Okay, I’ll admit it. This one one sounds a little lame, on the surface. But it’s a great point to muse on for a lazy Sunday… I’ve often wondered why we have both Dogs and Burgers, when it would make more sense to have just one or the other. It defies the way in which the world naturally organizes itself…
All hail the mighty Tube Steak! The Hot Dog format should logically have prevailed…
Evolution is supposed to decide which species dominate and which are submissive – even which survive and which go extinct. So why do we have two apparently-equal species at the top of the same Fast Food Chain when the ‘rules’ would normally have resulted in one or the other taking prominence and other having been relegated to novelty or curiosity status? I refer of course to Burgers vs. Dogs; Patties v.s. Sausages.
Curious parallels
So… How is it that we have two parallel dynasties in the Fast Food World when they share so many characteristics, and vary so fundamentally in just a few ways?
The closer you look at the situation, the odder it all seems:
- Dogs and Burgers both are served on specialized Bread Rolls.
- Dogs and Burgers are both based on Ground Meats.
- Dogs and Burgers may both be cooked on a grill.
- Dogs and Burgers are often served with the same condiments.
- Dogs and Burgers are often served with the same side dishes.
- Dogs and Burgers are both considered either Junk Food (by some) and daily essentials (by others).
Just as many differences
And as many similarities as they share, Burgers and Dogs also feature a number of significant differences:
- Burgers are traditionally based on Beef Patties while Hot Dogs are as often made from Beef as they are from Pork, or most often a blend of the two.
- Burgers and Dogs both have their own traditional ‘domains’ I.e.- Burgers are traditionally thought of as being sold at walk-in or drive-thru ‘joints’, while Dogs are traditionally sold from sport stadium stands, street carts or (more recently) Food Trucks.
- Burgers are traditionally grilled or fried while Dogs are traditionally cooked mainly by boiling.
- Burgers are usually cooked from raw while Dogs are usually pre-cooked, mainly by boiling or steaming, and merely re-heated for serving.
- Burgers are usually seasoned with plain Salt and Pepper, exclusive of condiments, while Dogs are usually flavoured with a variety of traditional spices depending on where they are made. But virtually all feature Paprika and Garlick.
- Burgers were traditionally hand-formed (now mainly machine-formed) without casings or other containing/restraining materials. Dogs have always been made as all other sausages are; extruded into animal-intestine or plastic casings, but most are now served with the casings removed (‘skinless’) for a softer bite.
So, which should have prevailed?
Burger lovers will despise me for this (I imagine) but it seems to me that the Burger format should have naturally bowed to the Sausage format.
The Burger, so legend has it, was created informally when some guy in Hamburg, Germany, one day, asked a short-order cook for a Beef Patty between two pieces of Bread so he could eat it on his way to an appointment for which he was running late. Left to the normal order of things, the Hamburger should, by rights, have been included among the many sub-species of Sausages, of which the Frankfurter is just another.
Sure, ‘billions and billions’ of Burgers are claimed to have been sold over the couple of centuries. Bu at least as many (and likely many more) Sausages of all kinds have probably been served over the same period, given the natural distribution of different types of Sausages in many different cuisines worldwide, and fact that the Burger only started receiving widespread international attention when American Burger chains started expanding to other regions.
Though the same ingredients as used in a Frankfurter are also sometimes found in Patty form (usually on American Breakfast menus), the vast majority of Sausage Meat is still prepared in Sausage format.
Like the traditional Sausage, the Hamburger’s Meat is ground much more coarsely than the filling for your average Dog, and incorporates more fat. (Here, the Dog and the Burger share the characteristic that both are relatively lean, like the traditional Dog, at least in appearance.)
Given that the Hamburger is almost always served in a Bread roll that is sliced all the way through from side to side while the Dog comes in a long roll whose two halves remain joined at one side, the Dog is naturally (or should be) more convenient and less messy to transport and eat.
For these and other reasons, then, I say the Dog format should have prevailed.
But it was not to be…
So, there you have it: your point to ponder this Sunday while other, more-serious responsibilities and concerns are momentarily laid aside. Already driving you buggy? My pleasure…
~ Maggie J.