It’s hard not to be jaded about national food holidays nowadays. With roughly 450 current food holidays announced, there’s one for every day of the year, and then some. Most of these days tend to be created by those who stand to directly financially benefit from the public awareness and media attention such a day can bring. For example, National Drive-Thru Day was the brainchild of the fast food chain Jack in the Box while National Peanut Butter Day was created by the National Peanut Board. New holidays are reviewed by a small committee, and the creator is charged up to $4,000. But if there is one that doesn’t deserve your cynicism, it’s National Doughnut Day, celebrated the first Friday of every June. The origins of National Doughnut Day date back much further than the modern food holidays, and it has a much deeper history, too. The day is as much about celebrating the people behind…
Truly horrible vintage hot dog ads and recipes
For millions of Americans, summer means more hot dogs in their diet. And it seemingly always has. The hot dog, or frankfurter, was culturally imported from Germany, but was instantly popularized in the United States, where it became synonymous with the working-class. As a top-selling street food at hot dog stands and carts, the cased meat treat also became the food face of warm weather baseball games, amusement parks, and all things American culture. No one particular person is credited with inventing the steamed sausage roll we know today, but the earliest references of the word “hot dog” date to the late 19th century (1893) in the New Brunswick (New Jersey) Daily Times and the New York World. Anyone who has ever grown up knows there are unfortunate photos and experiences of our past we wish no one would ever see (Think: Hammer pants, frosted tips, or anything with glitter). The hot dog is no different.…