Hot Dog!

Hot dogs don’t seem to be a big menu item here in Oregon. They were big on the East Coast when I was growing up. Just about every town had a hot dog stand of one kind or another. I recall Johnny and Hange’s and Libby’s in Patterson New Jersey as giants of the industry from the early part of the 20th century. When going to Yankee or Shea stadium it seemed like everyone in the audience had at least one hot dog during the game. On the streets of New York there was always a Sabrett hot dog cart within sight.

In the town where I grew up there was a road side stand that looked like the building in the photo above. It was a long shack with shutters over the open air windows. When they were open the shutters were propped up creating a make-shift roof above the customers that came to the counter. There was no neon signs nor as I recall there weren't even any signs stating what sort of business it was. The place was called Herk’s and it was a hot dog stand. It was the home of the Texas Weiner, which was smothered in onions and some sort of saucy ground beef concoction.

This was the kind of place that deep fried their hot dogs. I know it sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen, but hey, these things were great before we all learned what hot dogs were made from.

Herk’s was a popular stand. My sister worked there and she would give me free cups of root beer when ever I visited her there.

With their success came some building modifications that enclosed the customer end. Outdoor picnic tables were replaced by indoor seating and Herk’s stayed open all year.

Eventually the owners retired and sold the business to someone with few business skills who ran it into the ground. It was again sold and reopened as Taco Jacks, which lasted for a year or so. Mexican food wasn’t big back then on the East Coast. In fact I don’t think I even sampled Mexican Food until I was in my late 20s.

I went for years without having that sort of hot dog again after Herk’s closed, but one night I found a hot dog stand on the shores of Lake Champlain. There they served Michigan Red Hots. These hot dogs were even better than anything I ever had at Herk’s. Usually the foods that are imprinted on you at an early age are the standard that makes anything tasted after the impression was made seem inferior. However, these Michigan Red Hots blew Herk’s out of the water. It still stands as the best in my mind, but now the competition is over because I can’t eat like that any more.

So hail to the old hot dog stands and to the time before cholesterol counts controlled our lives.