Hot Dog Day with Congress: Pork... AND All-Beef!
| By SocialCapital - Jul 20th, 2006 at 11:21 am EDT |
| Also listed in: Social Capital - Food | Social Capital - Free! | Social Capital - Politics | Campus Progress Blog |
There are few things that can sweeten the bitter partisan rancor of Capitol Hill like free food. More specifically: hot dogs, sausages, and toppings served under large umbrellas in the capacious Rayburn House office building courtyard.
Apparently, July 19th is National Hot Dog Day and so the American Meat Institute served up lunch for various Hill folks to honor the solemn occasion. Folks seen chowing down or waiting in line to meet various baseball greats included staff from the offices of Representative John Lewis (D-GA), Representative Joe Schwartz (R-MI), Representative Jim Kolbe (R-AR), Senator Jim Bunning, (R-KY), and Representative Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) along with employees from the Department of Agriculture, the Pork Producers Council, the Snack Food Association, the House Appropriations Committee, the Australian Embassy, and a pack of judiciary staffers. And, of course, there were representatives of both the Center for American Progress (us) and the Heritage Foundation.
There were several hot dog stations arranged around the fountain at the courtyard’s center. Choices included corn dogs, pork dogs, chicken dogs and sausages. It was like a dream. There were also beverages available, including Sharp’s, a non-alcoholic beer apparently intended for interns and teetotalers.
Though Ramya preferred the stark minimalism of a single stripe of ketchup, I preferred to avail myself of as many toppings as possible in a sad attempt to recreate a Chicago-style dog with the toppings that were on site. (In an ideal, Illinois-based world, that would be mustard, onion, pickle relish, tomato slices, sport peppers, a pickle spear and a bit of celery salt but no ketchup on a poppy seed bun. My D.C. version was weak.)
Unfortunately, the hometown hot dog hero of another frankfurter heavy city, New York, was ignored. The lack of a Nathan’s stand seemed like a glaring omission, particularly since New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city. Given the sponsor, there were no vegetarian options either, but never fear, PETA volunteers along with PETA's signature scantily clad "lettuce ladies" were offering vegan alternatives outside of the building.
Spencer Ackerman, lunch companion and reporter extraordinaire, promptly lost his appetite from the sheer excitement of meeting Graig “Puff” Nettles, formerly of the Yankees. Nettles, along with other former baseball all-stars, Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants and Mike Boddicker of the Baltimore Orioles, were signing balls and shooting the shit with hill staffers. We’re not quite sure why, but it was exciting. (It might be because baseball, hot dogs and overheating lobbyists and wonks sweating it out in dark suits under the summer sun represent the best America has to offer.)
Perusing through press materials, it seems that the American Meat Institute -- a national trade association that made $113,600 in contributions to federal candidates this cycle (17% to Democrats, 83% to Republicans) – is exquisitely attuned to the industry’s critics. One of it's brochures began with: “If Upton Sinclair were alive today … He’d be amazed by the U.S. meat industry.” Of course, Upton Sinclair is the author of The Jungle, which celebrated its 100 th anniversary this year and offered a scathing perspective on the food safety standards and working conditions in the meatpacking industry from the perspective of an Eastern European immigrant. It is muckraking at its finest, and led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act in 1906.
(In a section about the wages paid to meatpacking workers, the brochure notes that in Kansas, the nation’s largest beef state, reporters and correspondents earned an average of $29,560 compared to the average annual salary of $25,000 for meat packing employees. Take that aspiring journalists!)
On our way out, we ran into Congressman Jose Serrano (D-NY) who takes his hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut and graciously took time out to talk with us. He had some fighting words for Californians, possibly inciting the meat industry’s version of Tupac/Biggie style bicoastal beef (bad pun intended). “ California has ruined the hot dog with all their ketchup,” Serrano explained, “I once saw someone from California putting ketchup and mayonnaise on his hotdog. That is just un-American.”
When asked how he would assess the odds on a bi-partisan hot dog eating contest, he mused, “Republicans have a shot because they do have bigger mouths. But the Democrats are hungry ….”
With that, we got a complimentary bottle of water and headed for the door. Final hot dog tally, Spencer: 2 (he had to leave early), Elana: 3, Ramya: 3.5.
-Elana Berkowitz
Spencer meets baseball legend Graig Nettles.
These hot dogs were almost too big for their buns.
Elana at the toppings bar. It included two kinds of chili.
Spencer eats lunch basking in the glow of a signed Nettles ball tucked in his pocket.
These two kids decorated their dogs at the kids-only topping bar that included such non-traditional favorites as whip cream, gummy worms and lima beans. They were pretty awesome.
In addition to her commitment to the progressive movement, Ramya is interested in a career in competitive eating. She is currently entered in an amateur pizza eating competition in August. Please contact Campus Progress if you have suitable suggestions for a tough nickname for her a la Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas.
Hill folks waiting in line to meet Juan Marichal.
Representative Serrano talking some hot dog related smack.
This poster documents the growing obesity epidemic in the United States. It was found outside of a Congressman's office near the hot dog party. An unfortunate and certainly unintended juxtaposition.
-Photos by Ramya Raghavan
A corn dog landscape.
Apparently, July 19th is National Hot Dog Day and so the American Meat Institute served up lunch for various Hill folks to honor the solemn occasion. Folks seen chowing down or waiting in line to meet various baseball greats included staff from the offices of Representative John Lewis (D-GA), Representative Joe Schwartz (R-MI), Representative Jim Kolbe (R-AR), Senator Jim Bunning, (R-KY), and Representative Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) along with employees from the Department of Agriculture, the Pork Producers Council, the Snack Food Association, the House Appropriations Committee, the Australian Embassy, and a pack of judiciary staffers. And, of course, there were representatives of both the Center for American Progress (us) and the Heritage Foundation.
There were several hot dog stations arranged around the fountain at the courtyard’s center. Choices included corn dogs, pork dogs, chicken dogs and sausages. It was like a dream. There were also beverages available, including Sharp’s, a non-alcoholic beer apparently intended for interns and teetotalers.
Though Ramya preferred the stark minimalism of a single stripe of ketchup, I preferred to avail myself of as many toppings as possible in a sad attempt to recreate a Chicago-style dog with the toppings that were on site. (In an ideal, Illinois-based world, that would be mustard, onion, pickle relish, tomato slices, sport peppers, a pickle spear and a bit of celery salt but no ketchup on a poppy seed bun. My D.C. version was weak.)
Unfortunately, the hometown hot dog hero of another frankfurter heavy city, New York, was ignored. The lack of a Nathan’s stand seemed like a glaring omission, particularly since New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city. Given the sponsor, there were no vegetarian options either, but never fear, PETA volunteers along with PETA's signature scantily clad "lettuce ladies" were offering vegan alternatives outside of the building.
Spencer Ackerman, lunch companion and reporter extraordinaire, promptly lost his appetite from the sheer excitement of meeting Graig “Puff” Nettles, formerly of the Yankees. Nettles, along with other former baseball all-stars, Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants and Mike Boddicker of the Baltimore Orioles, were signing balls and shooting the shit with hill staffers. We’re not quite sure why, but it was exciting. (It might be because baseball, hot dogs and overheating lobbyists and wonks sweating it out in dark suits under the summer sun represent the best America has to offer.)
Perusing through press materials, it seems that the American Meat Institute -- a national trade association that made $113,600 in contributions to federal candidates this cycle (17% to Democrats, 83% to Republicans) – is exquisitely attuned to the industry’s critics. One of it's brochures began with: “If Upton Sinclair were alive today … He’d be amazed by the U.S. meat industry.” Of course, Upton Sinclair is the author of The Jungle, which celebrated its 100 th anniversary this year and offered a scathing perspective on the food safety standards and working conditions in the meatpacking industry from the perspective of an Eastern European immigrant. It is muckraking at its finest, and led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act in 1906.
(In a section about the wages paid to meatpacking workers, the brochure notes that in Kansas, the nation’s largest beef state, reporters and correspondents earned an average of $29,560 compared to the average annual salary of $25,000 for meat packing employees. Take that aspiring journalists!)
On our way out, we ran into Congressman Jose Serrano (D-NY) who takes his hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut and graciously took time out to talk with us. He had some fighting words for Californians, possibly inciting the meat industry’s version of Tupac/Biggie style bicoastal beef (bad pun intended). “ California has ruined the hot dog with all their ketchup,” Serrano explained, “I once saw someone from California putting ketchup and mayonnaise on his hotdog. That is just un-American.”
When asked how he would assess the odds on a bi-partisan hot dog eating contest, he mused, “Republicans have a shot because they do have bigger mouths. But the Democrats are hungry ….”
With that, we got a complimentary bottle of water and headed for the door. Final hot dog tally, Spencer: 2 (he had to leave early), Elana: 3, Ramya: 3.5.
-Elana Berkowitz
Spencer meets baseball legend Graig Nettles.
These hot dogs were almost too big for their buns.
Elana at the toppings bar. It included two kinds of chili.
Spencer eats lunch basking in the glow of a signed Nettles ball tucked in his pocket.
These two kids decorated their dogs at the kids-only topping bar that included such non-traditional favorites as whip cream, gummy worms and lima beans. They were pretty awesome.
In addition to her commitment to the progressive movement, Ramya is interested in a career in competitive eating. She is currently entered in an amateur pizza eating competition in August. Please contact Campus Progress if you have suitable suggestions for a tough nickname for her a la Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas.
Hill folks waiting in line to meet Juan Marichal.
Representative Serrano talking some hot dog related smack.
This poster documents the growing obesity epidemic in the United States. It was found outside of a Congressman's office near the hot dog party. An unfortunate and certainly unintended juxtaposition.
-Photos by Ramya Raghavan
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