"Fine Dining at Home"

Fine Dining at Home

When preparing a hot dog,
after steaming or boiling or grilling,
in order to best simulate the experience of the ball game (or the beach),
one should never use a butterknife or spoon
to spread the mustard (or the ketchup or the relish),
but rather let it stand where it plops.
The occasional glob of mustard (or ketchup or relish)
as one bites, is, after all,
part of the experience,
the cool, spicy burn (or sweet acidic tang)
opposing the crunch and burst of steaming, salty dog.
It is what transports one to the ballpark (or the beach),
giving one the full experience,
the pop of the bat, the crow of the crowd,
(or the singe of the sun as one sits silent
with another on a blanket in the sand),
even though dining at home,
alone.


Carmen Leone
© 2014

Image links to its source at Wiki Commons
Hot dog vendor outside Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, 1920
Public domain