My parents had us over for Superbowl Sunday. My dad called and told me he had it all under control and I didn't need to bring a thing. What a wonderful father! I should note that my dad takes over the culinary duties on a day-to-day basis in their household. My mom pulls out her chef skills around the holidays but generally, the cooking is all my father's artistry. And let me just say that this scrambled dog would have done his mother, my grandmother, very proud.
What is a scrambled dog, you ask? Well, to the uninformed eye, it might look like a chili dog but it is far more than that. To call a scrambled dog a chili dog would be like calling grits cream of wheat. The two are deceptively similar in appearance but a world of difference lurks beneath the surface. For a little help in explaining the origins of the scrambled dog, I consulted Wikipedia. Here is what they had to say:
"Originating in Columbus, Georgia, it is a cheap, usually red-skinned hot dog, served on a toasted white bun and topped with mustard and spicy chili. This particular chili contains beans and has large chunks of diced raw onion mixed directly into the prepared sauce before being spooned onto the dog. The Scrambled dog in its traditional configuration was invented at now-defunct cigar store and newspaper stand run by Firm Roberts on Columbus' Broadway beginning in 1908. The most famous purveyor of the dog today is the city's Dinglewood Pharmacy, there it is topped with ketchup, mustard, chili with beans, onions, sliced dill pickles, and oyster crackers. Scrambled Dog purists do not put cheese in any form on the dog. While the recipe is relatively consistent on a city-by-city basis, each town has a unique opinion on the propriety of the presence or absence of American cheese on the hot dog. Typically a scrambled dog meal is regarded as incomplete unless accompanied by a Coca-Cola (which originated in Georgia)."
Yep, the Dinglewood. I have been there with my sister and Grandmother. And my grandmother had special scrambled dog bowls which were similar to banana split dishes but were a little larger in size. My grandmother used to famously serve her scrambled dogs on Christmas Eve and this year, my aunt followed suit.
To be honest, I have yet to make my own scrambled dog. I think it's time, don't you? I'll even remember the oyster crackers.
3 hours ago
2 comments:
oh my, can i please get me one of those please? if you end up making some scrambled dogs on your own, be sure to put up a recipe! :)
Thanks for helping to bring some much-deserved respect to Scrambled Dogs. I'm presently writing an essay about them, and being from the small town of Fitzgerald, in South Georgia, I can definitively say that I remember eating these delightfully unhealthy concoctions even before Big Macs or Whoppers! There is a restaurant in Fitzgerald, Johnnie's Drive-In, that's been serving scrambled dogs since the 1940s. When one of my father's cousin's bought the place back in the 1980s, it was paramount that the scrambled dog remain the feature of the menu. He even had matchbooks made up with the slogan "A Scrambled Dog a Day Keeps the Hunger Away". Every town does have its own take on them, but I guess chili and oyster crackers are the keystone toppings. Johnnie's uses a fairly mild chili, topped with slaw, dill pickle slices, and oyster crackers. Cheese is NEVER used, and if you want anything like ketchup, mustard, or mayo, you just have to add it yourself. Like you, I've never made my own, and was curious to know if you ever tried. I've got to make myself do it! I've always wondered why there wasn't more attention given to scrambled dogs. Doggone it, they're one of our greatest culinary inventions! Thanks again for your posting!
--Brian Brown, Fitzgerald, GA
http://www.vanishingsouthgeorgia.wordpress.com
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