Hot Dog: A Tale of Origination

Hot dogs originated in an area of Europe once known as Germany in a time when humans scavenged the leftovers from lion kills.

The pair came up on a foul pile of carcasses so wretched even the hyena had left them to rot.

The boy said to his father “remember when I saw that dog?” His father, little more than a caveman, grunted. Evolution was far more aggressive in those days.He sorted through the meat pile, pulled out intestines from either a zebra or an antelope, and with a flash of artistry and dexterity unusual for a cave dweller, stuffed it with putrid meat, twisted it into the shape of a dog.  The technique he used was more similar to that of a 1980’s child puzzling with a snake cube, than that of a balloon artist. The the boy was impressed nonetheless with his new dog meat toy.

As the boy played with his new rancid toy, the father built a fire large enough to keep them through the night. Once the flames dwindled and the pile hot coals blinked red, the man walked into the woods, then returned with a pile of dry leaves.  He bent down and placed the leaves close enough to the fire to stay warm, but no so close as they’d catch fire.

He threw a couple of large logs on top of the embers.  The boy scraped at the bare ground near the fire with his feet trying to remove some of the loose stones preparing for sleep.

After his dirt mattress was smoothed, he sat down next to the fire, poked a stick through his dog and began twirling it over the fire.  It sizzled and cracked.  While it cooked, the rancid meat let off a smell that was surprisingly appetizing.

The father quickly rustling from his leaves grabbed the dog from his son and took a bite from it. It snapped as he bit into it.  Hot grease ran down his his chin and he smiled.  “Hot dog!” he joked and they both laughed.

The father gave the boy back his dog. He greedily finished it and the pair slept through the night undisturbed.