What's On Your Hot Dog?

I'm gearing up for a barbecue at Grace Episcopal Church, Bakersfield, on May 30th, 2011 which will be held out on the patio right after Sunday services.  Grace is celebrating the adoptions of two of the most adorable little boys imaginable-- Lucca and Landon by their new forever mom, Alyssa Antongiovanni.  And congratulations are in order for Grace's two high school grads, Class of 2011, David Deleersnyder and David Vivian, acolytes par excellence!  Congratulations, everyone!

Sometimes the simplest of menus is the best-- in this case, grilled hot dogs with a large variety of condiments, potato and pasta salads along with green salads, a crock pot of chili, an assortment of crunchy chips, watermelon, plenty of soda, bottled water, iced tea, coffee, and of course cake!!!  How easy is that, especially when you enlist your friends to bring a menu item?

The ingredients of the perfect hot dog is a matter of personal choice and usually ends up in debate. Some people are purists and will allow only Gulden's brown mustard to grace their 'dogs. Sauerkraut is the only way to go for others. More sophisticated souls can't live without their exotic secret sauces and chutneys. No meat products for vegans. Some people are minimalists and will throw away the bun and just eat the 'dog!--and I haven't even gotten into the subject of frankfurter/sausage preferences!

Personally, I like my hot dogs with mustard, mayo, catsup, onion, and sweet relish. A lot of people make faces and exclaim, "Eeewww, how can you put mayo on your hot dog!!!...how can you put mayo on anything???!!!"  Well... for the same reason I team up peanut butter and bologna with mayo on Wonder bread for a "comfort food" sandwich...I just like it sometimes...  I mean, how about Elvis' infamous grilled peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches? ...hmmm, I wonder what Elvis put on his hot dogs!

So what's on your hot dog?