Cup O’ Joe: Hot diggity dog

There is something about hot dogs and Houlton that seem to go hand-in-hand (or is it bun-to-bun?). Anytime a business holds an open house, grand opening, customer appreciation or some other special event, chances are you will find a grill or steamer filled with hot dogs. Add in the words “free,” and people seem to come from far and wide.
    When I first moved back home three years ago, I was reintroduced to the hot dog roast. Apparently, I had forgotten just how popular these events are with the public because the sheer number of people that line up for one astounded me.
Of course, any successful hot dog roast in Houlton must also be done with Jordan’s red hot dogs. It’s actually kind of funny because Aroostook County seems to be the red wiener capital of the state. Red hot dogs are really not as common, or popular for that matter, as they are here in The County. Travel anywhere south of Bangor and ask for a red hot dog at a restaurant, baseball game or snack shack and you are likely to get a quizzical look from the person standing behind the counter.
Personally, I don’t get the fascination with them. Perhaps this is because one of my jobs in high school was working at Marc’s Mart where I had to clean out the hot dog steamer each night. Seeing shriveled up pieces of meat from the wieners that sat for hours, combined with red colored water that poured out of the steamer was enough to turn me off to the red dogs.
Last Friday the Houlton Pioneer Times held its annual “Customer Appreciation Luncheon” serving hot dogs, chips and beverages to the masses. When I picked up the food that morning, I was convinced we were feeding a small army. Turns out I was somewhat correct. In little more than an hour and 30 minutes, we went through 400 hot dogs, six cases of sodas and three cases of water. We actually had to turn people away at the end because we had simply run out of food.
Grilling the wieners fast enough to meet the demands of those waiting patiently in line is something Ad Salesman Dave Bates and myself have learned to master the past two years, even when dealing with a grill that was less than cooperative.
For some, though, the hot dog has to be burnt beyond recognition in order to be enjoyed. I had a couple of older women come up to me and ask if any were “well-done,” which was really code for burnt to a blackened crisp so there are no signs of red showing on the dog. I didn’t, but I happily obliged by cooking two extra long just for them.
In an effort to distinguish our hot dog roast from the many other groups that put one on, I came up with the idea last year that we would grill onions. Of course, that means somebody has to chop said onions the night before, and this year those duties fell to me. Midway into my first onion, when my eyes started burning and tears were running down my face I started cursing myself for suggesting it.
I made a quick call to Wanda MacIlroy, our office home-remedy guru, for some advice and she matter-of-factly told me to stick a piece of bread in my mouth. I was skeptical and wouldn’t normally resort to homeopathic tips, but with a mountain of onions waiting to be chopped, desperate times called for desperate measures. Much to my surprise, almost instantly the tearing and burning sensation went away.
A special note of thanks to Lt. Dan Pelletier of the Houlton Police Department for providing traffic cones to the newspaper and allowing us to block off the parking lot adjacent to our office. Without the help of HPD, we would not have been able to set up our tent, tables and chairs.
Another tip of the hat needs to be given to Paula Dahlk who generously made a hot dog piñata for us and organized its subsequent destruction at the hands of youngsters.
And for those that missed our event, another is right around the corner, as the Houlton Water Company will have their hot dog roast on Friday, Aug. 31.
  Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.