We’ll Compromise: It’s a Hot Dog

Why is a frankfurter also called a wiener? It was invented in Vienna (Wien, in German) by Johann Georg Lahner, who hailed from Frankfurt.

A Citrus Century

Sunkist, the nation’s first agricultural cooperative to reach 100 years of consecutive operation, plans to spend a year celebrating. In August, it will help establish a park in Riverside, where California’s first navel orange tree was planted. It’s also giving out the 13 most requested citrus recipes of the last century--from lemon meringue pie and grapefruit cake with cream cheese-grapefruit frosting to microwave fish rolls and an orange-and-broccoli pasta salad. Send a business-sized, self-addressed, stamped envelope to TOPS Consumer Affairs, Sunkist Growers Inc., P. O. Box 7888, MS 236, Van Nuys, Calif. 91409-7888.

Kelpickles

These are definitely not your ordinary pickles--geometrically perfect green rings with a texture that is somehow clean without being crunchy. They’re made from kelp gathered by pickle-maker Jerry Westfall of Mendocino, Calif. Health foodies will be interested because of the minerals found in seaweed, such as phosphates, potash and iodine, but others may just like the science-fictional look. The original style (“spicy sweet”) is a bread-and-butter-style pickle with a little garlic and mustard flavor; there are also dill and jalapeno varieties. Order from Pickles From the Sea, (707) 937-5570.

Anybody Wanna Buy an Ostrich?

If you’re in the market for ostriches, there’s going to be an ostrich (and emu, and rhea bird) auction at the Stockton (Calif.) Livestock Exchange May 6. But bring your wallet. Ostrich meat is both cheaper to produce than beef and far leaner (down to 1% fat), so breeders are anticipating a boom, and breeding pairs have fetched prices in the thousands of dollars. (By the way, if you have an ostrich--or an emu, or a rhea--to sell , no problem; just bring it in by 5 p.m. the night before.)