's most famous sausage has decided to retire, but she'll always relish the memories.
Block was recognized by the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council with a certificate of bravery. Dare I say, that this might be the best thing that will ever happen to her.
posted by usfbull at 08:09 AM on May 11, 2004
Those people at the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council are assholes. A while ago, when I was unemployed, but still working (they gave me notice before being laid off) I spent the better part of my days emailing those arrogant bastards about their claim that people 18 years old or more should not eat their hotdogs with ketchup. Now, I'm a loyal lover of the hot-dog. I eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I eat them in my home, at the ballpark, and whenever I can at fine restaurants everywhere. I scored high on their test. But no, no, no... The jerks never removed their "rule". I tried to enlist the good people at Heinz, Horseradish.org (another fine dog topping I'm sure they frown upon), and my congressmen, but even the mighty weight of these folks could not sway the NHD&SC. Jerks, the whole lot of them.
posted by 86 at 09:16 AM on May 11, 2004
I wasn't aware Simon made such an effort to make things right. That's commendable. As for Block, the Brewers should have organized a going-away party for her involving season-ticket holders. Everyone likes a Meat-n-Greet, no?
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:30 AM on May 11, 2004
Wait...you put ketchup on your hot dogs? Ketchup does *not* belong on hot dogs! And here I thought such ideas fell with the Berlin Wall. Damn commies...putting ketchup on things other than burgers and eggs...
posted by NoMich at 09:33 AM on May 11, 2004
Commies??!?!? Look jerk, I live in a free country and I'll put anything I damn well please on my dog. I'll smother the damn thing in "Red" Sauce, Chinese spices, or Vodka if I please and God help the man, woman, or lobbying group who says I can't. I'm writing my congressmen again, NoMich. Ketchup on eggs? Now, that is questionable.
posted by 86 at 11:08 AM on May 11, 2004
ketchup on eggs is gross. i'm all about ketchup and mustard on my hotdog.
posted by jerseygirl at 11:55 AM on May 11, 2004
86, I don't use the word "Hero" very often, but you sir, are the greatest hero this country has ever known.
posted by yerfatma at 12:05 PM on May 11, 2004
I actually don't put ketchup on my eggs, but my dad and brothers do. I, too, think it's rather gross. Almost as gross as putting it on hot dogs. This is what belongs on hot dogs: mustard celery salt onion slices (fried or raw. i prefer fried) pickle wedges the following are optional: pickle relish hot peppers vodka And the hot dog itself should be a Vollwerth natural casing dog.
posted by NoMich at 12:15 PM on May 11, 2004
celery salt...I gotta give that a try.
posted by garfield at 12:31 PM on May 11, 2004
86: what about green ketchup?
posted by jasonspaceman at 12:41 PM on May 11, 2004
Try a creamy horseradish sauce too. Seriously. The new rules: Dress your dogs as you see fit. Cook your dogs as you see fit. Eat your dogs as you see fit.
posted by 86 at 01:21 PM on May 11, 2004
86, what about sauerkraut or coleslaw or chili? These people are liable to disagree.
posted by trox at 01:28 PM on May 11, 2004
Richard Nixon was famous for putting ketchup on his eggs.
posted by usfbull at 01:49 PM on May 11, 2004
From: (My Email AT hotmail.com) Sent: Friday, April 26, 2002 2:02 PM To: (Some Person at the Hot Dog Council) Subject: The error of your ways. Good afternoon, You arrogant bastards!! How dare you tell me how to eat my hot dog! What gives you the right to dictate the terms of my consumption of my favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner product? You should be ashamed of yourselves. You should be embarrassed to have a reference to America in your organizations name! The dictatorial methods you use to subvert the pleasurable consumption of hot dogs and sausages should be condemned far and wide. This is why I write today. I demand an apology from your organization for all of those red-blooded Americans, born with the inalienable rights to eat what we want, when we want and yes, how we want. Your efforts will not stand. I am a proud consumer of the product you claim you support. Indeed, the muscles employed in the act of deglutition of the "food of God's", sing praises of joy and great comfort after each bite. They are heavenly things, the hot-dog, and it's twisted sister, the sausage. They should be enjoyed by all and limited in no way. As a fan of the hot-dog and the sausage, I recently went in search of information of these treasures of America. In that effort I was very pleased to come across you site, hot-dog.org. Imagine how pleased I was to find such a treasure trove of information on these glorious foods. The "Congressional Hot Dog Recipe Book" for example, seems to me to be the perfect confluence of America's glowing democratic history and the average American's favorite food. Food for the people, by the people, enjoyed by all of the people!!! Again, it was with great relief that I found all of your information on hot-dog facts and figures. I took your poll. I was impressed by just how many of my fellow citizens craved and enjoyed these foodstuffs that stand on the tip-top of the goodness pedestal. And on, and on... your site contains such a wonderful array of tools and resources for those like me, again, for all. I've impressed family, friends, my girlfriend and two perfect strangers with my newly found interesting factoids regarding hot-dogs and sausages. I scored high on your test. And yet, there it is. I must admit that I missed it at first because it's buried deep (with great shame, I hope) within your site. Your completely misguided and wholly fabricated attempts to explain "Hot Dog Etiquette," are quite simply a farce and a fraud perpetrated on America. I am, of course, specifically referring to your uneducated feelings about ketchup. 'Frank'ly, you frank and wiener snobs have me upset because of this. You're telling me that I can't eat a hot dog with ketchup? Who are you to tell me such a thing!!! Sure, I'm above 18, but what does that have to do with ketchup. How should that affect the way I dress my dog? For the record I enjoy it all. I like cheese and chili. I love mustard and yes, you arrogant punks, ketchup. Sauerkraut, all the better. Onions, the choice of Kings and Queens. Barbecued or microwaved. Served in a bun, plain or snuggled neatly in an omelet, smothered with peppers and hot sauce. With horseradish, (not a single mention on your site, I'd like to say) or honey or baked in a pie, you can't tell me any of my favorite snacks are wrong, and then expect me to just sit back and take it. Where do you get off? Are you in some longstanding feud with the good people at Heinz? Are you simply lonely? Did you suffer some catastrophic ketchup accident that has scarred you for life? Or are you just pompous? Where does this self-righteousness come from? I demand an apology. I demand an apology for myself and all of those great Americans who enjoy hot-dogs as much as, dare I say more than, you do. This is not because of, but with one of our favorite condiments. Hotdogs (and ketchup) rule! - Me
posted by 86 at 01:58 PM on May 11, 2004
Telling people to not eat hot dogs with ketchup? Man, that makes the people at the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council sound like wieners.
posted by gspm at 02:03 PM on May 11, 2004
I eat hot dogs with relish and ketchup and, sometimes, mustard. I have also enjoyed coney dogs, which comprise a generous addition of chili and even cheese on a dog. These are all perfectly acceptable ways to enjoy a pork product wrapped in a bun. btw, noMich, I'm disappointed that your Berlin Wall comment did not end with the rousing refrain: Ich bin ein Frankfurter!
posted by worldcup2002 at 02:33 PM on May 11, 2004
To agree with ketchupping or not ketching up is almost beside the point. It's still sort of a free country, and you can dip the things in 10W40 if you're so inclined. But 86, I gotta ask: Axe to grind much? I'm sure that letter is up on someone's wall at the Wiener Council.
posted by chicobangs at 02:48 PM on May 11, 2004
chicobangs, I was on the job while fired for a little more than two weeks. That email was only the beginning (and all in good fun).
posted by 86 at 02:50 PM on May 11, 2004
Ich bin ein Frankfurter!
posted by 86 at 03:03 PM on May 11, 2004
catastrophic ketchup accident Re: what happens anytime you use the red stuff instead what should properly go on any foodstuff — Weber's Mustard.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:53 PM on May 11, 2004
Let's not get into a pickle over the subject of hot dog dressings.
posted by worldcup2002 at 04:28 PM on May 11, 2004
"Wow, he put some mustard on that one!"
posted by worldcup2002 at 04:29 PM on May 11, 2004
Ketchup. meh.
posted by rocketman at 04:49 PM on May 11, 2004
Ketchup and eggs go quite well together, thanks very much. Ketchup goes well with many, many foods.
posted by billsaysthis at 07:47 PM on May 11, 2004
Fighting about this could get my buns in hot water.
posted by wfrazerjr at 07:54 PM on May 11, 2004
im sorry. im a simple girl. ketchup on burgers and dogs. and fries. i havent had french fries in forever. ah, the greasy goodness. i miss it.
posted by jerseygirl at 09:00 PM on May 11, 2004
Ich bin ein donut. I always thought that Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" statement when literally translated meant "I am a Jelly Donut (or possibly pancake)." Sadly, this isn't so. Google, or better yet, ask your German friends. Man, that would have been funny. Anyway, I can attest to the fact that 86 actually sent that e-mail to the good people at the hot-dog council. He CCed me and posted it on our website. He also e-mailed the people at some sort of horseradish council to let them know that those hot dog types didn't care for their condiment. I think he was trying to start some sort of war between the hot dog and horseradish factions. I can't recall how it ended. In any case, this is my favorite thread derail in the history of Spofi. And for the record - onions, kraut, and chili are hot dog triumvirate.
posted by Samsonov14 at 02:09 AM on May 12, 2004
does this make it one favouriter?.... 
I animatified this sausage pic to help me describe going to the eatery Monster Mash. I am not so sad as to have done it for this thread. just squeezing some more use out of my effort.
posted by gspm at 04:23 AM on May 12, 2004
I always thought that Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" statement when literally translated meant "I am a Jelly Donut (or possibly pancake)." Sadly, this isn't so. Google, or better yet, ask your German friends. To be grammatically correct, Kennedy would have had to say "Ich bin Berliner". He tossed the extra "ein" in there, which leads to the jelly donut thing, a Berliner apparently being some kind of pastry. That's what my German teacher told us, anyway. There's also those natives of Hamburg and Vienna to think about (Vienna in German is spelled Wien).
posted by LionIndex at 09:40 AM on May 12, 2004
SpoFi: We make your weiner dance.
posted by wfrazerjr at 10:09 AM on May 12, 2004
Ich bin ein Weiner!
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:14 PM on May 12, 2004
Let's just say this discussion confirms how many different ways we like our meat between buns.
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:15 PM on May 12, 2004
Is the 'Ich bin...." reference to MOH? because that's all I can hear in my head. My meatlog of choice is the Cheddarwurst - a tailgater's best friend.
posted by garfield at 01:02 PM on May 12, 2004
Is the 'Ich bin...." reference to MOH? because that's all I can hear in my head. No; speech by JFK in Berlin. "Mr. Kruschev, tear down this wall!" and all that.
posted by LionIndex at 01:18 PM on May 12, 2004
thanks LionIndex... if you happen to play that game, "ich bin ein Frankfurter" is fecking hilarious. It resembles a built-in 'taunt' that is quite popular.
posted by garfield at 01:22 PM on May 12, 2004
If I see or hear "relish the memories" one more time I'll hit her with a baseball bat ;)