Every Lowe’s or Home Depot in Texas seems to have a food cart or truck offering these treats. Even if I’ve just eaten, it takes some self control to not grab one. The smell of the onions and brats sizzling away on the flat top is amazingly alluring. When I was young and could still shovel it down, I’d grab a brat with each of my trips to the hardware store even if I made several trips in a day.
Wow, is there a law against them putting a betting window out there? Sounds like a huge blind spot on the part of management if there isn’t.
I wrote the original post about Boy Scouts boiling hot dogs. Let me explain: For years I was the scoutmaster for new scout patrols, and one of their first requirements is to plan and prepare a meal at a campout, with an adult leader’s approval of the menu (hence the Executive Chef connection).
Inevitably the first meal was hot dogs, which is fine once or twice a year. Many times I was flabbergasted when they were getting ready to cook their hot dogs, and they pulled out a big pot from the mess box, getting ready to boil the hot dogs, just like their mothers did at home. I learned to step in quickly, asking the scouts if there might be another way of cooking them. Eventually they notice that there’s a fire pit right there, and even if there’s no fire going, someone would love to get one going. They learned that they could have a good old-fashioned wienie roast. It gets all the kids involved at once, standing around the fire, laughing if and when a hot dog falls off the stick into the fire. After that first experience, they never boil hot dogs again (except during burning bans, of course).
No law that I’m aware of. Heck, Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto had betting windows out behind the grandstand, near the paddock (walking ring). That was Woodbine, though; a huge operation, much bigger and better-attended than we have locally.
But betting windows require an electrical and computer connection, which doesn’t exist out there at our local track. The beer tent uses coolers full of ice, the grill uses tanks of propane, the cash register is a lockbox. Well, I suppose that given long enough extension cords for both electric and computer, something might be possible, but cords would present a tripping hazard, and we really don’t have a long enough racing season to justify that amount of money and trouble.
I boil Lil Smokies, since grilling the little suckers seems impractical. I normally pan fry full sized hot dogs although I’ve certainly had them boiled. Hot dogs are fully cooked in the package, so it’s perfectly safe to eat them uncooked, like lunch meat, but I’ve never brought myself to do such a thing, no matter how much of a hurry I’m in.
When I was in grad school, I’d have hot dogs or Polish sausages from a nearby gas station three or four times a week before my evening classes. They were cooked on a roller grill that heated them evenly with just a little charring of their skins. I liked them better than either boiled or steamed wieners.
Nowadays, I buy all-beef hot dogs almost exclusively. Kosher ones are the best.
