FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. - In this age of nouveau cuisine, don't expect to find Sgt. 1st Class William Lowry lunching on beet salad sprinkled with goat cheese.
This hard-core hot dog connoisseur prefers Xtreeme Frank's Franks, where he recently ordered two Xtreeme Kansas City hot dogs -- mustard, sauerkraut and melted cheese (without the cheese) -- at the Post Exchange Food Court.
"I love hot dogs," said Lowry of First Army Division East. "I could eat hot dogs all day long -- grilled, any way they make them."
From backyard barbecues and ball parks to corner street vendors, hot dogs are such a popular summer food that in 1957 the U.S. Chamber of Commerce designated July as National Hot Dog Month. This year, National Hot Dog Day was celebrated July 23.
"It's a classic," said Ralph Sigler, a program manager for the Defense Information Systems Agency, who takes his dog with mustard and relish. "It's a good, simple meal. There's nothing else like it."
According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs during hot dog season, Memorial Day to Labor Day. Last year, U.S. Soldiers in military posts worldwide consumed 2.4 million hot dogs.
"It's simple, easy to fix," said Master Sgt. Rickey Hopson of First Army Division East, who usually takes ketchup, mustard and onions on a Hebrew National. "You can't mess up a hot dog."
The all-American food is a staple of Fourth of July celebrations as well. At this year's dog-eat-dog "Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest," Joey Chestnut won his fifth consecutive Mustard Yellow Belt, devouring 62 hot dogs -- just six shy of his all-time record.
On July 27, the History Channel featured "Meat America," which explores the origin of the hot dog and its roots in the "old world" sausage brought over by Eastern Europeans in the late 1800s.
According to hot dog lore, the hot dog on a bun was introduced in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair by Anton Feuchtwanger, a Bavarian concessionaire who loaned white gloves to patrons to hold the hot sausages. When most gloves were not returned, he reportedly asked his brother-in-law, a baker, for help. The baker created long, soft rolls that fit the meat.
But an undressed dog on a bun will not do for this lunchtime crowd.
"I can't just have a plain hot dog," said Sharon Joyce, chief telephone operator for Fort Meade. "I've got to have some fixings."
"Always ketchup," said Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Kris Kirsop, a basic mass communications student at the Defense Information School.
Deborah Wright takes hers with chili, mustard and relish.
"I like the better taste of the dog with a good topping -- and that's chili," said Wright, a nurse at Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center. "A hot dog is not a hot dog without chili on top."
Installation Commander Col. Edward C. Rothstein is equally frank about his preferences.
"I'm from New Jersey," he said, "so when I would go to the city I'd get ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut and relish -- all the works -- on a Hebrew National knockwurst."
Young gourmets are just as fussy about their fixings.
"I'm a big fan of mustard and ketchup," said 6-year-old Gracey Reeder, whose father, Air Force Capt. Nick Reeder, prefers cheese and chili.
Five years ago, Xtreeme Frank's Franks - The Dogs with Attitude! overhauled its menu from Frank's Franks to the heftier, quarter-pound Xtreeme hot dogs.
The AAFES kiosk features six "Xtreeme" hot dog choices including "Xtreeme Chicago," "Xtreeme Taco" and "Xtreeme Pizza Deluxe" as well as the chili cheese dog. The "Coney Island" -- ketchup, mustard, onion and relish -- is the most popular, said Ferlita Turner, an Xtreeme Frank's Franks employee.
The most unusual request? "Coleslaw," she said.
But that's just how Sharon Joyce prefers her dogs. "It's Southern -- coleslaw, chili, onions and mustard," she said.
Hot dog connoisseurs do not confine their indulgence to the dog days of summer.
"I eat hot dogs every chance I get, at least once or twice a week," said Spc. Douglas Dishman of the Warrior Transition Unit over an Xtreeme Kansas City at the PX food court. "It tastes good, is quick and easy. A little sauerkraut, some onions and chili and you're good to go. I can cook, but hot dogs are real easy. You'll get dinner in 10 minutes."
During his second deployment to Iraq in March, Dishman regularly purchased uncooked hot dogs to take on convoys.
"I was kind of the chef on the road," he said. "I took a metal or coffee can, and threw some wood chips in. When we stopped on the road, I cooked the dogs in the can. You have a hot meal and a little taste of home. Everybody hovered over that coffee can."
Even after he was injured in June, Dishman indulged while recovering at the Landstuhl military hospital in Germany. "I had kraut and dogs there, too," he said. "And there it's the real thing."
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Alexander, who prefers grilled dogs with ketchup and onions, orders Coney Islands for the nostalgia.
"It conjures up memories of Coney Island in New York, back when I was a kid," said Alexander, of the 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion.
Hopson, too, has relished hot dogs since his youth. "I ate them a lot as a kid," he said. "You never outgrow it."
Hot Dog Etiquette
Do ...
* Dress the dog, not the bun.
* Apply condiments in the following order: wet condiments like mustard and chili first; followed by chunky condiments like relish, onions and sauerkraut; followed by shredded cheese; followed by spices like celery salt or pepper.
* Eat hot dogs on buns with your hands. Utensils should not touch hot dogs on buns.
* Use paper plates to serve hot dogs. Everyday dishes are acceptable; china is a no-no.a* Lick condiments remaining on the fingers after eating a hot dog; condiments should be licked away, not washed.
Don't ...
* Take more than five bites to finish a hot dog. For a foot-long wiener, seven bites are acceptable.
* Bring wine to a hot dog barbecue. Beer, soda, lemonade and iced tea are preferable.
* Use ketchup after age 18.
Etiquette guide prepared by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council
Top Hot Dog Consuming Cities 2010
1. Los Angeles
2. New York
3. San Antonio/Corpus Christi
4. Baltimore/Washington, D.C.
5. Chicago
6. Philadelphia
- National Hot Dog and Sausage Council
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