Back to my Roots

By Rachel Rubin
University of Missouri-Columbia

Where I come from, the hot dog is Big. Bigger than the Italian beef sandwich and the deep-dish pizza combined. Made just right with mustard, onion and relish and just a dash of celery salt. No one would dare defy tradition by using ketchup. It wasn’t until I was enjoying my bagel and lox one Sunday morning when I caught a PBS special on foods from different cultures. For the segment on Jewish people, they highlighted our greatest edible contribution to society: the hot dog.

It could have been pride that had me all choked up, or maybe the cream cheese stuck to the back of my throat, but I am excited to say that I have more in common with the hot dog than the fact that we’re both from Chicago -- we’re both Jewish.

It all began when Eastern European immigrants came to America. Austro-Hungarian immigrants Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany first displayed their creation at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. It was an affordable business to sell these beef sausages under little huts. Anyone with hot water and a bun could nail up a shack and sell a juicy wiener. This is how Vienna Beef began franchising to other poor immigrants who needed work. During the depression, hot dogs became the meal of choice, costing a mere five cents. By the 1950s, Vienna was being sold all over America. As the phenomenon spread, different means of preparation and decoration developed.

We revolutionized America with bagels and matzoh ball soup, but Jews really out-did themselves with bringing in the hot dog. It’s such a common food that can easily be taken for granted, but when I visit home I always make sure to take a bite back into my roots.

Originally from the Chicago area, Rachel Rubin is a freshman at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she is majoring in journalism. Rachel also plays an active role on the Jewish Student Organization at her school.

[Posted 3/6/08]