Dirty water dogs, heard of them? I believe they may be a New York phenomenon. They are hot dogs sold from stands found on many New York City streets, known for the abundance of automobiles passing by releasing clouds of fumes. These special hot dogs float around a metal container full of tepid, gray-colored water until the hawker stabs one up and places them in a bun that has been treated in much the same loving way. But despite my description, I find them irresistible. It is not surprising considering my foundation in culinary tastes. Born in Hong Kong and raised in New York, I am a big city girl with an iron stomach. In truth, I am quite proud of my belly. Aside from a painful stint resulting in bad cabbage slaw from a Barcelona shop, I had never gotten sick from food. The grilled beetle on a stick from Beijing, the duck blood noodles from SuZhou, the curry fish balls from Hong Kong, the stinky tofu from Taipei, the takoyaki from the streets of Tokyo, I was immune. As I say, too proud.
Nowadays, with the little kid in my womb, the iron stomach is on hold as being with child means a bit of sacrifice. Hot dogs are a thing of last year, dirty water or not, as they are a double whammy. First off, hot dogs contain preservatives such as sulfites and nitrates which can cause birth defects when consumed in large quantities. Although my normal dirty water dog intake barely exceeds one per year, hot dogs can carry listeria, a bacteria that can cause serious problems during pregnancy. As a result, I have forlornly abstained from hot dogs ever since the test came back positive.
Dirty water dogs hold a special place in my memory. Long ago, in the days of piano lessons and art classes, a friend's mom would buy them for us almost every Friday when the walk to the bus from class would allow us to pass by two hot dog stands. If you go there today, they're still there selling shish kebabs, hot dogs and knishes. I used to savor the moment when she would suggest, 'How about a hot dog?' They were a dollar for two, one for my friend and one for me. The hot dog man would load it with everything the stand offered, relish, onions, mustard and of course, ketchup. Wrapped in a piece of foil leaving the top open for immediate consumption, I remember the first bite into one of those. New Yorkers honor the unique snap of the skin of a dirty water dog. We don't know whether it's the water or the fumes. I just know it's not replaceable. Later, further along my culinary prowess, I realized that this snap is really tough to replicate.
Good memories or not, the desire for a hot dog has been strong. It never crossed my mind that there could be healthy, non-preservative hot dogs. Why would anyone want one? Nevertheless, salvation came in the form of a random grocery store outing on Austin St. The gourmet food market had a line of non-cured hot dogs made by Applegate Farms. I eagerly grabbed a package of beef dogs and another of turkey. Much to my disappoint, they don't taste nearly as satisfying as its 'so bad for you' counterpart. It's a decent sausage and the snap is there but as I have said, dirty water dogs have etched their being into my mind. The experience is unique. Perhaps I could try eating it amongst the smog and taxis.
*But try the Applegate dogs, they really should be pretty good. I may not eat them in a non-pregnant state but I have devoured two packs of those dogs. So that must mean something...
