I was in the "chilly" aisle of the local discount grocery store, muddled and befuddled in a decision between brands of hot dogs for Zach's birthday party. They didn't have Dearborn dogs, my usual favorite, and I ate far too many Oscar Mayers in my childhood to stomach any more.
I was about to grab the Ballpark Franks when I saw some new brand called "Bar-S", previously unknown to me, that was on sale for $1 an 8-pack. As I stood there examining the ingredients of the suspect new sausages, the stock boy leaned in and said:
"They're all made from pretty much the same parts and pieces".
Which I guess is true enough. I mean, let's face it, unless you personally watch your hot dogs being made, you really have no idea what's in them, I don't care what brand they are. I've seen the "good ones" made on How It's Made, and it's not pretty. So I loaded up the cart with my new found dogs, which I was fully prepared to pay 12.5 cents a piece for.
At the register, the discount price did not come up correctly in the register, so a long process unfurled wherein the zitty cashier rounded up the stock boy who chased down the manager and we all stood talking about the finer points of hot dog pricing in a discount grocery store.
Eventually it was discovered that the price was wrong because they were in the process of LOWERING the price on my discount dogs yet again. They were now 50 cents a package!
At this point I began to worry a little about buying a pack of hot dogs that costs less than a candy bar. I mean, now these things were less than a quarter the price of the name-brand units. But the helpful and perky crew again assured me that these hot dogs were probably made in the same plant all the other ones were, and anyhow pig snouts are very nutritious.
So it was that I purchased five sets of hot dogs at 6 1/4 cents per cylinder.
And they weren't bad. I mean, they puffed up like corn dogs in a rain storm, which means they were filled with various cereals, but I haven't got any gripes about cereals.
And the real test, the interface with the end user, went very well. Everyone liked my el-cheapo dogs.
2 comments:
Not everyone.
That is the type of "meat" that I may even eat. I mean, there is probably no real meat to speak of, well, besides the snouts, chicken lips and combs, and the odd and stray bristly hair here and there.
But I am definitely okay with the "cereals"!
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