Jamie Loftus' 'Raw Dog' investigates the social and culinary history of the hot dog

NPR's Book of the Day

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Arts, Books

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2023

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

Comedian Jamie Loftus has been eating hot dogs her whole life. But in her new book, Raw Dog, she takes a road trip across the U.S. to discover how they're prepared in different parts of the country, and does a deep dive into everything from the labor conditions in meatpacking plants to the social class implications of who eats hot dogs and why. In today's episode, Loftus speaks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the immigrant roots of the baseball classic, the capitalist propaganda behind the hot dog as a symbol of America, and the ethical ways to still consume them.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. This week is a very big week.
0:08.2	Yes, we've got Thanksgiving coming up. Family, food, tradition, blah, blah, blah. I am not talking
0:13.7	about Thanksgiving. This week is a big week because today NPR launches our annual books we love.
0:20.6	It's the interactive platform we use to collect
0:22.6	our favorite books from this year. It is a whopping collection of more than 350 books recommended
0:28.7	by staffers here at NPR, including reporters, hosts, editors, producers, and our regular book
0:34.9	critics. So on the pod these next couple weeks, we're going to be
0:37.7	offering you conversations about the books that made it onto the list. First up is a book all about
0:43.0	a dish shared by many throughout the country, a dish that stirs up big emotions and sometimes
0:49.0	arguments over how it should be prepared. Again, I'm not talking about anything Thanksgiving
0:53.3	related. Instead, I am talking talking about anything Thanksgiving related. Instead,
0:54.8	I am talking about the hot dog. After the break, comedian Jamie Loftus talks to NPR's Aisha Roscoe
1:00.6	about her book, Raw Dog, which examines what the dish says about us as a country. That's in a bit.
1:07.2	This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise,
1:13.9	you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit
1:19.9	wise.com. T's and C's apply. Fall in love with new music every Friday. At all songs considered,
1:26.9	that's NPR's Music Recommendation
1:28.9	Podcast. Fridays are where we spend our whole show sharing all the greatest new releases
1:33.9	of the week. Make the hunt for new music a part of your life again. Tap into New Music Friday
1:39.3	from All Songs Considered, available wherever you get your podcasts. Is there anything so American as a hot dog?
1:48.1	They are surrounded by legends steeped in history outside the kitchen, and they put everybody
1:53.8	in their feelings about their hometown's favorite toppings.
	...

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