(wet) hot dog american summer

August is winding down, and last week, in commemoration of the in-universe last day of camp on August 18, 1981, and as a goodbye to long, sunny days and summer traffic, I showed my friends my favorite movie, Wet Hot American Summer, a satire of the teen sex comedy and summer camp genre, two genres that are very American. If this were a different post, I would further discuss our media’s moral fixation on these subjects (the novelty of sleepaway camp and the taboo nature of sex in film) in more detail, but alas, this is a post about hot dogs.

If you’ve seen Wet Hot American Summer, you know that Elizabeth Banks and Paul Rudd’s characters make out a lot, yet barbecue sauce and burger breath very validly ruin some of those chances. While ribs and hamburgers are symbolically American, I did notice a glaring summer food omission: hot dogs.

Hot dogs are so emblematic of American summers. Iconically, the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is held on the Fourth of July. Consider the numerous regional U.S. versions of hot dogs you could have while watching a baseball game, America’s summertime sport and activity. Wet Hot American Summer is set at a Jewish summer sleepaway camp; hot dogs are probably the quickest and easiest thing to make and feed a large group of children. They could be eating all beef brats! Hebrew Nationals even!

However, consider also the Americanization of the hot dog - transforming a sausage from a sit-down meal focal point into a portable meal on a bun. We’re impatient, we’re on-the-go, we kinda don’t care about the mystery mix of the meat in the casings, but we still need to feed ourselves sufficiently while serving capitalism. Thankfully, the movies of August have reminded me of how iconic the hot dog is to an American summer.

Hot dogs have had a ubiquitous, yet non-important presence in this year’s August releases, starting most damningly with Weapons, then also briefly appearing in The Naked Gun and Nobody 2. Featured across various specific genre films, within the context of their scenes, hot dogs highlight more exasperating American cultural experiences.

Weapons, of course, really set the bar for the most American use of food this summer, with a jarring, yet hilarious shot of seven hot dogs with only mustard on a tray meant for two people. (There is also a really depressing use of Campbell’s soup throughout that will haunt me.)

The film follows various characters from a small town as they try to figure out what happened to 17 children who have suddenly gone missing. The iconic tray of hot dogs is shown as Marcus (Benedict Wong), the elementary school principal of the missing children, and his partner sit down for a relaxing weekend afternoon to watch TV. Earlier in Marcus’ vignette, we see the couple grocery shopping and choosing sugary cereals and other processed goods.

The hot dogs evoke such cathartic laughter from audiences because they subvert the expected and conservative presentation of hot dogs. Instead, director Zach Cregger employs a sight gag that was also a distinct character choice. I, personally, could easily eat three hot dogs in one prolonged sitting if it’s the only time I‘m eating that day and I‘m hungry and high enough. It’s just the American way. I loved seeing a personal truth finally laid bare for the audience. We’re gluttonous and have large serving sizes and love to binge-watch a TV show, even in the midst of tragedy.

Bonus hot dog: Aside from staking its observing eye on hot dogs in summer movies, the hot dogs in Weapons are also possibly a callback and reference to director Zach Cregger’s former comedy group, Whitest Kids U Know, tracking the day of a man who eats at least seven hot dogs a day, even commenting on the crush of capitalism that may keep him from eating a lunch meal!

And speaking of hot dog lunches, The Naked Gun heavily features its hot chili dog scene in its trailer. Is Frank (Liam Neeson) so busy working that he can only eat his lunch on the go? Aside from the crushing capitalism of no regulated lunch breaks, we also see America’s lack of good, accessible public restrooms, and the insane car culture keeping people from having proper lunch breaks and respectfully dealing with unpredictable bowel movements.

I am pro-snacking in the car. I have long commutes, and snacking helps keep my blood sugar at a normal level, preventing me from getting too frustrated with the slow, inconsiderate drivers on the road. I’m not sure if I’m fully behind eating a meal prone to making a mess, but I could support a plain hot dog. That’s two fully intact, solid ingredients. The choice of a chili dog, however, is so extreme for comedy's sake. Impressively, Frank (Liam Neeson) doesn’t even make a mess on his suit... yet. There is a storm moving in his bowels that threatens an even grosser, embarrassing mess.

As a law enforcement officer, Frank would be obligated to drive in a private vehicle anyway, but in car-centric America, we watch on dash and body cam as he has to bob and weave through traffic to then also find an accessible, clean public restroom. Only does his badge and gun get him front-of-the-line privilege at a busy cafe. The corruption of the police knows no bounds! I already don‘t drink a lot of water because I dread the experience of urgently having to pee while frantically searching for a free/accessible restroom in public, so without the abuse of a badge or gun, the idea of admitting defeat and having to pop a squat somewhere horrifies me. I will stay dehydrated.

Bonus hot dog: The Naked Gun director Akiva Schaffer is part of The Lonely Island of SNL Digital Shorts fame, and on last week’s episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast last week, they discussed the iconic Digital Short “I Threw It On the Ground,” which unmistakably and conspiratorily features Andy Samberg’s weird counter-culture guy throwing a free hot dog on the ground :(

You can’t buy me, hot dog man!!

And lastly, the theme of work-life balance is also addressed in Nobody 2. In this sequel, Hutch (Bob Odenkirk) tries to outrun his violent nature on a well-intentioned family vacation, but trouble finds him anyway, even at a small-town water park resort. Revisiting the site of his favorite (and only) childhood vacation, Hutch flashes back to a memory of eating hot dogs with his brother (RZA) and father (Doc Brown). The hot dog is an object of nostalgia for Hutch in that brief, beautiful moment before he realizes he’s blown his low profile.

I feel for Hutch, an American summer vacation is a sad excuse for holidaying and for proper time off in general. They’re too short, there’s too much pressure to do something worthwhile, and the poor work-life balance culture in America compels people with weak boundaries, like Hutch, to work while trying to take a break. However, unlike most people, Hutch still finds time to create memories with his family, despite his busy schedule.

To cap off my August of hot dogs and movies, I watched Psycho at Hollywood Forever Cemetery with friends. Despite what I say about summer ending, I live in Southern California, and summer will still linger on for a few more months with sticky, hot nights. On this night, after not eating during a long day of work, I decided to celebrate by going out to the movies, watching another film about other American anxieties and fixations (being strapped for cash and our obsession with murderers), and bought a plain hot dog for $14 and ate it Weapons-style. It was only right. This is the American way.

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