The great condiment conundrum will kick off this year’s Chicago Hot Dog Fest, a family-friendly food-and-music celebration of the iconic sausage, slated for Aug. 7 to 9 at the Chicago History Museum.
For among the hot dog experts appearing on the speakers stage Aug. 7 will be Bill Savage, whose topic is “Ketchup: The Condiment of Controversy.”
A conversation about this tomato-based condiment is appropriate at such an event, of course, where the sausage of honor will be served during the fest, which will run 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 7-8 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 9, at the museum grounds at the corner of Clark and LaSalle streets. Just don’t expect ketchup.
“There is no other condiment that defines identity the way ketchup does,” says Savage, who teaches Chicago literature at Northwestern University. “It’s silly, but it opens up a lot of historical questions and a lot of questions about food culture and popular culture.”
“Raw vs. grilled onions. Nobody cares. Ketchup on your hot dog is the end of the world,” says Savage, a Chicago native.
“This is one of those Chicago tempests in a teapot things,” he adds. “But it’s become this kind of Chicago identity — like if you put ketchup on your hot dog you’re not really a Chicagoan.”
And the talk? “It’s going to be an exploration of the hot dog as a cultural artifact about Chicago identity and condiments as determinants of your identity,” he says. “And if you can’t put ketchup on your hot dog without betraying that you’re not a Chicagoan, it brings up all sorts of interesting philosophical issues.”
Like? “It’s my hot dog — I can put anything I want on it,” he says. “We don’t have this for any other food. No one says: ‘You have to put hot peppers on your Italian beef.’ Or ‘You can only get deep dish pizza. Thin crust isn’t really pizza.’ Chicagoans eat the thin square stuff all the time.”
But barbecue sauce on a hot dog gets a pass? Says Savage: “Barbecue sauce is just ketchup with a Ph.D.”
Savage won’t be the only one expounding on this cherished sausage, with several hot dog history experts taking the speakers stage noon to 4 p.m. daily. On Aug. 7, it will be Russell Lewis, the museum’s vice president and chief historian, talking about Chicago’s Union Stock Yards. On Aug. 8, it’s Rich Bowen, Loyola University professor and author of “Hot Dog Chicago,” and Bruce Kraig, author of “Man Bites Dog.” And on Aug. 9, Vienna Beef exec Bob Schwartz, author of “Never Put Ketchup on a Hot Dog,” will talk about the folks running the city’s favorite hot dog stands.
In addition to the hot dog history speakers, there will be hot dog vendors serving their interpretations of the hallowed link (all using Vienna Beef hot dogs). The vendors include Boricua Dog, Chicago Classic, Cookers Red Hots, Chubby Wieners, Fatso’s Last Stand and Frank Meats Patty, Flashy Hotdogs, Frannie’s Beef and Catering, Select Cut Steakhouse and more.
There will be a music lineup, with 11 bands performing over the event’s three days, including The Personnel, Ryan Powers & the Secret Weapons, Wedding Banned, Roots Rock Society, The Flat Cats, Led Zeppelin tribute band Kashmir, Generation, Guitarra Azul and 97 Nine. And for kids, there will be craft activities, face-painting and rides.
Chicago Hot Dog Fest has grown from a single-day festival in 2013 to this year’s three-day event. Admission to the festival is free. Tickets will be sold for purchasing food, alcohol and nonalcoholic beverages. Discounted “early bird” food ticket packages are available online. Individual food tickets will also be sold at the festival. For a list of vendors, music and speakers, as well as tickets, go to: chicagohotdogfest.com. For more information, call 312-642-4600.
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