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For
almost 30 years, I have lived a relatively happy life in the suburbs of
Atlanta. But in my heart, I remain a New Yorker. Most people dream in
color. I dream in various shades of New York gray. In the long list of
things that I miss about New York, you will find countless references to
food. As a New Yorker, I grew up in an environment with many culinary
influences. Italian, Chinese, Jewish Kosher Deli are all foods that I
claim as my own. They are what I refer to as "soul food." They are my
collard greens and pig's feet. I grew up in Brooklyn, with the
Brooklyn Dodgers and Brooklyn delicatessens – both, institutions.
 The
Frankfurter has been a favorite food since I was a child. The Coney Island
Nathan’s Hot Dog. The street vendors’ franks, smothered in mustard and
onion sauce. I didn’t start referring to frankfurters as “hot dogs” until
I moved South, which was appropriate because Southern hot dogs taste very
little like Brooklyn franks.
Actually, a sports cartoonist is given credit for coining the name
"hotdog," and the creation of the hot dog is still quite controversial.
Let’s take a look at the history of the frankfurter….
Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, celebrated the hotdog’s 500th
birthday in 1987, rejoicing the fact that one of its own had put together
this fine food in 1484. They were not alone. In Austria, Vienna ("Wein")
claims that the weiner originated in its parts, citing the root of the
word weiner to be their city. Also in the battle for the right to claim
invention, is Coburg, Germany. Many believe that butcher, Johann
Georghehner, while living in Coburg in the 1600’s, created the "dachshund"
or "little-dog" sausage. According to this claim, Johann later traveled to
Frankfurt in hopes of selling and promoting his creation.
Also up in the air is the site of the first hotdog and roll
combo sale. Since the hotdog is commonly eaten on a roll or bun, many are
curious as to who first coupled these two items. There are two theories.
One theory is that a German immigrant operating a pushcart first
distributed hotdogs with a milk roll and sauerkraut in New York City in
the 1860’s. Disputing this claim are believers that Charles Feltman was
the first to pair them up. A German Butcher, Feltman, opened a hotdog
stand in 1871 and sold over 3,500 hotdogs on a milk roll during his first
year.
The hotdog buns today, however, have come a long way from
the milk rolls of the 1860’s. The story goes that Anton Feuchtwanger, a
Bavarian Concessionaire, had a problem with his hotdog business. Anton
handed out white gloves to customers purchasing a hotdog, so that they
would not get their fingers greasy. These gloves were very rarely
returned, and this became very costly. Anton asked his brother-in-law, a
baker, for a solution. The baker developed long soft rolls that held the
hotdog in place, thus inventing the hotdog bun.
In 1893 the hotdog made its mark. The Colombian Exposition
brought swarms of hungry tourists who enjoyed the convenience, low cost,
and taste of this American delicacy. This year hotdogs became incorporated
into the ball park experience. St Louis bar owner, Chris Von de Ahe, who
also owned the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team, started the
long standing tradition by selling his already popular hotdogs to the
eager and hungry fans.
It was not until a cold day in 1903 that the sausages came
to be known as hotdogs. On the New York City Polo Grounds, concessionaire
Harry Stevens, whose ice cream and cold soda business was failing sent his
vendors out to buy all the sausages they could find and an equal number of
buns. Using portable hot water tanks, his vendors began selling sausages
while shouting "They’re red hot! Get your dachshund sausages while they’re
red hot!" Meanwhile, sitting in the press box, sports cartoonist Tad
Dorgan took notice of the spectacular sales and smells of the sausages. In
fear of a lingering deadline and in need of an idea, he quickly drew a
cartoon of barking sausages nestled warmly in rolls. Not knowing how to
spell dachshund, he improvised by simply writing "hot dog". The cartoon
became a huge success, and the term "hot dog" was coined.
Indeed the hotdog’s history has paved the way for its
incorporation into the modern world of quality, convenience, and high
standards. Today people all over the country enjoy hotdogs at baseball
games, picnics, and whenever they have the urge for a quick and satisfying
meal. Although the hotdog has become a tradition in many parts of the
nation, there is much variation in the way certain areas like them to be
prepared.
Highlighting a few of the higher consumption areas, the
hotdog tastes take twists and turns of preparation. The West, for example,
consumes the greatest number of poultry dogs in the country while the
Midwest enjoys more pork and beef hotdogs. Chicago, distinguishing itself
with the most condiments, prepares its hotdogs with yellow mustard, green
relish, chopped raw onions, pickles, tomato slices, peppers, and a dash of
celery salt. Kansas City enjoys hotdogs with sauerkraut and melted Swiss
cheese. The South is known for its slaw dogs, a hotdog "dragged though the
garden" and topped with coleslaw. Last but not least, New York dines on
hotdogs topped with steamed onions and pale yellow mustard sauce as well
as their world famous Coney dog, served with Chili, mustard, and onions.
As far as Chicago is concerned…Fluky’s has its own claim to
fame as the first Chicago Style Hotdog, starting out on Maxwell Street in
1929. It was the ingenious idea of one Abe "Fluky" Drexler, who decided to
turn his father’s vegetable cart into a hotdog stand and take advantage of
what seemed to be a new booming business, thanks to the Colombian
Exposition.
Nathan's and Coney Island
Nathan Handwerker
visited Coney Island in the summer of 1915 and saw a help wanted sign at
Feltman's restaurant. Although he was a manager of a modest restaurant in
downtown Manhattan, he decided to take the job slicing hot dog rolls for a
living. Within a year Nathan had saved $300 by frugally eating free hot
dogs at Feltman's. It was enough money to rent the ground floor of a
building located near the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues. He
installed counters in the weathered clapboard building and nailed up large
red signs proclaiming the five cent hot dog.
It was a great idea but Nathan nearly went broke. Even when he offered
root beer on the house and threw in a free pickle, the public was
suspicious. They ignored him and took their dimes to Feltman's.
Then in the early 1920's the subway extension enabled millions of New
York's poor to reach Coney Island for only a nickel. Nathan's stand had a
strategic position directly between the subway terminal and the boardwalk.
But even they, with only nickels in their pockets, were mistrustful of
Nathan's cheap price because in their experience, anything so cheap was
inferior.
To draw business Nathan resorted to hiring derelicts to sit at his counter
and eat free hot dog. But the crowd saw only bums and avoided the place.
Then he borrowed ten white jackets with white pants and ten stethoscopes
from a friend in the theatrical costume business and dressed ten freshly
shaven bums as doctors. When the public saw his sign, "If doctors eat our
hot dogs, you know they're good!", they began patronizing his stand. He
became so successful that the police were always trying to clear the mass
of customers that blocked the broad sidewalk in front of his stand.
Although his counter was only twenty feet long, Nathan's sold an average
of 75,000 frankfurters every summer weekend. His record was on Decoration
Day 1954 when 55,000 hot dogs were sold on a single day. Naturally his
counter became bigger and Nathan's became a year round operation. On July
6, 1955 he sold his one hundred millionth hot dog.
The old Coney
Island vanished during the winter of 1923-1924 when Surf Avenue and the
Bowery were widened for better fire fighting access. The loss of 25 feet
of property on each side of Surf Avenue and a similar amount on the Bowery
necessitated the tear down of 175 businesses. Old institutions, many
operating year round, such as Stubenbord's Restaurant, Stauch's,
Henderson's Music Hall, Child's Restaurant and even Nathan's were closed.
It was the first time that Coney Island was completely closed during the
winter season. Stauch's and Nathan's rebuilt on the same sites, while
Child's found a new home on the Boardwalk.
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Acknowledgement:
The Best of Chicago website
Jeffrey Stanton
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