Eric Shelton / The UNITY News

Rundown hot dog joints and blunt customer service has turned eating an authentic “Chicago-style” hot dog, one of the city’s most famous regional specialties, into an experience.

“Shut up and tip me you m*#*f#*#,” one cook said to a customer at Chicago’s famous Weiner Circle. Rude attitude and profane language is common and produces a different kind of dining adventure.

What makes the “Chicago-style” dog so unique? It’s a combination of a steamed all-beef hot dog served inside a poppy seed bun, topped with yellow mustard, bright green relish, fresh chopped onions, two tomato wedges, a pickle spear, peppers and a dash of celery salt.

Nearly 1.5 million hot dogs were consumed in 2005 at Chicago’s Wrigley field alone.

As a nation, Americans consume an estimated 20 billion hot dogs annually, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. This year, the council projects that 30 million will be consumed in baseball stadiums across the United States.

The exact origin of the Chicago dog has not been documented. Vienna Beef, the city’s top hot dog provider, believes the weiner gained popularity during the Great Depression. “During the Depression, the Chicago dog was more than just a dog inside a bun — it was more like a whole, well-balanced inexpensive meal,” said Susan Stoga, Vienna Beef’s Communications representative.

The abundance of local hot dog joints has ignited competition to claim the city’s best.

With a classic look and feel, north side’s Weiner Circle, located in Lincoln Park, takes the Chicago experience to a new level. Beyond its great tasting and authentic Chicago dogs, Weiner Circle is also a reflection of local bluntness, where free speech meets free expression.

Daniel Siegel, a Chicago native, explained how Weiner Circle works: “The true Lincoln Park-er would know lunchtime is the best time to come. The food tastes better and the place is less rowdy,” he said. “At late hours, the place gets packed, young people come out of the bars and insults fly back and forth between employees and customers. Insults are allowed here, which is partly why the place does so well.

“My father’s been coming to this place since the ‘70s. Most restaurants in the area usually come and go, but Weiner Circle remains in business,” Siegel said.

“The Chicago hot dog tradition does not embrace ketchup as an ingredient. Weiner Circle is no exception. It is offensive to put ketchup on a Chicago-style hot dog,” he said. “My dad taught me this when I was a kid. I would never put ketchup on a hot dog, period.”

topic: Chicagoland
tags: Food In Chicago, hot dogs

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