Book Review: Raw Dog
PLUS The Tube Steak Tour
I recently finished Jamie Loftus’ Raw Dog and have been recommending it to basically every single person I’ve come in contact with. Just like the Chicago Dog, this book is a lot. First and foremost, it’s an incredibly detailed history of the hot dog and the various forms it takes and ways it is prepared across cultures. It’s a hilarious road trip travelogue through post-Covid USA. It’s a critique of many staples of American capitalism including the meat-packing industry, gentrification, and the often mistreated folks who work in the food service industry. It’s honestly one of the most entertaining and informative (a weird thing to say about a book about grilled wieners) books I’ve read in a long time.
While this is obviously not a baseball book, large swaths of the book are dedicated to baseball's favorite processed meat and the cathedrals we consume it in. Specifically, Loftus critiques the Brewers’ Racing Sausages, the Fenway Frank, and the Dodger Dog in a hilarious and thoughtful manner. The book also dives deep into the lore of both Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest AND Joey Chestnut. Since the hot dog is inextricable from its own history (Babe Ruth’s career wasn’t propelled by salads), this is an easy recommendation to any baseball fan.
Until a few years ago, I wouldn’t have considered myself a hot dog guy. Given the option, I would always go for a burger at any cookout. Even now, I’m pretty particular about when and where I like to have a glizzy, usually after too many beers and way too many bogeys on the golf course, and always at a baseball game. Neither of those settings are known for gourmet dogs, but the vibes almost demand it, and I have no choice but to abide.
Inspired by Raw Dog, my summer project is to expand my palate in the form of all-beef (hopefully), chili and relish-slathered, processed, and tubed meat (yum!). I live in Connecticut, and there are a ton of highly acclaimed hot doggerias between New England and the Tri-State Areas. The Tube Steak Tour will be a once-in-a-while newsletter (satisfying my doctor’s guidance) documenting this adventure.
