Part 1: Childhood memories!
Summer time for a season griller like me is time to indulge in foods like hot dogs and hamburgers more often than in the winter. I started to think about my journey with hot dogs where my love for hot dogs began and what my first memories of hot dogs were!
Growing up on Long Island, New York, my first memories of hot dogs were from the kosher delis I would go with my family. In the window you could gaze at the hot dogs cooking on one side and the knishes on the other side of the grill as you walked by the deli. Nothing said stop, look, come in and enjoy more than that! It is an image that is etched into my brain and will be there forever!
Two kosher hot dogs with deli mustard, sauerkraut, a potato knish and a Doctor Brown’s black cherry soda was my standard order growing up. Of course the bottomless bowls of sour pickles and sour tomatoes on the tables were very welcome and enjoyed before the hot dogs even arrived on the table.
Since moving to Boston, I can’t say I have found a deli that showcases the grill and hot dog’s like they did in New York. I have not been back to the Woodro in Hewlett, New York for many, many years but I hope they still have the hot dogs in the window with the hot dogs on one side and the knishes on the other. It is an image that lasts for a lifetime and brings back such great memories. I wish I had one now!
Next week: Nathans!
