The perfect meal (Photo by TheBusyBrain) Back in July, we dealt with the multiple claimants to the title "inventor of the hamburger." At the time, we asked you not to get us started on who invented the hot dog, but what with the passing of the summer grilling season and the rolling-around of Hot Dog Day; well, we’ve decided to take on the topic. The sausage itself goes back thousands of years. There are descriptions from China as far back as 589 BCE, and even a lost Greek comedy from around 500 BCE called "The Sausage." But the "hot dog" variation is of comparatively recent vintage. As with the hamburger, the food is of German or Austrian origin. The "frankfurter sandwich" clearly owes its name to Frankfurt, and the "wiener" to Vienna (or "Wien," as the locals know it). And while those creations date back to around 1500 AD, the hot dog we know and love today didn't emigrate to the United States until around 1867, when German immigrant Charles Feltman began selling sausages in rolls to hungry visitors at Coney Island. Feltman served 3,684 hot dogs during his first year in business, a mere fraction of the what is consumed today. Feltman would seem to hold the crown as inventor of the hot dog, but Antonoine Feuchtwanger of St. Louis also has his supporters. Feuchtwanger, in a tale that sounds apocryphal, sold sausages on the streets and gave his customers white gloves to protect their hands from the hot food. After too many customers walked off with the gloves, Feuchtwanger asked his baker brother-in-law to devise a bun to put the sausages in. What makes this story sound fishy to us is another story involving one Anton Ludwig Feuchtwanger, who served sausages in rolls at either the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago or the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis, again substituting bread rolls for gloves. Even the story of how the name "hot dog" was coined is murky. Supposedly, around 1900, cartoonist Tad Dorgan heard a vendor at New York's Polo Grounds selling "red hot dachshund sandwiches," and, not knowing how to spell "dachshund," Dorgan drew a cartoon featuring a "hot dog" instead. (This story loses credibility when one realizes that Dorgan didn't move to New York until 1903, the cartoon in question has never turned up, and the term "hot dog" was already in use by 1893.) Regardless of where the hot dog came from or how it got its name, Americans love them, and eat some 20 billion every year (that's 70 per person), with 155 million of those consumed on the Fourth of July alone. While pretty much everyone seems to eat hot dogs, everyone also has their own particular way of enjoying them. My own favorite is a hot grilled Dodger Dog with ketchup, mustard, and relish. You can also get them deep-fried ("rippers"), with bacon and guacamole, with chili and slaw, on a stick, made from antelope, elk, buffalo, reindeer, or salmon, done up like a pizza, from the place where the pros go, or you can try the inexplicably popular Chicago style, which buries the poor dog under a mountain of mustard, pickle spears, tomatoes, peppers, celery salt, and neon-green relish. Now, if you'll excuse me, the "recession special" at Gray's Papaya (two dogs and a drink for less than five bucks) is sounding mighty good right about now. Suggested Sites... National Hot Dog & Sausage Council - the big dogs of hot dogs. A Hot Dog Program - Pittsburgh's Rick Sebak went in search of America's finest hot dog emporiums -- and found them. Travel Channel: Hot Dog Paradise - their guide to the best tubes of processed meat. Wikipedia: Hot Dogs - history, variations, and places to get them. USDA: Hot Dogs and Food Safety - the official federal standards (we'll bypass whether they're good for you ...)

Directory categories: Hot Dogs, Hot Dog Recipes, Sausage, Fast Food Restaurants

Archived under: Beef, Celebrations, Chicago, Cooking, Delicatessen, Eating, Events, Fast Food, Food and Drink, Germany, Hot Dogs, In Character, Junk Food, Meat, New York, Sandwiches, Snacks, Summer, United States

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The perfect meal: an In-N-Out "Double-Double" with fries (Photo by Elliot) On July 28, 1900, a hungry customer rushed into Louis Lassen's luncheonette in New Haven, CT, and asked for something that he could eat on the run. Lassen slapped a broiled beef patty between two slices of bread and invented the hamburger. Or did he? There's an old saying that "success has a hundred fathers, while failure is an orphan," and nowhere is that adage truer than in the question of exactly who invented the hamburger. Given its phenomenal success (Americans alone consume some forty billion per year), it's not surprising that there are at least three other claimants to the title "Father of the Hamburger." The earliest contenders seem to be the Menches brothers (Frank and Charles), itinerant sandwich vendors who traveled the state- and county-fair circuit at the end of the 19th century. In 1895, they ended up at the Buffalo Fair at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. Local butchers were unable to provide the boys with their usual pork sausages, so they substituted ground beef flavored with "coffee beans and brown sugar, and other ingredients that remain a secret" (yum!). The sandwich became a hit and took its name from the venue, which would seem to end the controversy. Except that, also in 1895, Charlie Nagreen was trying to sell meatballs at the Seymour Fair in Seymour, WI. The fair was a hit, but Nagreen was not. Meatballs are tasty, but aren't necessarily easy to eat while walking through a fair. Charlie was seized with the idea of making them more portable by smashing them between, yes, two slices of bread, and they immediately became a hit. Since loaves of ground beef, known as "Hamburg steaks," (named after the city in Germany) were a popular meal, Nagreen named his invention the "Hamburger sandwich," which was soon shortened to "hamburger." The least-likely innovator was Fletcher Davis, who owned a lunch counter in Athens, TX (the self-proclaimed "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World"). Davis, according to oral reports, had been serving a ground-beef sandwich as early as the 1880s. He claimed to have sold the sandwich at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis (where the sandwich was undoubtedly served -- the New York Tribune wrote about the sensation it caused), but unfortunately, there’s no hard evidence to prove that Davis was the man serving them. (Though McDonald's does give the St. Louis fair credit for serving the burger, in spite of the earlier documented examples.) Regardless of who invented the hamburger, it's become as much a part of American culture as, well, apple pies and the hot dog (and don’t get us started on who invented that) -- from backyard cookouts and drive-ins to such noted fanciers as J. Wellington Wimpy and Forsthye P. (Jughead) Jones. The sandwiches range in size from normal to large to beyond jumbo to ridiculous, and while some of us are satisfied with just one, there are some folks who can finish off 103 sliders (in ten minutes!) or a 9-pound giant in less than half an hour. But if you don't mind, all this burger talk has made us hungry. We'll take ours medium with ketchup, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, pickles, and a touch of mustard, please. Suggested Sites... Louis' Lunch - where the hamburger was invented. Menches Brothers - news about the other inventors of the hamburger. Home of the Hamburger - another place where the hamburger was invented. Home of the Original Hamburger - and yet one more. A Hamburger Today - burger blog with ketchup, mustard -- and opinions.

Directory categories: Hamburger Recipes, Hamburger Restaurants, Fast Food Restaurants, Food and Drink Blogs, Fast Food Calorie Counters

Archived under: American History, Anniversaries, Cooking, Creativity, Eating, Fast Food, Food and Drink, Hamburgers, History, Invention, Inventors, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Tourist Attractions

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Is there a more tempting sign? (Photo by House of Sims) That perfectly round circle of dough: sometimes glazed; sometimes filled with sweet, sweet jelly; always fluffy -- and best when "Hot Now." Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Krispy Kreme donut. Like the millions of others who have succumbed to the sweet indulgence of this little ring of flour, yeast, and sugar since July 13, 1937, my own first encounter with a Krispy Kreme was an instant revelation: I had to have a second one right away! The company's success story began in Winston-Salem, NC, when Rudolph Vernon, who had previously worked in donut shops with his uncle in Kentucky and Tennessee, decided to open his own shop. The legend says that he chose Winston-Salem after looking at a pack of Camel cigarettes and seeing they were manufactured there. Using a recipe his uncle had bought from a Frenchman in Louisiana, Rudolph began by selling donuts to stores around town, but soon customers, attracted by the irresistibly delicious smells emanating from the Krispy Kreme kitchens, wanted to cut out the middleman and buy directly from Vernon. When mechanization came along the 1950's, the days of hand-cut donuts were over, to be replaced by Krispy Kremes that were cut, cooked, and glazed automatically. The donut-making theatre became a local attraction that expanded to New York City in 1996 and Los Angeles three years later. The world had to wait until 2001 to eat Krispy Kremes, though, when the company expanded to Canada, Australia, Mexico, and England, adding to the happy throngs who can enjoy the sweet treat. Once you've sunk your teeth into the 200+ calories, it's time to exercise! And what better way than the "Tour de Donut," which has been held annually in Staunton, IL since 1989? Participants of this 32-mile race get minutes deducted from their total time for each donut they eat during the two pit stops. You can also take the "Krispy Kreme Challenge" in Raleigh, NC: run two miles, eat a dozen donuts, and run two more miles -- all in less than one hour. If you're more into savory pleasures, the "Luther Burger" will definitely end your hunger. Popularized by the Gateway Grizzlies minor league baseball club. it consists of a cheeseburger, two strips of bacon, and a sliced Krispy Kreme instead of a regular bun. For the investment of only 1000 calories and 45 grams of fat, you get a full combo menu ... and maybe a heart attack! Suggested Sites... Krispy Kreme: The Success Story - detailed chronology of the maker of the "original glazed." Krispy Kreme Fun Facts - in one week, Krispy Kreme produces enough doughnuts to stretch from Los Angeles to New York City. Around the World in 80 Donuts - from the French beignet to Iceland's kleinuhringur, all the international variations of the donut. National Museum of American History: Krispy Kreme - corporate records and history from 1937 to 1997. Mmm Donuts - words of wisdom from Homer Simpson.

Directory categories: Donut Shops, Donut Recipes, Desserts and Sweets, Restaurants

Archived under: 1930s, American History, Anniversaries, Baking, Brands, Desserts, Donuts, Eating, Fast Food, Food and Drink, Fried Food, Hamburgers, History, In Character, Inventors, Junk Food, Races, Restaurants, United States

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The Automat in 1936 (Photo from Bob Bobster) Once upon a time, five cents went a long way. You could make a phone call, ride the subway, or buy a newspaper (though you couldn't get a "good cigar," apparently…) This was especially true in Manhattan, when New Yorkers with a fistful of nickels could eat, if not the best food in town, certainly the fastest, by going to the Automat. Automats in America were an invention of the Horn & Hardart Company. While there were never more than a handful in New York and Philadelphia, they made a quick and indelible mark on American society, beginning on July 7, 1912. The idea behind the restaurant was simple and democratic. Anyone with a nickel -- from socialite to panhandler -- could enter the restaurant, sit at one of the immaculate tables, and enjoy hot meals, sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, pies, and what was reputed to be the best coffee in town, served hot from a chrome dolphin’s head. Horn & Hardart pioneered drip-brewed coffee and the java served was never more than twenty minutes old. In the 1950s, they served more than 90 million cups annually. (By comparison, in 2006, Starbucks sold nearly 1.5 billion cups of joe -- but since they had more than 12,000 locations; that's only 125,000 per store.) While the bill of fare at the Automat was never more than what you’d find at a really good cafeteria, it was the uniqueness of the method of payment that brought folks back. Patrons could enter with bills or coins, go to the central change booths (staffed by "nickel throwers"), and get as many nickels as they needed. Once they had their change, diners would proceed to a wall of small glass doors (behind which waited cold and hot foods), and drop as many nickels into the slot as were needed to pay. They’d then slide the door open, remove the food (which was instantly replenished from the huge kitchens on the other side of the wall), and sit down (or stand at the post office-like counters for a "perpendicular meal"). Of course, for some, not even nickels were necessary; many Depression-era diners were able to enjoy hot meals by making "Automat Tomato Soup," which combined the restaurant’s free hot water and ketchup. As with most good things, the Automat couldn't last. The combination of rising prices and the proliferation of fast-food restaurants (not to mention real estate values) made the Automats museum pieces, fit only for nostalgists. The spaces were converted to Burger Kings, and in 1991, the last Automat closed. (And even that space has since been turned into a Gap.) In 2006, a trio of entrepreneurs opened an updated version of the concept in New York's Greenwich Village, but it, too, shuttered earlier this year, a victim of costs (and mediocre reviews). That may seem like the end of the road, but a 35-foot section of the Philadelphia automat lives on at (where else?) the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Unfortunately, there's no pie behind those windows any more. Suggested Sites... The Automat - the history, recipes, and allure of Horn & Hardart's masterpiece. Meet Me at the Automat - history of the restaurants from Smithsonian Magazine. Bamn! - the recent attempt at recreating the Automat format. Automat Recipes - recreate the mac and cheese, baked beans, and creamed spinach. Last Day at the Automat - listen to an audio report on the closing of the last Automat.

Directory categories: Restaurants, Fast Food, New York Restaurants, Manhattan History, Food and Drink History

Archived under: 1910s, 1930s, American History, Anniversaries, Disappearances, Eating, Fast Food, Food and Drink, New York, Pennsylvania, Restaurants, Tourist Attractions, United States

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(Photo by Iestyn Hughes) Why is food so hot? Maybe it’s because everybody eats. Or maybe it's because it’s all around us. We watch it being made on TV, we cook it in our homes, and we tweet about it. We even pay through the nose to partake in it on the sly. If we are what we eat, we are fast and we are slow. We are divided into a world of different faiths, from Pizzaphiles to Tacotarians to experts in Mixology. Maybe even more than eating food, we love talking about it: developing recipes, photographing our creations, and critiquing the restaurants we’ve visited with our friends (even if we keep the really good ones to ourselves). After all, if sharing a meal with friends is the height of interpersonal contact, sharing a meal with the entire Internet has to be better by orders of magnitude, right? Suggested Sites... The Ghetto Gourmet - find an underground dinner party near you Chowhound - discussions about food, wine, cooking, cookware, how and what to eat. FoodBuzz - a busy community sharing recipes and restaurants.

Directory categories: Recipes, Social Networks, Eating Practices, Food and Drink, Food Blogs

Archived under: Alcohol, Blogs, Cocktails, Cooking, Eating, Fast Food, Food and Drink, Internet, Junk Food, Networks, Pizza, Restaurants, Slow Food, Social Networking, Society and Culture

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