#284: What Could Be Wurst?
Summer cometh: the grills get scraped clean, the buns are split, and hungry Americans get set to boil or broil their wursts, wieners, and sausages. In the summer of 2021, Jamie Loftus drove from coast to coast, tasting the vast array of hot dogs that America has to offer, consuming as many as four a day\u2014and in one notable (or regrettable) instance, five. Chicago-style and the Coney Island special; drive-through and deli; chili and chile: Loftus devoured them all. Her ensuing book, Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs, brings the glory and the gory. It may be the first to detail not only the different genders of pickle jars one can buy at a gas station, but also the horrific treatment of animals and workers at slaughterhouses, conditions that got distinctly worse during the pandemic. Loftus\u2014stand-up comedian, TV writer, and creator of such illustrious one-season podcasts as \u201cMy Year in Mensa\u201d and \u201cGhost Church\u201d\u2014joins us to talk about the wild world of that iconic American food.
Go beyond the episode:
- Jamie Loftus\u2019s Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs
- ProPublica\u2019s expos\xe9 of the meatpacking industry during Covid revealed awful conditions, and government collusion
- Delight your senses with PBS\u2019s classic A Hot Dog Program
- Visit our episode page for a list of the varieties mentioned in this episode
Loftus\u2019s top five dogs are:
- Rutt\u2019s Hut in Clifton, New Jersey
- Hot Dog Ruiz Los Chipilones in Tucson, Arizona
- King Jong Grillin in Portland, Oregon
- The hot dog carts across the street from the Crypto.com Arena, or near Union Station in Los Angeles, California
- Texas Tavern in Roanoke, Virginia
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