# Let's say I offered you five dollars to eat a Chicago-style hot dog... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2014, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256 "2014-10-03T06:02:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/41 "2014-10-03T13:09:09Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Yes, the wiener looks very off-putting to me, too—reminds me of the cheap, industrial, sort of gummy ones you find at the bottom of the shelf. I’m also not a great fan of tomatoes, but for a fiver, sure, I’ve eaten worse things I paid for. Yeah, the dog itself looks terrible, don’t it? Like an Oscar Mayer frank or something. [Here’s a real Chicago dog](http://www.gwiv.com/JimmysRedHot3.jpg) (more bare-bones style) from Jimmy’s. And [here’s](http://www.thedeliciouslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/portillos-chicago-hotdog.jpg) a full Chicago style dog from Portillo’s (well, minus the neon relish.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/42 "2014-10-03T13:10:03Z")
No thanks. I don’t like all that crap on my dog. Hot dog, bun, mustard. I do like chili dogs but to me that seems like an entirely different category. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/43 "2014-10-03T13:14:09Z")
5 bucks is 5 bucks, so yeah, but to me, most of that stuff does not belong on a hot dog. It’s just not right. If I’m loading up a dog, it’s going to look like [this](http://www.seriouseats.com/images/20091009-coneyisland1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/44 "2014-10-03T13:14:11Z")
I said no due to the presence of the tomato. Take that off, and we have a deal. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/45 "2014-10-03T13:25:01Z")
I’d say: “Thank you sir, may I have another?” if I had just watched Animal House, or “Please sir, may I have some more?” if I had just watched Oliver Twist. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/46 "2014-10-03T13:28:29Z")
I don’t care for raw tomato, but I’d likely eat it if I were hungry. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/47 "2014-10-03T13:29:48Z")
If it was a Chicago hot dog or skip a meal, I’d eat it and probably like it. But I pass on raw onions if I’m given a choice, and tomatoes on a hot dog just seems foreign to me (no ketchup for me, either). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/48 "2014-10-03T13:38:37Z")
I voted “no” before I realized that it wasn’t japaleno but just relish. I have no idea what jalapeno might do to my body, but some relish would be mild enough to stick it out for $5. I’d do it but I wouldn’t like it. Onions blech. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/49 "2014-10-03T13:47:50Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Not jalapeno, sport pepper. I can only assume that “sport pepper” is not a real name for a food, but something made up in order to sell more of it. At any rate, there’s just too damn much stuff on that hot dog. Hot dogs shouldn’t be _complicated_. If I’m eating this thing, the tomatoes must go; who the hell puts slices of tomatoes on a hot dog?\* And having not just pickle relish, but a whole slice of pickle besides? Put that sucker on the side, where it belongs. (You’re lucky you still have your brown paper bag, small change.) Ditch the stupid “sport pepper,” too. And let’s have some normal relish that doesn’t glow radioactive green. Then I’ll add some ketchup. 🙂 > [@DrFidelius](#): > > There’s no ketchup on it, so sure. $5 is $5. > > (Ketchup on a hot dog is an abomination.) Dude, it’s a _hot dog_. It’s not filet mignon. There is no way to eat a cylinder of meat made from all the parts of the animal you would otherwise abstain from eating, that would qualify as an abomination. - ETA: Chicagoans, obviously. But presumably they’ve been doing this for awhile, and it hasn’t exactly taken the rest of the country by storm. I’ve _never_ seen anyone put tomato slices on a hot dog. Never. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/50 "2014-10-03T13:51:16Z")
The only thing that made me hesitate is the onion. For $5, I’d still probably eat it anyway. Take it off, and then I’d pay a few bucks to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/51 "2014-10-03T13:56:23Z")
No way! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/52 "2014-10-03T13:58:35Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I can only assume that “sport pepper” is not a real name for a food, but something made up in order to sell more of it. Not sure why the name “sport pepper” would sell any better than “hot pepper.” (And they are a free and optional condiment on a full Chicago style dog. If you don’t ask for them, you generally won’t get them.) A sport pepper is a type of hot pepper, similar to a Tabasco pepper. You can read a whole [thread about it here](http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/Sport-Peppers-What-are-they-m87125.aspx). It appears to be a Southern and Chicago thing. And [here](http://www.seedman.com/pepper.htm) you can order seeds to grow your own, if you’d like. I agree about the tomatoes. I love tomatoes, but not so much on a hot dog. Most of the time, the tomatoes suck, anyway, which is why I go for the tomato-less dog most of the time (and it’s the Chicago style dog I grew up with.) The pickle spear can be eaten on the side. Some folks do just that. The neon relish is stupid and just Vienna beef marketing. We never had neon relish in my Chicago neighborhood. Nor did we have the poppy seed buns. (Basically, see the Jimmy’s hot dog that I linked to above for the style served in my neighborhood, although Jimmy’s is not in my neighborhood and miles away from me.) And I need the hot peppers. Just love 'em. They’re even better on a Polish. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/53 "2014-10-03T14:06:38Z")
Needs more sport peppers, but yes, please. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/54 "2014-10-03T14:07:19Z")
Sure. It’s a hot dog. And a fiver. Given my druthers I’d not put that much stuff on a hot dog; I’ve never found the hot dog to be a good medium for lots of toppings. Take a bite, the back of the bun blows out, half the shit falls off into your lap, big fucking mess. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/55 "2014-10-03T14:10:56Z")
I would do it in a heartbeat and then use the $5 to get some yummy Chicago-style pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/56 "2014-10-03T14:27:43Z")
Heck yeah I would. Would you also pay me 5 bucks to wash it down with a beer? 'Cuz I’d do that too. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/57 "2014-10-03T14:31:27Z")
The only thing I’d have a problem with is the hot dog itself. I don’t like the kind of dogs that snap when you bite them, and that’s typically the type they use for Chicago dogs. If I’m gonna eat a hot dog, I prefer the skinless franks. But I’d still eat it. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/58 "2014-10-03T14:31:37Z")
The reaction between the sport pepper and my ulcer isn’t worth the five bucks. Other than that I would have been on board (paid five buck to each lunch!) ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/59 "2014-10-03T14:33:11Z")
I would eat the hot dog and bun, but I like them plain, so it would take a lot more than $5 to get me to eat that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256/60 "2014-10-03T14:39:23Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I don’t like the kind of dogs that snap when you bite them, and that’s typically the type they use for Chicago dogs. Well, the pictured one did have a skinless dog. Sadly (at least for me), the casing dogs are going by the wayside (although most, if not all, of the big name Chicago hot dog stands do have the natural casing dogs.) I actually can’t think of any hot dog place by where I live that still has natural casing dogs (which is a big reason I don’t buy hot dogs anywhere in my neighborhood anymore.) Portillo’s, though, does. I’ve been burned by enough ma and pop places that serve skinless wieners that if I’m in the mood for a hot dog, I’ll seek out a Portillo’s if I’m not anywhere where I definitely know they have natural casing dogs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-say-i-offered-you-five-dollars-to-eat-a-chicago-style-hot-dog/700256.md?page=4)