Opinion: Fourth of July hot dogs, presidential style
How will Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dress their Fourth of July hot dogs?
With apologies to all the third-party wannabes, this year’s race for the White House finally is down to two presidential candidates.
With July 4 just around the corner, the big question for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton isn’t what to do about ISIS. It’s this: How will each of them dress their holiday hot dog?
Given that tens of million of franks, red hots, wieners, dogs or whatever you call them will be consumed soon, neither Clinton nor Trump can afford to turn their backs on the voters who love America’s iconic food of foods.
This isn’t the first time I’ve asked the question or written about this topic. Beginning in 2004, I have highlighted how all the Democratic or Republican presidential candidates would dress their dogs; but, this is the first time I’ve narrowed it down to two.
So here, once again as a public service, I offer up my dream hot dogs for The Donald and Hillary:
Hillary is a product of both Chicago where she grew up and New York where she has lived for years. It would be easy to pick a Chicago-style dog for her (which is a steamed Vienna Beef frank on a poppy seed bun, topped with green relish, chopped onion, pickle spear, tomato wedges and peppers) or a typical Yankees or Mets stadium version (with dark mustard only).
With these recipes in mind, I’m guessing the former first lady, who probably hosted a number of hot dog events on the White House lawn, will go more with her Midwest roots than the Empire State she represented in the Senate. Why? Because Clinton needs the Rust Belt states to win in November. Leaning more toward a Chicago-style dog will send an important signal to general election voters in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states.
Trump, on the other hand, is the product of a Queens upbringing and Manhattan career in real estate. My guess is he has had a number of Nathan’s, Hebrew National or Sabrett-style pushcart dogs in his lifetime. It also wouldn’t surprise me if he’s had a few $20 Kobe beef dogs along the way as well.
My guess is Trump, who tends to love fast food, likes sending an apprentice to Papaya King for a grilled, garlicky frankfurter on a toasted bun topped with sauerkraut or tropical relish. This may help him gain a few votes in Hawaii, where Puka Dog is a favorite, but probably won’t be welcome news to voters in Wisconsin or Indiana. They take their brats and Spanish Sauce hot dogs very seriously.
Running for president is serious business. So are the optics associated with each campaign stop on the road to the White House. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump know how important the Fourth of July, fireworks and hot dogs are to voters coast to coast. Get ready to see each of them munching on their favorite hot dog on the Fourth.
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Denny Freidenrich writes from Laguna Beach. He likes his hot dog with ketchup, dark mustard and chopped onions. Oh, and with a bowl of chili on the side.
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