Today is the day you can enjoy one of America’s favorite past-times, prepared your way, of course. Cathy Isom fills us in about celebrating two iconic foods that you can eat at the same time. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Celebrating National Chili Dog Day
Every last Thursday of July is dedicated to the hot dog along with tasty chili smothered on top of it, and, served on a bun. That’s right, it’s National Chili Dog Day.
How will you create your own chili dog masterpiece today?
Common Chili dog toppings include grated cheese, onions, and mustard. Of course there are many more. Some might say 
the messier the chili dog, the better!
The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council estimates that Americans consume about 20 billion hot dogs a year. With July being National Hot Dog Month, there’s a pretty good chance hot dogs and even chili dogs, also known as Coney Dogs, will be a popular menu item today.
While the exact origin of the chili dog remains a mystery, it’s believed that the first hot dog concoctions were created by the Greeks and Macedonians who immigrated to Detroit. Legend has it that these immigrants got the idea because they passed through New York and Ellis Island and Coney Island.
I’m Cathy Isom…
How to Properly Eat a Chili Dog
Make a mess whenever you eat a chili dog? The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council and Washington D.C. landmark Ben’s Chili Bowl teamed up to help you avoid sauce slippage. George Washington University professor and Ben’s historian Bernard Demczuk explains his finely honed method.