A new dog in town

Here we are, facing a beautiful summer long weekend. Are camping and barbecues on the agenda? Perhaps a meal featuring hotdogs, those perfect campfire stalwarts, is planned?
Well, don’t eat them too fast. Savour them, because there might soon be a new dog in town.

On the heels of news about the choking hazards presented by wieners comes a new product designed to minimize the risk. The Kinder Cut looks like an ordinary wiener, until it is cooked. Then it expands into a star-shaped cylinder. Eight longitudinal slits appear only when the hot dog is cooked. The idea is that air could still pass between the meat and a person’s airway should the hotdog become lodged in the throat. I guess the bun is another story.
According to Meatingplace.com, the Kinder Cut was patented by Gene Gagliardi in 1991 but it has never been commercially produced. That might soon change.
Adults seem to have little trouble with hotdogs, but they are a choking risk for kids. A round chunk of hotdog can fit all too snugly in a child’s airway. If someone has found a safer way, more power to them. It’s another choice for consumers.

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I just hope the new hotdogs, when they reach the market, will fit on a stick, stay on a stick while being roasted in a campfire, and accept adequate amounts of relish and mustard when they’re done.