
<p>Not every issue we face is a crisis or life-threatening problem. ; And not everything can be solved by politics and legislation. ; Some things continue to vex us for reasons beyond understanding.</p>



<p>In this case, I am referring to the American hot dog.</p>



<p>No, not whether we should be eating them or not. ; I leave that national dialogue to the dieticians, the doctors, and the vegans – and I pay no attention to them. ; I have been a frequent consumer of those meat-in-a-bun since I could eat solid food. ; I recently calculated that my lifetime consumption of hot dogs exceeds 10,000.</p>



<p>I am not using this commentary to address the controversy over which city has the best hot dog – with the debate largely between the New York (Nathan’s) ; crowd and the Chicago (Vienna) people. ; There are a few others promoting their local versions (a white hot dog?), but they are not even in the majors in the wiener war. ; For the record, the classic properly garnished Chicago Vienna all-beef dog (pictured above) wins hands down.</p>



<p>No, there are two issues that need to be resolved. ; One is very old – and the other more recent.</p>



<p>The first is the longstanding issue of the number of hot dogs in a package (6) and the number of buns in a package (8). ; That meant you have to purchase two packages of dogs with each package of buns. ; Of course, then you have four more dogs than buns.</p>



<p>I recently purchased a package with six buns only to discover that the folks at Oscar Mayer have dropped their hot dogs per package to four. ; That leaves two more buns and dogs. ; ;</p>



<p>As if the bun-to-dog ratios were not bad enough, there is now a more recent issue with the size. ; The dogs have shrunk. ; When you prep your hot dog, there is usually an empty bun at both ends. ; Why can’t the bakers and the hot dog makers talk to each other?</p>



<p>Now I find on the shelf something they call “bun length” dogs. ; These are longer and fill the bun better. ; However, they look a lot like the regular dogs of yore. ; So now we pay extra to get a dog that fits the bun.</p>



<p>And speaking of cost. ; Hot dogs – by net weight – are starting to approach the cost of a T-bone steak.</p>



<p>None of this has reduced my consumption of Chicago-style hot dogs – and never will. ; I just thought I should share the challenges we hot dog connoisseurs face in the pursuit of our passion.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Can We Please Solve the Hot Dog Problem?
