Hot Dogs

T ake me out to the ballgame, buy me some hummus and coddies. That is the tune I sang Friday as I ate my way around Camden Yards, sampling the fare, taking its temperature with an instant-read thermometer. I have been doing this task at the opening of the baseball season here since 1992. On the eating front, this season looks promising. The fundamentals - hot dogs and cold beverages - were strong. The newcomers - hummus, coddies, deli sandwiches and a new kind of crab cake - had their moments.

The great wienie crisis has been averted. Olympic organizers underestimated how many $5 all-Angus-beef hot dogs spectators and volunteers would consume during the two-week Winter Games. It seems 400,000 was off by more than half. To make the stash last until an emergency order could be delivered, organizers relaxed their rule on no food from the outside and diverted hot dogs earmarked for volunteers. Mitt Romney, the head of the games, told anxious reporters, "the factory is squeezing out more of those little puppies."

As "Barbecue Bible" author Steven Raichlen points out in "Raichlen's Tailgating! 31 Righteous Recipes for On-the-Go Grilling," his latest ebook, "Long before NASCAR and the Super Bowl, there was tailgating. This distinctly American institution dates back to 1869, and probably earlier, when Rutgers and Princeton played their first intercollegiate football game. Students gathered before the contest to drink and socialize, so legend goes, serving their picnics on the lowered tailgates of horse-drawn wagons.

ON A RECENT summer afternoon, I sat in a small new restaurant in northeast Baltimore County relishing hot dogs. Zack's is a sparkling 20-seat eatery that opened in April in the 8900 block of Old Harford Road, just north of Joppa Road. It promises "hog dogs with an attitude," and, judging by my visits, it lives up to its motto. It treats the hot dog with culinary respect and the proper bun, yet remembers it is basically fun fare. I had the $3.25 Chicago-style classic dog. This is a Vienna Beef frank with a natural casing, steamed, topped with a sweet, bright-green relish, sliced tomatoes, fresh onions, a pickle wedge, celery salt and hot peppers on a poppy-seed bun. It was a quintessential Chicago experience, missing only the roar of the L, the whip of the wind and the fading of the Cubs.

It was billed as the "First Annual Col. Leon N. Tomlin Hot Dog Festival."In reality, it was a throwback to bygone days when police officers got together for change-of-shift parties, cookouts or maybe a few beers.There was no beer yesterday but plenty of kosher hot dogs -- more than 300 were roasted on a charcoal grill and sold for $1 apiece. The "festival" was held on the loading dock of the city police headquarters building at 601 E. Fayette St.Officers in the Property Division -- Pete Katich, Frank Stallings, Edward Marston, Lon Palmere and Norbert Fiakowski and Lt. Edward Boston -- set up the hot-dog festival, in part, to raise a little money to buy a present for Colonel Tomlin, their former boss who was recently transferred to head of the Special Operations Division.

Item: Oscar Mayer Lunchables All Star Burgers and Hot Dogs kits What you get: One lunch Cost: About $2.50 Preparation time: Just open and eat Review: Burgers and hot dogs are the newest offerings in these refrigerated lunch kits. Each box includes chips or a beverage, with candy for dessert. Their success depends on whether your child is willing to eat a cold hamburger or hot dog. The package specifically says, "no need to heat." Our 5-year-old friend, Emily, said the cold burger -- while fun to put together by herself -- "did not taste real good."

Reynolds Hot Bags take the heat off summertime cooking. Place a few ingredients in a foil bag, seal, and cook in the oven or on the grill. After dinner, toss out the used packet. We loved the Ginger Shrimp and Broccoli recipe included in the package. Arrange 1 1/2 pounds medium raw shrimp, peeled; 3 cups broccoli florets; and 1/2 medium red-bell pepper, cut in strips, in bag. Sprinkle with 1 clove garlic, minced, and 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil. Seal bag and bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees or for 10 minutes in covered grill.

A Towson man made a federal case yesterday of his conviction for selling non-kosher meats, claiming the law he was convicted of breaking and the very existence of Baltimore's Bureau of Kosher Meat and Food Control violate the First Amendment's ban against government establishment of a religion.George Barghout, owner of Yogurt Plus in the Reisterstown Plaza, asked the U.S. District Court to declare the law unconstitutional -- and with it his conviction in the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore and $500 fine.

What you put on your hot dog depends on where you live. That is what I learned recently when, in honor of July, National Hot Dog Month, I called hot-dog sellers around the United States. The hot dog has been charged, but never convicted, of crimes ranging from increasing the risk of cancer to causing bratty behavior in kids. Nevertheless, we continue to love the hot dog, eating an average of about 80 per person per year. And, in different regions of America, the hot dog gets special treatment.

The dwindling days of summer don't always lend themselves to culinary ambition: It's hot and I'm lazy. So, taking a cue from the nickname, I make the hot dog my supper of choice. When there's a baseball game scheduled the evening of my culinary dog day, all the better. Even when you dress up the pup with a zesty slaw and assorted accouterments, this supper is speedier than a fastball. Because the franks are precooked, the microwave heats up the entree in about a minute. Before you know it, it's time to step outside, turn on the radio and enjoy supper.