Well, after a half-year hiatus on blogging, it's time I got back to it, if for nothing else than the temporary therapeutic effect it has. I'll ease back in with a tale of this last weekend's hot dog adventure, but in short, the last few months of my life have been:
BOE etching, watching/doing improv, keeping up with the 10 or so TV shows I watch, and reading Vonnegut's novels.
What a turn of events for me to find myself in New York City this last weekend then! I was in town for my cousin's wedding, so it wasn't an unexpected trip. But the last time I'd been in NYC, I was 7 years old; there was still a World Trade Center and I did all the standard touristy things: Katz's Deli, Sammy's Steakhouse, some other delis. Ok, the standard Jewish things, really.
While in town, I took the opportunity to spend a day with my friend Sara, who'd moved with her lab from LA to NY a couple years back. She had been in LA a couple weeks prior, and my roommate Rich decided to take her on a "Taco Tour" of Los Angeles, feeding her in one day no less than 12 tacos from different places ranging from Jack in the Box to Kogi to Poquito Mas. Well, Sara got a form of revenge through me by taking me on a "Hot Dog Tour" of New York! (Ok, her motive wasn't actually malicious, but after 7 hot dogs it felt that way!)
Because half of me is adopted asian, I took pictures of the hot dogs I ate. But because all of me is jackass, it was only with my phone for the purpose of picture messaging Rich each hot dog. He sends me pictures of burritos sometimes. Also I'm too lazy to figure out how to upload them here.
1.
New York Hot Dog And Coffee - Korean fusion hot dogs. Amazing! The pickles really made them. The girl working the counter was way cute, and I think I impressed her by asking for hot sauce. I also was the only one to be given a frequent diner card--they must've smelled the yellow fever on me. Pass on the fries.
2.
Gray's Papaya - I'd heard of this place on Travel Channel. The dogs are quite tasty, but a little small. That was ok because they are priced accordingly and I had to pace myself this afternoon. Was unimpressed by the banana smoothie, however.
3. Vendor Hot Dog - From the street. Simple, reminds me of a stadium dog, so it would be comforting were it not part of a momentous day of bad decisions I don't regret.
4.
Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System - Holy pretentious fuck. Well, it wasn't that bad. But the decor and simplicity and umami feel reminds me of many a Hollywood joint. Pretty tasty, but I was disappointed you can't add toppings, and the bread was a little hard. Best cole slaw I've had in a while. The only available drinks are sodas they make themselves; lemon-lime too sweet and grape not sweet enough. The funniest part is the sausage looks like a dick in a fleshlight full of lube. Sara will forever hate me for pointing that out.
5. Gray's Papaya II - I think. Different location, but I needed a chili dog to make up for King's Papaya (planned stop #3) being closed. Good chili dog.
6. Nathan's - Nothing real surprising here; they have Nathan's at New York New York in Vegas. Gotta love sauerkraut though.
7. Crif's Dogs - Underground with a speakeasy, this place has atmosphere. Donkey Kong and Spy Hunter video games defeated me, but not as bad as the 7th (and final) dog I would eat in about 4 hours. I think I did a kraut dog here too. It was tasty and took some Herculean effort on my part to power through. Probably my favorite of the traditional dogs.
8. Katz's Deli - No one wanted another hot dog bad enough to wade through the crowd of Jew-meat loving patrons. But we saw where Harry Met Sally I guess.
And that's how I came to love the New York hot dog. The only food I ate for the next 40ish hours was some chicken nuggets I told myself to eat for sustenance when my plane arrived back in LA. And of course the hot dog truck came to campus today. Unsurprisingly, I opted not to eat there.
