All-American By-Products

            
             When examining the role food plays in our culture, it becomes obvious that Americans (as do most cultures) harbor certain beliefs and attitudes towards food that have little to do with the food itself and much to do with history, memories, attachments and tradition. Convention surrounding food is high; motivation is low. A baseball game, a very typical "All-American" pastime, is associated with certain foods meant to feel fun, enthusiastic and, in some ways, patriotic. The question then remains: What does a hot dog say about Americans and the role food plays in our lives?.
             The distinction between the wealthy and the less-fortunate made by Berger in "Carving Up The Feast" is uncharacteristically blurred at an event such as a baseball game. Many families choose this particular event as a family staple, a classic American "day off." Relax, kick back, drink a beer and watch the game. The kids will love it. Celebrities score box-seats at high-profile games, while even families that cannot afford expensive tickets can frequent college games or even high-school or local events. The binding thread here is the food served: whether it is Tom Cruise smiling as he wipes mustard off his face from the hot dog wrapped in cardboard or your husband chugging beer from a plastic cup at the neighborhood softball league, this type of fare is considered American, and thus appropriate for all ages and classes.
             A hot dog is symbolic, standing for something it in no way resembles. The relationship between the present signifier and the absent signified is completely arbitrary. Nothing in that pink (sometimes red) fleshy, rubbery strange-looking floppy pork remnant points to or denotates "American." It does not directly resemble an American, or any part of our culture. Yet one look at a hot dog, and the first thing that jumps to mind is Americans having fun and kicking back. Hot dogs are served during cookouts in the summertime, during sporting events, while camping, at carnivals, concerts and festivals, and on the beach, but rarely as a dinnertime staple.