Chicago, Dawg!

This past Thursday, I was in Chicago. Well, probably closer to a suburb of Chicago but you get the point. Anywhoo, I decided to try a Chicago-style hot dog. I have been curious about these creations and when in Rome, you eat the fare.

Mr. Wonderful and I stopped in a Fuddrucker's-esque eatery and I ordered a Chicago-style dog with onion rings. The onion rings were meh and the dog was even worse.

I'm all for trying new things. But I will never have one of these hot dogs again. The best part of it: all beef frank. The worst: tie between suuuuper spicy sport peppers and celery salt. Ick. The peppers, o.k., they were just too spicy. But the celery salt was like tasting bad air. And I couldn't see it to remove it. Everything was standard: the pickle was large but fine, the relish was fine, onions, fine. Tomato: meh. But those two items alone ruined the hot dog for me. I ate it because I was hungry but no relishing (and no pun intended) came from my first and only experience with this hot dog.

Then I started thinking: how did people decide to combine these ingredients? I believe it was out of desperation. Hot dogs are cheap and easily made (I assume, I mean, you don't need choice cuts of meat), pickles, relish, sport peppers, and onions keep for a long time, and the tomatoes may have been a later addition or perhaps these were a summer food?? The celery salt: I just don't get. But whatever. To each their own.

We tried getting some Chicago-style pizza but it just didn't work out. Even more reason to go back! :)