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Ode to the Hot Dog Guy
Letter to the Editor
Mobile food vendors are everywhere these days. Whether you’re at the Farmer’s Market, one of the many outdoor festivals or simply wandering around looking for some lunch you can be sure a food vendor is not far away.
But I remember a time when that was not the case. In fact, seeing a food vendor out on the street was something that once drew curiosity for how out of place it was. I remember the first time I saw a food vendor on the street in downtown Cranbrook in the mid 1990s. I had to do a double take as I had never seen something like that before, at least not in Cranbrook.
Thankfully, my curiosity (and the smell of delicious food) drew me over to check it out…And that is when I met the ‘Hot Dog Guy.’
Many of us will remember his cart, which was always dutifully waiting for the lunchtime crowd under the Clock Tower. Others may recall leaving the bar at closing time to find his cart parked outside filling the drunken atmosphere with the savoury scent of hot dogs (still the best I’ve ever had).
I was in that crowd more than a few times and that sight is the most beautiful thing an intoxicated person can experience! It seemed like he was everywhere, and everyone knew him.
Although I cannot recall his name I did have quite a few conversations with him when I visited him at lunch. I remember him telling me that he had to fight City Hall to get his street vendor permit, as they didn’t even have them in our town back then.
He was the very first vendor in town to be issued one of these permits. I guess you could say he was a pioneer back before the food cart craze was ‘trending’ (Oh how I hate that word).
I enjoyed visiting him as he was always in a good mood and had a joke or two to tell. He knew his regulars by name and welcomed them with a small town hospitality that you just don’t see much anymore. I think he became a friend to many in this town and I still run into people who say “Remember the hot dog guy? I wish he was still around.”
He almost always pops into my head every time I wander around the Farmer’s Market looking for something to eat as I wait on my wife to finish shopping. Maybe it’s the nostalgia coming on and remembrance of days gone by but he wasn’t just a food vendor to many of us. He became a part of the town not only because he made great hot dogs but because he was a great guy.
So to the Hot Dog Guy, wherever you are now… Thank you.
Dave Johnson,
Cranbrook
