I am an American and I Eat Hot Dogs

Friday, June 11th, 2004 Callahan Elementary School, Norwood

1 x hot dog with Heinz yellow mustard and Heinz relish

This was the second Harry and the Potters show that prominently featured hot dogs. On this day, I think they were as much an attraction as we were. We played to a bunch of grade schoolers who either had really poor memories or reading skills. Possibly both. They had no idea what to make of us, but they certainly did want us to sign lots of autographs. There are now many napkins that bear inspirational messages from Harry Year 4 and Harry Year 7.

Before we played, I had a dog with topped with special Heinz picnic condiments. They were the most American looking things you’ve ever seen. Fantastically tasty. Perfect for eating in the parking-lot-type playground of an elementary school as a pre-summer vacation warm-up.

Thursday, June 10th, 2004, Joe and Nemo’s Hot Dog King, Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA

Original with mustard and relish, $2.00

To my complete surprise, I finally found the Joe and Nemo’s downtown location open. And it was my birthday! What luck! So this ends up being my birthday dog.

I ordered up the original to give Joe and Nemo a fair chance to prove their worth. I must give them credit as I enjoyed this dog far more than the one I had during the great Crawl of August 2002. They loaded it up with mustard, which I approached skeptically. Fortunately, the mustard turned out to be more sweet than spicy, and it went nicely alongside their very acceptable relish. I still think Joe and Nemo’s are overrated, but they do serve a quality dog, so if you’re in the area and you’re hungry, they’re certainly a safe bet for a cheap and satisfying dog and they are definitely far better than Red Dogs, your other Downtown alternative.